Look for a bold neon sign spelling “NUART” in glowing pink and yellow on Santa Monica Boulevard-if you spot that dazzling marquee above glass doors, you’ve found the Nuart Theatre.
Alright, you’re standing outside a true Los Angeles legend! Picture it: the year is 1929, the air is buzzing with excitement for silent films and jazz-age dreams. Right where you stand, this single-screen gem opened its doors, dazzling moviegoers. Its art-deco façade is like a beacon for cinema lovers, especially now when the neon flickers to life as the sun sets. Over the decades, the Nuart became the crown jewel of Landmark Theatres, leading the charge for art-house movies across the country. Imagine crowds lining up for foreign films, independents, and cult classics that might have otherwise faded into obscurity. Here, some movies nobody cared about...became legends.
In 1974, Landmark gave the Nuart a new lease on life, and since then it’s been all about offbeat gems and quirky debuts. In fact, it just celebrated its 50th anniversary with fans dressing up for midnight showings. Speaking of quirky, every Saturday night since the wild 1980s, you could catch The Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with a live shadowcast-costumes, callouts, maybe a flying piece of toast if you're not careful! The Nuart has also been a movie star itself: featured in films like Foul Play, and even had John Waters tell people to “smoke anyway” in a no-smoking reminder as only he can. On stage, punk bands and cult icons have rocked out to wild crowds-legend has it, the energy here could light up a neon sign all by itself!
So breathe in that popcorn smell, and remember: you’re standing where outrageous cinema history was-and still is-made.
