What Metrograph does

Metrograph is a privately held, New York-based entertainment company founded in 2016 by Alexander Olch, operating an integrated ecosystem of curated cinema experiences. The company runs three core business lines: Metrograph NYC, a single-location independent cinema at 7 Ludlow Street offering rare archival screenings in 35mm and digital formats, special premieres, and filmmaker Q&As; Metrograph Pictures, an independent distribution arm launched in 2019 that acquires and theatrically releases curated titles and restorations such as Possession (1981), A Bigger Splash (1973), and Hyenas (1992); and Metrograph At Home, a nationwide US streaming platform launched in July 2020 that extends the company's curation to subscribers via web, mobile, and major connected-TV platforms including Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Samsung, LG, and Xbox.

The company's revenue model is a hybrid of transactional and recurring streams. Transactional revenue comes from theater ticket sales at 7 Ludlow, theatrical and online distribution via Metrograph Pictures, F&B sales at the on-site restaurant The Commissary, and merchandise/book sales through Metrograph Editions (both in-store and online). Recurring revenue derives from membership subscriptions starting at $5/month, which bundle preferred ticket pricing ($7 savings per ticket), exclusive screenings, filmmaker events, and streaming access, alongside Metrograph At Home streaming subscriptions. Supporting products include The Commissary restaurant, Metrograph Editions bookstore/merchandise store, and The Metrograph print publication for cinephiles.

Technically, Metrograph operates as a brick-and-mortar cinema and content distribution company without disclosed proprietary technology platforms. The streaming service relies on Vimeo-based infrastructure, and no public API, SDK, or developer-facing integrations are offered. The company's competitive moat derives from human editorial curation, brand equity within the cinephile community, an integrated multi-vertical ecosystem (theater, restaurant, bookstore, distribution, streaming, print), and direct relationships with filmmakers and archivists. Customer concentration is low, with revenue drawn from long-tail individual consumers across persona segments: dedicated cinephiles, filmmakers and industry professionals, and home streaming audiences.

Name

Metrograph

Legal name

Metrograph, LLC

Website

https://metrograph.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Metrograph is a New York-based, privately held curated cinema company founded in 2016, operating a flagship independent theater at 7 Ludlow Street alongside an independent distribution arm (Metrograph Pictures), a nationwide US streaming service (Metrograph At Home), a membership program, a restaurant, a bookstore, and a print publication—serving cinephiles, filmmakers, and home streaming audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema Exhibition

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catalog / Library Distribution & Re-Release (MPADAJAK), Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

Keywords

• Independent film exhibition
• Curated film distribution
• Video streaming platform
• Cinema subscription membership
• Film publication editorial

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Theater Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for film screenings at the 7 Ludlow Street cinema, including regular showings and special event screenings with filmmaker Q&As. Membership provides preferred ticket pricing with savings of $7 per ticket.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Monthly subscription starting at $5 per month providing members with preferred ticket pricing, exclusive access to films and premieres, conversations with filmmakers, and curated streaming collections accessible nationwide via Metrograph At Home.
3. Film Distribution (Metrograph Pictures): Independent distribution company launched in 2019 focused on theatrical and online distribution of curated films, including restorations and acquired titles released nationwide in theaters and on the Metrograph At Home platform.
4. Streaming Subscriptions (Metrograph At Home): Streaming platform launched July 2020 offering nationwide access to curated films, online premieres fresh from theaters, thematic series, director retrospectives, and restored classics. Accessible via web, mobile app, Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, and Xbox.
5. Food & Beverage (The Commissary): On-site restaurant and bar service at the 7 Ludlow Street location, open for reservations and walk-ins. Provides dining experience complementing the theater-going experience.
6. Merchandise & Editions Store: Sale of curated books, merchandise, and prints through the Metrograph Editions store, available in-person at 7 Ludlow Street seven days a week or online anytime.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Metrograph fundamentally operates a curated independent movie theater at 7 Ludlow Street in New York City, screening rare 35mm and digital films, special premieres, and filmmaker Q&As. The company extends this curation through Metrograph Pictures (independent theatrical distribution launched 2019), Metrograph At Home (a streaming platform launched July 2020), a paid membership program, an on-site restaurant (The Commissary), a curated bookstore/merchandise shop (Metrograph Editions), and a print publication (The Metrograph).

