Belcourt Theatre

The Belcourt Theatre is a unique Nashville treasure with a vibrant, historic past and deep roots in the community. Today, the Belcourt is a nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to presenting the best of independent, documentary, world, repertoire and classic cinema.

The Belcourt provides opportunities for people of all ages to discover, explore and learn through the power of film, music and theatre. We cultivate and build on the powerful sense of shared experience that audiences can achieve — taking advantage of our building’s physical character and location in the heart of a lively Nashville neighborhood.

Since the re-opening of the theatre in 1999, over a half million people have visited the Belcourt to see nearly more than 1,000 films from every corner of the globe, musicians both established and emerging, and theatre from some of Nashville’s most creative and imaginative artists.

THE BELCOURT'S HISTORY
First opened in 1925 as the Hillsboro Theatre, the Belcourt originally operated as a silent movie house, boasting the most modern projection equipment and the largest stage in the city. As the community grew, the Belcourt adapted to the new needs of the neighborhood by providing a regular home for the Children's Theatre of Nashville, the longest running children's theatre of its kind, and the venerable Grand Ole Opry (1934-1936).

By 1937, the Belcourt was renamed the Nashville Community Playhouse and continued to shine as a space flexible enough to house both film and live theatre. The playhouse featured works by its own Actor's Guild supplemented by a variety of community events and educational and historical events.

In 1966, the Belcourt returned to its original use as a movie theatre and the name changed again, this time to the Belcourt Cinema. For nearly 30 years, the Massey family, in conjunction with Carmike Cinemas, ran the theatre as a successful movie house. Neighborhood theatres, such as Belle Meade, Loews and the Belcourt, thrived through the 1970's, but the landscape of the Nashville theatre industry changed in the following decade. The economics of the business led corporate owners to emphasize multi-screen theatre tied to shopping mall developments. When the Belle Meade Theatre was converted to a bookstore in 1993, The Belcourt became the last traditional neighborhood movie house in Nashville.

At the conclusion of Carmike's lease in 1997, the Watkins Film School joined with Belcourt LLC to manage the building. Faced with increasing pressure from emergent multiplexes, Watkins brought in classic, unique, and challenging fare not previously available in Nashville. Despite this strong programming, the theatre and its management were unable to galvanize and build a local audience, and in early 1999, the Watkins Belcourt was ultimately forced to close. Shortly afterwards, Belcourt LLC reached an agreement to lease the property to Belcourt YES!, a grassroots nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation and successful operation of the Belcourt Theatre in its historical roles as a home for film, theatre and music.

In 2003 the theatre was purchased by Thomas Wills, a founding member of the Belcourt YES! committee, with the intention of reselling the theater to the organization for the original purchase price. Belcourt YES! purchased the theatre from Mr. Wills in November 2007, for the exact amount paid for the property in 2003—and the Board of Directors changed the organization's name to The Belcourt Theatre, Inc.

The Belcourt is now the only one of Nashville's neighborhood theatres to remain operational. The theatre is recognized as a unique cultural icon and as Nashville’s choice for the best foreign, independent, and classic film, great musical performances, and unique programming for kids and their families.