Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre will debut its new, third screen this weekend, marking the latest expansion for the Lake View arthouse cinema.
In December, the theater also announced it had acquired The Heights Theater just outside of Minneapolis. The era of growth has been shepherded by Music Box’s co-owner and CEO, Brody Sheldon.
“We seem to be doing something right here, and Chicago has given us feedback that whatever we’re offering, they’re happy to receive,” Sheldon said in December. “So we’re hoping that the third theater, we can offer more of that.”
Funding for the third screen came partially from a 2025 community development grant from the City of Chicago, which provided $1.2 million for the $2.5 million conversion of two commercial storefronts into the 98-seat theater. The additional screen is housed under the Music Box’s same roof, just south of the theater’s current entrance.
Together with an Austin, Texas-based architect, the team focused on creating a space that looks historic, but features state-of-the-art technology, Sheldon said. The new theater is in addition to Music Box’s main space, which seats 700, and a second, smaller, 62-seat theater, which was added in the ’90s and also got a recent refresh.
The programming for theater three begins Friday with showings of director Guy Maddin’s 1992 film “Careful,” which has been newly restored in 4K. Director Philip Hartman’s “No Picnic,” a black-and-white ode to New York circa 1987, will also show this weekend. Hartman will do a Q&A following a screening on Tuesday.
Sheldon said previously the added space will allow the theater to be a bigger supporter of local talent.
“We frequently get requests from Chicago filmmakers who want to have their premieres here, and just because of the demand and because of our busy schedule, we don’t have the space to accommodate them,” she said. “So this will give us some more flexibility in allowing us to have more partners, do more community events, have premieres for more Chicago filmmakers, and also experiment with more eclectic programming, which seems to be doing so well.”
As many movie theaters struggle amid the at-home streaming era, the Music Box, which first opened on Southport Avenue in 1929, has managed to be profitable, according to Sheldon. She said the theater’s formula for success includes having a “365-day film festival” mindset.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.