Movie lovers will get a taste of the “new” Lincoln Theatre Wednesday when the historic theater and home to the Jazz Age’s greats will be among one of the first to show one of this season’s most anticipated films, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
Mayor Vincent Gray is expected to make the announcement Tuesday after concerns this year that the U Street landmark could close.
D.C. is taking over oversight of the theater from the U Street Theatre Foundation. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities plans to hire a new executive director and develop a long-term sustainable business model for the historic single-screen theater.
Single-screen theaters are a largely unsustainable business model without the help of an endowment. With the advent of multiplexes, single screens these days are largely hybrid nonprofit shops home to local music and theater groups, old and new movies and rental space for large groups.
