Bellevue Theater In Montclair Screens Its First Movie In Nearly A Decade

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Bellevue Theater hosted an audience for the first time in nearly a decade last weekend as part of the Montclair Film Festival.

On Saturday, the beloved movie theater screened “The Sound of Music” – a big landmark for the resurrected local venue.

When the Bellevue Theatre closed its doors in 2017, nearly a century of memory-making magic came to an end. Efforts to revive the theater have been in the works for years.

Those plans are finally coming to fruition, Montclair Film announced last summer. The nonprofit said it hoped to launch this fall – just in time for the 2025 Montclair Film Festival. Full operation is scheduled to begin in early November ahead of the holiday season.

>> Read More: Historic Movie Theater In NJ Is Reopening: 'The Bellevue Is Back'

“The Sound of Music” was a natural choice to kick things off, an event post from the nonprofit explains:

“When Montclair Film acquired The Bellevue Theatre this year, we were blown away by the public response and support, but one special fact stood out: several patrons described the joy they had experienced at the cinema when they attended the theatrical release of ‘The Sound of Music’ in the mid-1960’s, when the movie ran for years at The Bellevue … As a special thank you to all of those who have supported The Bellevue Theatre’s re-opening, Montclair Film is proud to present the new restoration of ‘The Sound of Music’ as the first public screening at our newly re-opened cinema.”

The 2025 Montclair Film Festival is taking place from Oct. 17 to Oct. 26. Learn more here.

• See Related: Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien Event Will Benefit Montclair Film Festival

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