Tivoli Theatre

What Tivoli Theatre does

Tivoli Theatre, operating commercially as Tivoli Cinema, is a curated film screening program housed within the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. The program was relocated to the museum's historic Atkins Auditorium after the original Tivoli Theatre in Westport closed, with former theater owner Jerry Harrington serving as curator. Tivoli Cinema presents two core products: year-round indoor screenings of new releases, documentaries, restored classics, and art and foreign films in Atkins Auditorium, and a seasonal outdoor program called Tivoli Under the Stars that runs on the museum lawn during summer and fall. The cinema is embedded within the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a private 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1933 that houses more than 42,000 art objects and provides free general admission with ticket purchase.

The business model is consumer-ticket-based with a membership overlay. Indoor screenings are priced at $10 for museum members and $13 for the general public; outdoor Tivoli Under the Stars tickets are $16 for members and $20 for general admission, and members also receive free parking. Distribution occurs through an online QR-code ticketing system, in-person sales at the museum's Bloch Lobby Info Desk, and the museum's broader membership program. The cinema benefits from being embedded in the Nelson-Atkins' wider marketing apparatus — the museum website, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest), email newsletter, and cultural festivals (Lunar New Year, Juneteenth, Dia de los Muertos, Kansas City's Lawn Party) — which provides top-of-funnel reach a standalone cinema could not easily replicate. The museum receives no public tax dollars and is funded by private donations, memberships, grants, and earned revenue; a $20 million grant from the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation is funding ongoing Bloch Building maintenance and broader campus improvement and expansion planning.

Operationally, Tivoli Cinema is a small program (22 employees reported for the broader unit) and does not publish APIs, SDKs, or proprietary technology. Accessibility features including subtitles, low-vision accommodations, and sensory-friendly spaces are integrated into the cinema experience, and Thursday/Friday evenings feature a Sips & Snacks concession program. The cinema also shares Atkins Auditorium and other museum spaces with an event rental program, creating an additional B2B revenue stream alongside consumer ticketing. The Nelson-Atkins Museum is currently in a campus improvement phase, with Bloch Building maintenance scheduled for 2026, indicating continued institutional investment in the physical plant that supports Tivoli programming.

Name

Tivoli Theatre

Legal name

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Website

https://tivolikc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tivoli Cinema is a curated film screening program within the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, offering year-round indoor screenings in Atkins Auditorium and seasonal outdoor Tivoli Under the Stars events. It serves museum visitors and regional Midwest audiences with art, documentary, and classic films.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Entertainment / Cinema Programming

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers) (MPADAKAH), Private Screenings & Venue Rentals (Corporate, Parties) (MPADAKAJ)

Keywords

• Art museum cinema
• Film programming
• Outdoor movie screenings
• Cultural entertainment
• Cinema exhibitions

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tivoli Theatre (also branded as Tivoli Cinema) is a film screening program operated by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. It presents year-round indoor cinema in Atkins Auditorium and outdoor screenings titled "Tivoli Under the Stars" during summer and fall on the museum grounds.

Product overview

Tivoli Cinema is a film screening program at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art offering two distinct viewing experiences: indoor screenings in Atkins Auditorium year-round (presenting new releases, documentaries, restored classics, and art/foreign films), and outdoor screenings called 'Tivoli Under the Stars' during summer and fall on the museum lawn. The program was originally located at a theater in Westport before relocating to the museum, with Jerry Harrington serving as curator.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tivoli Under the Stars: Outdoor summer and fall film screening program on the museum's north lawn, featuring classic and contemporary films.

Products and services

• Tivoli Cinema (Indoor Screenings)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Coolidge Corner Theatre: Nonprofit independent cinema presenting new releases, documentaries, and repertory programming. Closest nonprofit-theater peer to Tivoli Cinema's mission and audience.
• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: Specialty cinema operator known for curated programming, food/beverage service, and repertory screenings. Comparable operating model focused on differentiated content experiences rather than blockbuster-first exhibition.
• Landmark Theatres: Art-house cinema chain specializing in independent, foreign, and documentary films. Directly comparable to Tivoli's curated, non-mainstream programming model and similar target audience of cinephiles.
• AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center: Nonprofit cinema operated by the American Film Institute showing repertory, independent, and international films. Comparable nonprofit-curated art-house exhibition model.
• Angelika Film Center: Art-house cinema chain showing independent, foreign, and documentary films. Comparable focus on curated non-mainstream programming for cinephile audiences.
• BAMPFA (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive): University art museum with a dedicated film exhibition program. Most direct comparable as a film program embedded within an art museum, sharing the same cinema-inside-museum positioning.
• American Cinematheque: Nonprofit organization dedicated to public film exhibition, preservation, and education. Comparable nonprofit mission and repertory/specialty programming focus.
• IFC Center: Independent cinema in New York showing independent, foreign, and documentary films. Comparable urban single-venue art-house positioning and repertory programming focus.
• Film Forum: Nonprofit art-house cinema in New York showing independent, foreign, and classic films. Comparable nonprofit, single-venue, curated programming model.

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Institute: Large nonprofit supporting independent film through festivals, labs, and exhibition. Broader organization in the same independent/arthouse film ecosystem; adjacent rather than directly competing for the same cinema audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nelsonatkins
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tivoli-theatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/nelsonatkins

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Tivoli Theatre