Hollywood Theatre

What Hollywood Theatre does

Hollywood Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit movie palace in Portland, Oregon, founded in 1926 and operated by Film Forever Northwest (Tax ID 93-1074861). The organization operates three auditoriums—a 384-seat main auditorium and two 111-seat upstairs auditoriums—equipped with multi-format projection across 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, and DCP digital systems, and is the only Oregon venue regularly screening 70mm film. The theatre hosts 450+ unique events annually across 50+ curated signature film series, alongside educational programming through Movie Madness University, and maintains the Wurlitzer Unit Orchestra theatre organ dedicated to Beverly Ruth Nelson for silent film accompaniment.

The product portfolio is anchored by the historic Hollywood Theatre and Movie Madness (acquired January 1, 2018), a video store and cinephile archive housing 90,000+ physical media titles and film props. Ancillary properties include the PDX Airport Microcinema—a free 22-seat cinema at Portland International Airport operated in partnership with the Port of Portland since 2017—and Bar Hollywood, a David Lynch-themed bar and lounge opened in April 2025. Supporting services include Movie Madness Miniplex private rentals, fiscal sponsorship for Oregon-based film projects, community benefit screenings, and four-wall venue rentals.

Hollywood Theatre monetizes through a diversified revenue model: ticket sales ($12 adult, $10 student/senior/child, $9 member), a seven-tier membership program ranging from $40 to $2,400 per year, concessions, OnScreen corporate sponsorships at $4,000/year with 46 listed Business Benefactors, venue rentals ($700-$1,000/hour), tax-deductible donations and grants, and fiscal sponsorship administrative fees of 3-6%. The organization serves general film enthusiasts, cult/genre audiences, families, LGBTQ+ communities, environmental advocates, Oregon filmmakers, and travelers, with a stated headcount of approximately 20 staff members supported by volunteers and 4,639 community backers who funded the Movie Madness acquisition.

Name

Hollywood Theatre

Legal name

Film Forever Northwest

Website

https://hollywoodtheatre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hollywood Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit movie palace in Portland, Oregon, operating three auditoriums with 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, and DCP projection and 450+ annual events. It runs Movie Madness, the PDX Airport Microcinema, and 50+ signature film series serving cinephiles, filmmakers, and the local community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema & Film Exhibition Services

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF), Private Screenings & Venue Rentals (Corporate, Parties) (MPADAKAJ)

Keywords

• Independent movie theatre
• Film exhibition services
• Nonprofit cinema operations
• 70mm film projection
• Physical media rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from film screenings across three auditoriums. Standard pricing: $12 adults, $10 students/seniors/children, $9 members. Special event pricing varies.
2. Memberships: Seven-tier membership program ranging from $40/year (Student/Senior) to $2,400/year (Cinephile Society Dual). Provides recurring revenue stream with tiered benefits including free screenings, guest passes, and discounts.
3. Concessions: On-site food and beverage including Sizzle Pie pizza, craft beers, wine, soda, candy, ice cream, and award-winning popcorn. Partnership with local vendors.
4. Venue Rentals: Four-wall rental program for private events, fundraisers, and screenings. Main auditorium $1,000/hour (max 384 capacity), upstairs auditorium $700/hour (max 111 capacity). Substantial discounts for nonprofits.
5. Corporate Sponsorships: OnScreen Business Benefactor program ($4,000/year) with slide advertising reaching 200,000 people annually. Short-term slides at $350/month. Business benefactors receive member listing, VIP seating, guest passes.
6. Donations & Grants: Tax-deductible donations as 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID 93-1074861). Monthly giving, planned giving, stock donations, QCDs from IRAs, matching gifts. Film Forever NW operates Hollywood Theatre and Movie Madness.
7. Fiscal Sponsorship: Administrative fees of 3-6% on grants/donations for fiscally-sponsored Oregon film projects. Fee structure: 6% ($1-$150K), 5% ($150K-$400K), 4% ($400K-$600K), 3% (over $600K).
8. Movie Madness Rentals: Video rental store with 90,000+ physical media titles. Members get rent one, get one free deal. Also operates Miniplex (18-seat screening room) for private rentals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hollywood Theatre is a nonprofit movie palace (Film Forever Northwest, 501(c)(3)) that screens first-run, repertory, and specialty films across multiple formats (16mm, 35mm, 70mm, DCP digital) in three auditoriums (384-seat main + two 111-seat upstairs). It operates the Movie Madness video rental store (90,000+ titles), the PDX Airport Microcinema, Bar Hollywood lounge, venue rentals, a tiered membership program, and a fiscal sponsorship program for Oregon filmmakers, hosting 450+ unique events annually.

