Rodeo Cinema: OKC's only nonprofit theater bringing film, art, and community together

There are 41,999 standardized cinemas in the United States, all designed for profit and a predictable experience. The Rodeo Cinema is the only nonprofit arthouse theater in Oklahoma City, fostering a true sense of community.

Unlike mainstream theaters, the Rodeo Cinema provides an immersive, communal experience where the audience can feel and truly engage with the films. The Rodeo Cinema serves as a cultural haven for artists, misfits, and eccentrics, preserving history and nurturing creativity.

News 9 was joined by Shannon Smith on the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch for Film Day to discuss the theater, and what it has to offer the community.

Q: What does the theater have to offer?

A: We are an actual movie theater. We play independent films. We play older films. We have silent Sundays that we have on the last Sunday of every month where we have an organist come in, and he's kind of an avant-garde, kind of creepy, does the horror flicks. But we are an actual movie theater. It's been a movie theater since 1924.

Q: What other kinds of shows do you offer at the theater?

A: We also have a vaudeville stage area. We have a full stage, so we have live performances. We have a burlesque show that comes in once a quarter. We're doing French films this weekend. We have a huge premiere coming up on May 23rd, Trail of Vengeance, with Rumer Willis, Jeff Fahey, Graham Greene, and Gbenga Akinnagbe. And there's just a bunch of wonderful things coming to the rodeo.

Q: What kinds of outreach does the theater do?

A: There are a lot of great film incentives that are up for vote, so get out and vote. The film and music community have gathered at the Capitol today to help the representatives and the legislatures know what's out there, what Oklahoma does. We have a very robust film and music industry here. For us at the Rodeo Cinema, we like to support that in helping independent filmmakers have a distribution venue where they can show their movies on the big screen in the movie theater and share it with an audience, either their cast or crew, their family and friends, or a paying audience. So we feel like we're a part of the film industry, and it's a great, busy time at the Capitol right now.

The theater is more than a venue. It is a space where strangers connect and form a meaningful, shared experience.

More information about the theater as well as showtimes are available on the Rodeo Cinema's official website.