the end?

Iconic River Oaks Theatre prepares to close after no deal struck

News_River Oaks Theatre_Save This Landmark_marquee_night

Could this really be the end?

Photo courtesy of River Oaks Theatre

The story may be at an end for arguably Houston's most cherished theater. Landmark Theatres, which owns the iconic River Oaks Theatre, announced that no deal has been struck between it and Weingarten Realty.

In a statement provided to CultureMap, Landmark reports:

Landmark Theatres is disappointed to announce that there has been no response or acknowledgment of the revised proposal we submitted to Weingarten Reality this week.

In good faith, we presented a fair and reasonable proposal and asked for a response by close of business today.

Unfortunately, there has been no response or even acknowledgement of this proposal, leaving us no choice, but continue with our preparation to leave our beloved home of 30 years.

Weingarten, meanwhile, did not immediately return CultureMap's request for comment.

This news comes as locals have lined the streets in support for the theater, which has been in operation since 1939 and is the site of Saturday Rocky Horror Picture Show performances. The Houston Film Critics Society also spearheaded a campaign to save the theater.

As CultureMap previously reported, the landmark is in danger after after closing for six months last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent missed rent payments to Weingarten Realty.

Landmark's listed termination of lease date is March 31.

This is breaking news; CultureMap will update this story.

movies

star-spangled flop

Texas bottoms out on new list of most patriotic states in U.S.

Texas Capitol building with state and US flags

Photo by Muhammad Ma'ruf on Unsplash

Texas ranks 45th for the second year in a row.

Texas has fizzled out once again as one of the least patriotic places in the U.S., according to a new report.

WalletHub's report, "Most Patriotic States in America (2026)", was released just ahead of America's 250th anniversary and compares the military and civic engagement levels across all 50 states. Factors such as the number of veterans per 1,000 civilian residents, the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election, volunteer rates, and others, were used to determine which states are the "most patriotic."

The Lone Star State sits at 45th out of 50 for the second year in a row. Texas first earned its surprising rank as the 6th least patriotic state in 2025, after previously ranking 36th in 2024. Texas' performance across the two main categories in the study remain unchanged year-over-year, with the state ranking 13th nationally for its military engagement and 47th in civic engagement.

Texas has the third-highest average number of military enlistees in the U.S., but it has the second-lowest percentage of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the most patriotic states in America — this year they are Virginia, Montana, and Vermont — have high voter turnouts, a large share of residents who are veterans or active military, and boast a large share of the population that volunteer with local or national organizations.

Essentially, patriotism can be found in places where residents are "actively working to improve conditions for your fellow Americans," says WalletHub.

"Being a patriot means loving your country and its people while also recognizing its flaws and striving to make it the best it can be," the report's author wrote.

At least Texas is more patriotic than the bottom five states in the report: Florida (No. 46), Alabama (No. 47), Louisiana (No. 48), New York (No. 49), and Arkansas (No. 50).

The top 10 most patriotic states in America this year are:

No. 1 – Virginia
No. 2 – Montana
No. 3 – Vermont
No. 4 – Colorado
No. 5 – Oregon
No. 6 – North Dakota
No. 7 – Washington
No. 8 – Maryland
No. 9 – Minnesota
No. 10 – New Hampshire

texas wallethub reports 4th of july