Last Updated on November 18, 2022
Calling All Film Buffs! Did you know that the oldest theater in Fort Lauderdale is a historic landmark that you can still visit today?
The Gateway Cinema on East Sunrise Boulevard was recently purchased by the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) as the third theater in the area to host their films.
Gateway Cinema first opened on March 24th, 1951 to celebrate the opening of “Up Front” which starred Marion Robert Morrison or as he’s better known as … John Wayne! The theater started as a single-screen venue with 1,500 seats and air conditioning. They even had a parade through the city to celebrate its opening day.
The theater had many high-tech features for its time that made it unique. The chairs had a slide-back feature that allowed guests already seated to “scooch back” and allow others to walk in front of them without being cramped. Some of the seats in the theater were also a rocking-chair style allowing guests to lounge while watching a movie.
Gateway Cinema offered free coffee, and a “crying room” for parents to take their children to where they could still watch the movie while not interrupting the other patrons. Junior-sized drinking fountains also allowed younger guests to get drinks at their own level. The air conditioning was even “zone-controlled”, meaning that it would direct to the most crowded areas of the theater instead of cooling the entire 1,500 seats at once.
Over the years the single-screen theater shifted to four separate screens for guests to enjoy multiple movies. Unfortunately, in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gateway Cinema announced that it would be shutting its doors.
Thankfully, FLIFF came in to save the day and purchased the Gateway Cinema for their film festival as well as a venue for daily box office and international films. While a renovation of the theater is planned, the theater is currently open with films for the whole family to enjoy! Their current plans are to release a blockbuster, foreign film, independent film, and something “cutting-edge” to keep things fresh for guests. Check out the current offerings on Fliff!
During the refurbishment, FLIFF is committed to maintaining the theater’s retro feel while also revitalizing and upgrading the space.
FLIFF currently has a Go Fund Me running if you would like to donate to their pricey refurbishments.
FLIFF is hoping that the refurbishments will be completed by their 36th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, which will take place on November 5th – 21st, 2021. Learn more about the festival on the Fliff website!
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