Product overview

Hollywood Theatre operates as a nonprofit (Film Forever Northwest) running a portfolio of film-focused products and venues. The core offerings are the historic Hollywood Theatre movie palace (1926) and Movie Madness video store (1991), which together anchor the Hollywood Film District initiative. Supporting products include venue rentals, membership tiers, gift cards, Bar Hollywood (2025), the PDX Airport Microcinema (2017), and Movie Madness University. Signature programming encompasses 50+ curated film series (70mm, B-Movie Bingo, Queer Horror, etc.). Fiscal sponsorship, community benefit screenings, and OnScreen business sponsorships round out the revenue model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Movie Madness: Portland's iconic video store with a world-class collection of 90,000+ titles and film props including items from THE WILD BUNCH, PSYCHO, and BLUE VELVET.
• Bar Hollywood
• PDX Airport Microcinema
• Hollywood Film District

Products and services

• Hollywood Theatre (Movie Palace)
• Movie Madness Video Store
• PDX Airport Microcinema
• Bar Hollywood
• Signature Series Programming
• Hollywood Theatre Membership Program
• Venue Rentals
• Fiscal Sponsorship Program
• OnScreen Business Benefactor Sponsorship
• Community Benefit Screenings
• Movie Madness University
• Gift Cards

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000 people reached annually through OnScreen advertising program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Movie MadnesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Hollywood Theatre acquired Movie Madness on January 1, 2018 through community #SaveMovieMadness campaign with 4,639 backers. Movie Madness is now owned and operated by Film Forever Northwest. Houses 90,000+ physical media titles and 18-seat Miniplex screening room. Relocating to 11,000 sq ft location across Sandy Boulevard in May 2027.
• Port of PortlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate first-of-its-kind free 22-seat microcinema at Portland International Airport C Concourse. Hollywood Theatre curates and screens Pacific Northwest short films for 22 million annual travelers. Provides unique community exposure and fulfills Port's cultural amenity goals.
• ZGF ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm involved in PDX microcinema design and implementation.
• Eighteen GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAV installation and programming for PDX Airport Microcinema.
• Travel OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState tourism agency providing funding support and content partnership for PDX microcinema featuring Oregon stories.
• Columbia River Theatre Organ SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Wurlitzer Unit Orchestra theatre organ. CRTOS maintains the instrument dedicated to Beverly Ruth Nelson memory. Hollywood Theatre is only public venue in Portland with such instrument.
• Art House ConvergenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReciprocal membership program with 60+ art house theaters nationwide. Hollywood Theatre members receive benefits at partner theaters across the country.
• Portland State University School of FilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for Cinema of Jafar Panahi film series. Films presented as part of PSU curriculum taught by Professor Mark Berrettini.
• ReveryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company that created short film celebrating Hollywood Theatre's 100th anniversary, Movie Madness, and community film culture.
• Wheel the WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessibility verification partner. In 2025, partnered with Oregon to become first Accessibility Verified state in the U.S., including PDX Airport attractions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Metrograph: Independent art-house cinema in New York City with multiple screens, repertory programming, restaurant/bar attached, and a strong focus on film culture and preservation — comparable multi-revenue art-house cinema model with food/beverage component similar to Bar Hollywood.
• SIFF Cinema (Seattle International Film Festival): Nonprofit film organization operating multiple cinema venues in Seattle with year-round repertory programming, festivals, educational programs, and membership tiers — comparable Pacific Northwest nonprofit cinema operator with similar programming and community engagement approach.
• The Brattle Theatre: Nonprofit single-screen art-house cinema in Cambridge, MA with repertory programming, repertory film series, and educational programming — closely mirrors Hollywood Theatre's historic single-venue nonprofit exhibition model.
• Music Box Theatre: Family-owned independent art-house cinema in Chicago operating two screens with specialty programming, festivals, and 70mm screenings — comparable independent art-house operator with multi-format projection similar to Hollywood Theatre's 70mm capability.
• IFC Center: Independent art-house cinema in New York City operated by AMC, featuring repertory programming, documentary programming, and special events — comparable independent art-house exhibition with curated programming and event-driven GTM.
• Coolidge Corner Theatre: Nonprofit art-house cinema in Brookline, MA, founded 1933, operating a single multi-screen venue with curated repertory programming, membership tiers, educational programming, and venue rentals — closely matching Hollywood Theatre's nonprofit single-venue exhibition model and community-driven GTM.
• Vidiots: Nonprofit resurrecting an iconic Los Angeles video rental store alongside a 50-seat microcinema — directly comparable to the Hollywood Theatre + Movie Madness combination of physical media archive and exhibition under one nonprofit umbrella.
• Angelika Film Center: Independent art-house cinema chain in NYC and Virginia with curated arthouse programming and café amenities — comparable multi-screen art-house operator with curated independent and foreign film programming.

Broad incumbents

• Landmark Theatres: Art-house cinema chain with multiple locations across the US and Canada, owned by Cohen Media Group — broader incumbent offering arthouse and independent film exhibition at scale, overlapping in programming category but commercial rather than nonprofit.
• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: Larger chain of repertory-and-cult-friendly cinemas across the US with extensive food/beverage service and special programming — broader incumbent in the cult/repertory exhibition space with overlapping programming philosophy but much larger scale and commercial ownership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hollywoodtheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/hollywoodtheatr
• Xx.com/hollywoodtheatr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hollywood-theatre

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Hollywood Theatre