Product overview

Metrograph is a curated cinema company operating as a multi-platform entertainment business. Its core offerings include Metrograph NYC (an independent theater at 7 Ludlow Street with archival screenings and Q&As), Metrograph At Home (a streaming platform launched in 2020 for nationwide access), and Metrograph Pictures (an independent distribution company launched in 2019). Supporting products include Metrograph Membership (subscription with ticket discounts and streaming access), The Commissary restaurant, Metrograph Editions (bookstore/merchandise), and a print publication called The Metrograph. The ecosystem is tied together by Metrograph's signature film curation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Metrograph NYC: The flagship independent movie theater at 7 Ludlow Street, featuring rare archival screenings (35mm and digital), special premieres, and Q&As. Includes The Commissary restaurant, bookstore, and Candy Store.
• Metrograph Pictures
• Metrograph At Home
• The Commissary
• Metrograph Editions

Products and services

• Metrograph NYC Independent movie theater at 7 Ludlow Street in New York City showing rare archival screenings in 35mm and digital formats, special premieres, and filmmaker Q&As to film enthusiasts; includes an on-site restaurant (The Commissary), bookstore, and candy store.
• Metrograph At Home Streaming subscription platform launched July 2020 offering nationwide US access to Metrograph's curated film collection, online premieres fresh from theaters, thematic series, director retrospectives, and restored classics via web, mobile app, Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, and Xbox.
• Metrograph Pictures Independent theatrical and online distribution company launched in 2019 acquiring and releasing curated films and restorations such as Possession (1981), A Bigger Splash (1973), Downtown 81 (1981/2001), and Hyenas (1992) nationwide in theaters and via Metrograph At Home.
• The Commissary On-site restaurant and bar at the 7 Ludlow Street location, open for reservations and walk-ins, providing dining service to theater-goers and the public via the Resy reservation platform.
• Metrograph Editions Curated selection of books, merchandise, and prints sold in-person at 7 Ludlow Street seven days a week and online anytime through the Metrograph e-commerce storefront.
• The Metrograph (print publication) Print publication for film lovers featuring editorial content about cinema, sold in-store at 7 Ludlow Street.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Park CircusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPark Circus serves as a distributor for certain theatrical titles screened at Metrograph. For example, Park Circus distributed 'For a Few Dollars More' (1965) which was part of Metrograph's 'The Worldwide West' series.
• American Genre Film ArchiveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmerican Genre Film Archive provided the 35mm print of 'Full Contact' (1992) screened as part of Metrograph's 'Ringo Lam on Fire' series.
• Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater ResearchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvided 35mm print courtesy for 'Full Contact' (1992) screened at Metrograph.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IFC Center: Independent art-house cinema in Greenwich Village, NYC showing curated independent, international, and repertory programming. Closest direct competitor to Metrograph NYC given shared NYC geography, art-house positioning, and filmmaker-event programming model.
• Kino Lorber: Independent film distributor specializing in foreign language, documentary, and classic film releases in the US theatrical and home-video markets. Direct peer to Metrograph Pictures in the catalog and restoration distribution space.
• MUBI: Global curated film streaming service offering hand-picked independent, classic, and international cinema with daily film rotations. Closest direct competitor to Metrograph At Home in the niche curated streaming category.
• Film Forum: Nonprofit art-house cinema in Greenwich Village, NYC operating three screens with curated independent, international, and repertory programming plus filmmaker Q&As. Directly comparable to Metrograph's curatorial, repertory, and event-driven model in the same NYC market.
• Janus Films: Long-established distributor of foreign and classic films that supplies repertory programming to art-house cinemas across the US. Directly comparable to Metrograph Pictures in the distribution of curated, restored, and international titles.
• The Criterion Collection: Curator and distributor of classic and contemporary films on physical media and via the Criterion Channel streaming service. Direct overlap with Metrograph Pictures (distribution) and Metrograph At Home (curated streaming), with a substantially larger catalog and brand.
• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: Specialty cinema chain known for curated repertory and event programming, filmmaker Q&As, and food-and-beverage service integrated into the theater experience. Direct peer in the multi-revenue-per-visit specialty cinema model Metrograph operates at 7 Ludlow.
• Angelika Film Center: NYC art-house cinema (and a small chain) showing independent, international, and limited-release films. Direct NYC market competitor to Metrograph NYC for the same cinephile and indie-film audience.
• BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music): Brooklyn cultural institution with a major repertory cinema program (BAM Rose Cinemas) showing curated, restored, and international films, often with filmmaker appearances. Direct art-house competitor to Metrograph in the NYC metropolitan market.

Broad incumbents

• A24: Independent entertainment company producing, distributing, and marketing films, with a curated brand that overlaps with Metrograph's audience. Broader incumbent that intersects with Metrograph Pictures in distribution and with the cinephile audience Metrograph serves, though A24 is studio-scale and Metrograph is curation-scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/metrographnyc
• Facebookfacebook.com/metrographnyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/metrograph
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metrograph

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metrograph