The first movie theater is commonly called the Nickelodeon. It opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 19, 1905, and is widely cited as the first public theater devoted exclusively to motion pictures.

Name details

  • Nickelodeon was the name used for that landmark theater.
  • The word combines “nickel” and “odeon” meaning theater.
  • Some earlier venues showed films before 1905, but historians often distinguish those from the first dedicated movie theater.

Quick context

There is a small historical debate because some places, like Vitascope Hall in New Orleans and the Edisonia Vitascope Theatre in Buffalo, were very early film venues. Even so, the Pittsburgh Nickelodeon is the best- known answer for the first true movie theater.