Carolina Theatre has a rich and storied history with film since its opening in 1927, connecting the city to its theatrical roots

September 18, 2025

Charlotte’s restored Carolina Theatre has a rich and storied history with film since its original opening in 1927. Initially screening mostly silent films and staging vaudeville acts before adopting sound in the late 1930s, the theatre hosted the North Carolina premiere of the classic film Gone with the Wind in 1940.

An ad for *The Sound of Music* in 1965, which had a record-breaking 79-week run at Carolina Theatre.

While The Sound of Music — which played for 79 straight weeks to about 400,000 people, more than Charlotte’s population at the time — has been highly publicized, experimental films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s neo-noir psychological thriller Vertigo and Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction epic 2001: A Space Odyssey also graced the historic theatre’s screen.

Alfred Hitchcock’s neo-noir psychological thriller, ‘Vertigo,’ was one of the many films screened at the historic Carolina Theatre.

Charlotte is a city that has lost much of its historic architecture over the years, but the Carolina Theatre stands as one of the rare touchstones connecting us to the city’s artistic and theatrical origins.

While the theatre has already hosted concerts, galas, and community events, since its reopening, nothing quite connects you to its roots like watching a film in the beautifully restored space.

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Throughout the year, the theater screens summer blockbusters, Halloween horror films, holiday classics, and cultural features celebrating heritage.

Carolina Theatre is definitely a place every Charlottean should experience watching a movie. Check out all of the films screening at the historic theater in the coming months:

September 19 – In The Heights (2021) at 7:00 p.m.

September 21 – Encanto (2021) at 2:00 p.m.

September 23 – Charlotte Premiere of Roofman at 7:30 p.m.

September 26 – Selena (1997) at 6:00 p.m.

September 27 – Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) at 7:00 p.m.

September 28 – Coco (2017) at 2:00 p.m.

October 3 – Dracula (1931) at 7:00 p.m.

October 7 – Fork & Hammer TV Series Premiere at 7:00 p.m.

October 14 – Frankenstein (1931) at 7:00 p.m.

October 15 – Bride of Frankenstein (1935) at 7:00 p.m.

October 19 – The Mummy (1932) at 2:00 p.m.

October 25 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) at 8:00 p.m.

October 28 – Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) at 7:00 p.m.

October 29 – Night of the Living Dead (1968) at 7:00 p.m.

October 31 – Halloween (1978) at 7:00 p.m.