These Oregon theaters have been entertaining moviegoers for 100 years

It’s no secret that Oregonians love their independent movie theaters.

To date, there are at least a dozen working independent theaters in Portland, and a few dozen more scattered throughout the state.

The year of 2025 is a big one for many of those theaters, which are turning 100 years old. Among them are Cinema 21 and the Moreland Theater in Portland, and the Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay.

The popular movie theater Cinema 21 celebrated its centennial in September with a weeklong event that included a meet-and-greet with recent Academy Award-winning director Sean Baker, who directed the award-winning film “Anora.”

Cinema 21 owner Tom Ranieri said the event highlighted the importance of cinema and how the theater played such a key role in Portland’s northwest community, and he wants to keep it that way.

“Having made it to 100 years, that’s all well and good, but you just have to keep going forward and picking out the films that you think are important for that cultural life,” he said.

Located on Northwest 21st Avenue, at the heart of Portland’s Alphabet District, Cinema 21 has been a staple of northwest Portland’s movie loving community since the early days of film.

The theater originally opened in 1925 as a silent film house named The State Theatre and went through various name changes before finally, in 1962, owner Ed Fessler changed the name to Cinema 21 and started showcasing more independent and arthouse movies.

“He played ‘Taxi Driver,’ he was playing stuff that had more of an edge to it, but even by the time I got out here, it was already a theater that had a reputation for playing more alternative stuff,” Ranieri said.

Ranieri started working for Cinema 21 in 1980 as a manager. In 1986, he bought the theater and has been running it ever since.

“I hadn’t gone to film school; I hadn’t gone to business school. I majored in literature and philosophy, which probably helped in the long haul. But that’s why I was attracted to coming to see movies here,” he said.

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Portland isn’t the only movie-loving city in Oregon. The Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay will also be celebrating its centennial on Nov. 15.

Jill Rasmusen took over operating the Egyptian in 2023. While she says it’s the most challenging work she’s ever done, she’s also grateful for the opportunity to preserve such an historic building and a big part of Coos Bay’s history.

“If you would’ve told me back then that I would be running this place, I would’ve looked at you like you were crazy, because who would’ve thought that this place would still be standing this many years later? It’s an honor to be able to run this theater,” she said.

The Egyptian, a one-screen theater that also serves as an event space, showcases older films on the weekends, and is considered by many to be a historic landmark in Coos Bay.

Because the Egyptian operates as a nonprofit, Rasmusen relies on grants and community support to keep the doors open.

Rasmusen remembered visiting the Egyptian as a child growing up in Coos Bay.

“My first memory was coming here to watch ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ and I know that I came here before then, but my first memory that stands out is when Han Solo was frozen. I put a coat over my head in the chair and started bawling my eyeballs out!” she said.

Since then, she’s been hooked on seeing movies at the Egyptian.

Rasmusen said the best part of her job is hearing the audience clap in the auditorium at the end of every movie screening.

“That has got to be the best feeling in the world, knowing that they enjoyed it so much that they’re applauding because I’ve gone to movie theaters and nobody applauds in movie theaters anymore after a movie,” she said.

To celebrate its centennial, Rasmusen said the Egyptian will hold a series of events to highlight the theater’s long and storied history.

Rasmusen also plans on screening a silent film, which will be accompanied by music from theater’s Wurlitzer pipe organ. The theater first installed the organ in 1925 and it is the last remaining organ in the state still operating in its original space.

For her, it’s a big challenge to put together an event that truly captures the theater’s history in a way that’s satisfying.

“I have been working on this for over two years, and for the hundredth celebration, this gem needs the biggest celebration ever. And I don’t know that everything that I’m planning will convey how spectacular this theater is,” she said.

Regardless of how the event goes, Rasmusen said she is honored to be part of such a historic cinema legacy in Oregon.

“It is the best job I’ve ever had. I am just honored that I can do this, and the community continues to support it,” she said.