History of cinema in the United States facts for kids
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This article tells the exciting story of how movies and movie theaters grew in the United States.
Contents
Early Days of Movies (Before 1900)
In 1893, a man named Eadweard Muybridge showed off hand-painted moving pictures in Chicago. It was like an early cartoon!
Then, in June 1894, Charles Francis Jenkins used his "Phantoscope" to show a film to his family and friends in Portland, Oregon. It was a dancer doing a "Butterfly Dance." Jenkins and his partner, Thomas Armat, later sold their invention to Thomas Edison. Edison renamed it the "Vitascope."
Edison started showing films to the public with the Vitascope on April 23, 1896, in New York City. Soon after, on July 26, 1896, the first "storefront theater" just for movies opened in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was called Vitascope Hall.
A very important step happened in October 1896. In Buffalo, New York, brothers Mitchel H. Mark and Moe Mark opened "Edison's Vitascope Theater." This theater was built just for showing movies. It had 72 comfy seats and cost only three cents to get in! It stayed open for two years, making it one of the first permanent movie theaters in the world.
Today, the State Theater in Washington, Iowa is the oldest movie theater that has been open continuously. It started showing films in 1897 and is still open today!
Movies Become Popular (1900–1919)
The first permanent movie theater in California was Tally's Electric Theater, which opened in Los Angeles in 1902.
A 12-minute film called The Great Train Robbery (made in 1903) really helped the movie industry grow.
In 1905, John P. Harris and Harry Davis opened a movie theater in Pittsburgh where tickets cost only five cents. They called it the Nickelodeon. This style of cheap, storefront movie theater became very popular. By 1908, there were thousands of Nickelodeons all over North America!
Later, fancier theaters started to appear. The Regent Theater opened in New York City in 1913, showing that movies were becoming more respected. The Mark Strand Theatre, which cost a million dollars, opened in New York City in 1914. These grand theaters were called "movie palaces."
In 1915, the huge success of the film The Birth of a Nation made longer movies, called feature films, very popular. This meant that nickelodeons had to charge more for tickets (ten cents or more) and make their theaters nicer, or move to bigger places. This brought an end to the nickelodeon era.
Modern Movie Theaters (After 1920)
After 1920, movie ticket sales grew very fast. Movie studios and promoters rushed to build the most amazing and fancy theaters they could imagine.
These theaters became known as movie palaces. They were designed to be super luxurious, with huge screens and, starting in 1953, amazing stereophonic sound. Movie theaters were also among the first places to have air conditioning, which made them a cool and comfortable place to go in the summer.
Many big movie studios, like Paramount, Warner, Loews (who owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Fox, and RKO, owned their own chains of movie theaters. However, in 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling that forced these studios to sell their theater chains.
Later, the invention of the low-cost VHS video system for home TVs changed things. People could now watch movies at home! Today, people can pay to watch movies at home through cable television or streaming media just a few months after they are in theaters.
The movie theater industry responded by building bigger auditoriums with stadium seating (where seats are on different levels, like a stadium). They also added more screens, upgraded sound systems, and offered better food and drinks.
Movie Theater Experience
Going to the movies is often linked with dating, eating popcorn, and enjoying other snacks.
Snacks and Drinks
Movie theaters usually sell different snack foods and drinks at special counters. You can often find popcorn, soft drinks, nachos, hot dogs, ice creams, and lots of different confectionery (candies).
The money made from selling snacks and drinks is a very important source of profit for theaters. This is because most of the money from ticket sales goes to the film companies. Theaters often charge more for snacks than regular stores. Some theaters even have cup holders on the armrests to make it easier to enjoy your food during the movie.
Today, many theaters are offering more than just popcorn. Some "dine-in" theaters let you buy full meals, like pizza or hamburgers, to eat while you watch the movie. Others, called "brew and view" places, serve alcoholic drinks. Some theaters even offer full restaurant service right at your seat!
Being Respectful at the Movies
Most people get annoyed when others use their cell phones, talk loudly, or cause other disturbances during a movie. It's important to be considerate of everyone trying to enjoy the film.
Images for kids
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An independent cinema in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, UK.
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Abandoned theater in North Miami, Florida
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Usher's uniform, Cinema Museum (London)
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An usherette tray for selling snacks
