{"id":106594,"date":"2026-04-07T18:59:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T23:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=106594"},"modified":"2026-04-14T08:55:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:55:01","slug":"the-music-box-theatre-is-succeeding-and-even-expanding-despite-a-national-decline-in-movie-theater-attendance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/the-music-box-theatre-is-succeeding-and-even-expanding-despite-a-national-decline-in-movie-theater-attendance\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: Music Box Theatre succeeding \u2014 even expanding \u2014 despite national decline in movie theater attendance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">By Thomas Hodgkins<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"><br \/>\n<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Medill Reports<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Chicago&#8217;s Music Box Theatre, an independent movie theater, is expanding despite national movie theater attendance declining. Owner and CEO Brody Sheldon, as well as Assistant Technical Director Rebecca Lyon, explain why the Music Box is so successful, from the 70mm film projection to the theater\u2019s ornate interior design.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Music Box Theatre Expanding\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1180998237?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>TRANSCRIPT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration: This independent movie theater is part of an\u00a0industry in\u00a0crisis. Theater attendance has been consistently down ever since the pandemic, with\u00a0Variety\u2019s Brent Lang\u00a0recently reporting about AMC Theatres\u2019 disappointing holiday box office returns.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brent Lang: Their revenues were down, I believe, and more troubling, their attendance was\u00a0down,\u00a0their admissions were down.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Thomas Hodgkins: But here at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, attendance is not a problem. In fact,\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0expanding.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration:\u00a0The\u00a0theater\u00a0is currently constructing a third screen and also recently acquired a new location outside of Minneapolis.\u00a0But what sets the Music Box apart and allows it to buck national trends? To start, the\u00a0theater\u2019s\u00a0programming is different from what\u00a0you\u2019d\u00a0normally find at a chain.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brody Sheldon: I think what we do well that other theaters could copy and could\u00a0try and emulate\u00a0and do<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u2026<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the diversity of programming.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration: Brody Sheldon owns the Music Box but also helps out with the programming.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sheldon: We have quality films. We integrate\u00a0festivals, repertory, classic films, special\u00a0events with first-run arthouse movies.\u00a0So\u00a0each day\u00a0is something\u00a0different.\u00a0And each day in itself could be multiple different things.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration:\u00a0The theater sometimes projects these diverse films on 35<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and 70mm\u00a0film.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sheldon: We have a professional projection staff that cares a lot about\u00a0presentation.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration:\u00a0Rebecca Lyon is a part of this\u00a0projection\u00a0staff; she serves as the assistant technical director, as well as a programmer. She says the\u00a070mm\u00a0projection takes a lot of work but draws in large audiences.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Rebecca Lyon:\u00a0I think we\u00a0spent a lot of years just like talking to people about it and making them feel like it was special.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration: Compared to digital projection, projecting the\u00a0analog\u00a0way brings a vintage, authentic aesthetic to the screen.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sheldon: The presentation itself is superior. You can see so much more detail. Light, grit, grain. And people who have studied film or are interested in film appreciate that.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lyon: We show a lot of original prints, so prints that were made at the time the movie actually came out.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration:\u00a0The Music Box Theatre opened in 1929,\u00a0only two years after synchronized sound was introduced in\u00a0film.\u00a0This means the theater\u00a0is almost one hundred years old, and its architecture and presentation reflect this.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sheldon: When you walk in,\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0an experience\u00a0into\u00a0itself. Our lobby is grand and\u00a0generally decorated\u00a0in some thematic way by our creative staff. The theater itself was built in a decorative style with ornamentation everywhere,\u00a0a red velvet curtain.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration:\u00a0According to the theater\u2019s website, the interior design is intended to make the audience feel like\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0watching a movie in an open-air palazzo.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lyon: Somebody once told me they feel fancy when they come to the Music Box.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration: And the Music Box takes pride in their friendly, hospitable staff that makes audiences feel like\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0part of a bigger moviegoing community.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lyon: I think there&#8217;s, like, the human touch, which sometimes you\u00a0don&#8217;t\u00a0get when you go to a\u00a0multiplex,\u00a0and\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0ordering your popcorn on a touch screen and that sort of thing.\u00a0There&#8217;s\u00a0a lot of people here that love movies and will talk to you about movies.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration:\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0that sense of community that sets it apart from a\u00a0chain\u00a0theater.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sheldon: Getting immersed in a story with\u00a0700 people\u00a0can be very cathartic or exciting.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration: From sold-out showings of cult classics to the\u00a0numerous\u00a0filmmakers and actors that visit every year, the Music Box feels like a movie theater made for movie fanatics.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sheldon: Some are quirky, some are funny. People come to us for\u00a0all different\u00a0reasons.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration: Considering\u00a0national trends, the Music Box Theatre\u2019s success is anomalous. But if you watch just one movie in the theater, it really\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0hard to see why people keep coming back.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lyon: I think\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a cool place to come. Like if\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0a young person, it is a place\u00a0where like\u00a0you can go on a date.\u00a0It&#8217;s\u00a0become very hip, I think, to come to like older, weirder spaces.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lang: In periods of great disruption, there&#8217;s also opportunity. And\u00a0so\u00a0if you were looking at how these major chains are failing their customers, if\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0scrappy and\u00a0kind of focused\u00a0on the small stuff, I think you could really\u00a0benefit\u00a0from that. I think you could provide something that is a much better experience.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Narration: From the\u00a0Southport Corridor, Thomas Hodgkins, Medill Reports.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Thomas Hodgkins is a video and broadcast specialization graduate student at Medill. <\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Thomas Hodgkins Medill Reports\u00a0 Chicago&#8217;s Music Box Theatre, an independent movie theater, is expanding despite national movie theater attendance declining. Owner and CEO Brody Sheldon, as well as Assistant Technical Director Rebecca Lyon, explain why the Music Box is so successful, from the 70mm film projection to the theater\u2019s ornate interior design. TRANSCRIPT: Narration: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1041,"featured_media":106595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,27,5543,5555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-business","category-msj26","category-spring-2026"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WATCH: Music Box Theatre succeeding \u2014 even expanding \u2014 despite national decline in movie theater attendance - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/the-music-box-theatre-is-succeeding-and-even-expanding-despite-a-national-decline-in-movie-theater-attendance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WATCH: Music Box Theatre succeeding \u2014 even expanding \u2014 despite national decline in movie theater attendance - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Thomas Hodgkins Medill Reports\u00a0 Chicago&#8217;s Music Box Theatre, an independent movie theater, is expanding despite national movie theater attendance declining. 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Owner and CEO Brody Sheldon, as well as Assistant Technical Director Rebecca Lyon, explain why the Music Box is so successful, from the 70mm film projection to the theater\u2019s ornate interior design. 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