The River Oaks Theatre opened its doors to the public on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, it’s not ready for business just yet.
The historic movie house, which shut down in 2021, has been in the process of being remodeled by the people behind the Star Cinema Grill chain, who took over the lease in 2022. This gathering was really a get-together for theater donors and members of the Friends of River Oaks Theatre’s Cinephile club to see how the construction is going so far.
As the attendees sipped champagne and gathered around the still-barren main auditorium downstairs, various people stepped up to the mic to let them know this wouldn’t be happening without them. “I consider everyone in this room right now to be a preservationist,” said Houston preservationist Phoebe Tudor, who co-curated the event. “This is what preservation is like: preservation of cultural icons, neighborhoods, and historic businesses are important for a city. It is the soul of a city.”
Mayor Sylvester Turner was there to thank the stakeholders for not giving up on the theater. “A lot of things were working against us,” said Turner. “But Houston is unique and, when we stay closer together, we make things happen. And we recognize the importance of it.”
Famed Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater was also in attendance, sitting in a seat that he snagged during the theater’s Name-a-Seat Campaign. (“I would suggest everybody buy one,” he told the crowd.) Before he showed attendees his latest film — the Netflix action comedy Hit Man — later that evening at the new Star Cinema Grill at CityCentre, Linklater expressed how the theater’s closure made him reach out to another, acclaimed H-Town auteur. “There were some scary, dark days there,” said Linklater. “I remember talking on the phone with Wes Anderson. He was in Europe at the time. He said, ‘Can we buy it?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, we’re working on that. That’s one way.’ OK, that didn’t work.”
While there is still not yet an official date for the theater’s reopening, Linklater is hopeful for its return — and thankful to the Houstonians who want to see it return. “There were some scary, dark days there,” said Linklater. “I think everyone remembers. God, this whole thing is just a reminder that Houstonians can get together and put their minds together in a citywide effort, from so many angles.”
Photo by Sarah Gish
The River Oaks Theatre showed up its new marquee
