While home is a very cozy place to watch a movie — my partner has gotten really into our Hue lights — nothing beats a large screen, a salty popcorn, and a bubbly soda. If you need a few hours of escapism, here are our favorite independent theaters to check out in Pittsburgh. Keep in mind that some play the latest movies released, while others only host special viewings and other events like trivia.
Want to nerd out even more about Pittsburgh’s film connections? Check out our conversation with Josh Axelrod, director of communications at The Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center and founding member of the Pittsburgh Film Critics Association. We spoke to him earlier this year about Oscar nominees, from the films’ ties to the city and where to watch them before the awards show. (Psst! He also has feelings about “The Pitt” 🍿)
📍 Lawrenceville
This single-screen space hosts special events and series like “The Show Must Go On” featuring films about show biz and its annual “13 Hours of Terror” horror movie marathon in October. Buy tickets one screening at a time, or get a Rowhouse Film Club membership for a monthly movie ticket, free popcorn, and invites to member-only screenings. Be sure to swing by Bierport next door to get beer, wine, or craft sodas. Row House lets you take them into the theater!
📍 Dormont
Row House Lawrenceville’s sister theater in the South Hills has its own lineup of series and recurring events across two screens: one large auditorium for up to 386 viewers, and a small, more intimate space with 46 seats. Row House Hollywood is currently hosting “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” twice a month with a shadow cast from the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players who act out the roles alongside the film. Another feature of this space is its ability to share 35mm films, which have a unique texture and grain experience over digital film. Plus, remember that Film Club membership? It can be used here, too.
📍 McKees Rocks
This venue east of Pittsburgh was envisioned as a theater-restaurant-canteen combo, and still offers a robust food and cocktail menu from its Film Lounge & Kitchen space with beers from nearby craft brewery Abjuration. The 45-seat theater hosts weekly trivia, comedy shows, and projects from independent filmmakers.
📍 Oakmont
Once dubbed the “Jewel of Oakmont," this nearly 90-year-old, single-screen venue now shares films ranging from cult classics and independent works to family-friendly screenings like “Back to the Future” and “Dead Poets Society.” It also has two full-service bars and a 20-seat lounge for live music, trivia, and more.
The Lindsay is open 365 days a year with the latest films and special programming. (Courtesy of The Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center)
📍 Sewickley
This two-screen cinema hosts the latest releases and is perfect if you’re seeking — and want to support — accessibility. The Lindsay hosts Open Caption Wednesdays, where all movies have on-screen captions, and Sensory Friendly Screenings, where the film volume is lower, house lights are dimmed (but not fully off), and extra staff are on hand to assist guests. It also hosts programming for young children, teens, and local filmmakers. Want a tip? It’s BYOB for guests 21 and older.
📍Squirrel Hill
The Manor is one of my favorites, because I can do a whole small businesses-only night in the neighborhood: drinks at Hidden Harbor, dinner at Everyday Noodles, movie (complete with soda and popcorn) at the Manor. It’s also one of the only theaters with general admission matinee tickets under $10 (and evening tickets are $11 Monday through Thursday). Stop by the century-old cinema for the latest film releases in one of four auditoriums. You can also sip a cocktail during the screening from its in-house bar!
📍 Chateau
As the name implies, it’s a HUGE 71-by-39-foot screen at the Kamin Science Center — most theater screens are about 50 feet wide. Don’t look for new releases. It has a rotation of three 40-minute films to accompany your Science Center visit about anthropologist Jane Goodall, Tyrannosaurus rex, and the special relationship between humans and horses. Its “Special Screenings” in September include Godzilla (1954), Shin Godzilla (2016) and Project Hail Mary (2026).
📍 Coraopolis
The only remaining drive-in in Allegheny County! Roll up for the first showing (and the best pick of parking), and you’ll get two movies for the price of one. At $10 per person, it’s a great deal, and it has a snack bar so you can make a true night of it. The four-screen lot opened in 1950 and continues to show new releases.
📍 Downtown
The 200-seat theater regularly shows a mix of contemporary, classic, independent, and foreign films — often movies you can’t find anywhere else — like International Art House Classics in August and nods to spooky season in September, including “Exorcist II” and a documentary about the making of it, “Boorman and The Devil.”
