Princeton Garden Theatre

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Princeton Garden Theatre

Established in 1920, the Garden is a non-profit, member-supported movie theater, specializing in art
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The Garden Theatre is located next door to the Bainbridge house (built in 1766), where the Princeton Historical Society is now located. It's named for the rose garden that once occupied the location. The Garden Theatre opened its doors on September 20, 1920, with a showing of “Civilian Clothes,” starring Thomas Meighan. The event also featured a live orchestra with palms and ferns arranged on the

stage. Originally built to accommodate Princeton University’s Triangle Club, the Garden took on a new life as a cinema when Triangle moved to McCarter Theatre in the late '20s. The Garden changed hands several times in the next few decades. In 1937, the Garden Theatre had its first movie theater competition of the Princeton Playhouse, with a seating capacity of 1,200 (twice the Garden's). The Princeton Playhouse was located only a few blocks away on Palmer Square. Unlike the Playhouse, the Garden specialized in showing foreign films. Sameric Corporation ran the theater from 1975 through 1988, turning the facility into the twin-screen Eric Garden Theatre in 1981. The theater had been dark since October 1992 when United Artists, which had been running the theater since 1988, decided it was no longer financially viable. The Theater Management Corporation, which operates neighborhood theaters throughout the Northeast, began leasing and managing the Garden in 1993, after it was purchased by Princeton University. In 2014, Renew Theaters took over management of the theater; the Pennsylvania-based non-profit also oversees three other historic arthouse cinemas. Sources
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/10204
http://www.mocavo.com/Town-Topics-Princeton-Aug-9-200-Volume-Liv/461827/1
http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/00/q3/0803-gardenth.htm
https://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/01/q2/0531-garden.htm

09/05/2026

Our $5 Family Matinees continue on September 26th with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON! Admission is FREE for members of our nonprofit theater and their kids. 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 at princetongardentheatre.org/family

In this beautiful animated adventure, a teenaged viking strives to become a legendary dragon slayer. His dreams change course when he befriends the fire-breathing Toothless. Your young movie lovers will have a blast experiencing this larger-than-life story on a big screen.

𝑶𝒖𝒓 $5 𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 jaZams! McCarter Theatre Center Color Me Mine Princeton & Princeton Public Library NJ.

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲? Become a member of our nonprofit theater for as little as $60. Learn more at princetongardentheatre.org/membership See less

09/04/2026

THE SALT PATH starts onscreen at our nonprofit theater today!Showtimes and tickets are available now at princetongardentheatre.org

When a devastating diagnosis coincides with the loss of their home, a married couple set out with little more than a tent and a handful of essentials to walk England’s 630-mile South West Coast. As the physical demands of the journey give way to unexpected encounters and quiet moments of grace, the landscape becomes a space for resilience, renewal, and rediscovery. THE SALT PATH is a deeply moving British drama starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

09/04/2026

Our Reel Rebels Series continues on Sunday September 20th at 1pm with the 1994 doc WILDWOOD, NJ! 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘁 princetongardentheatre.org/specials

Director Ruth Leitman Ruth Leitman will join us via Zoom after the screening for a live Q&A about the film

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲: Shot on Super 8 film by an all-female crew, this documentary follows young women in Wildwood, New Jersey, over the course of the summer of ‘93. From go-go dancers to boardwalk haunted-house vampires, the film captures the lives of working-class teens and young women in their own words. Addressing topics including abortion, safe s*x, body image, and economic hardship, WILDWOOD, NJ offers a raw and unfiltered portrait of youth, labor, and independence.

This screening will also include “Girls at the Carnival,” about Midwestern teen life in the 1990s. This 23-minute short film will be shown before WILDWOOD, NJ.

09/04/2026

Erich von Stroheim’s “lost” silent-era masterpiece QUEEN KELLY has finally been restored for the big screen! See it on ours on September 9th. Tickets are available now at Princetongardentheatre.org/specials

The legendary Gloria Swanson stars as a convent girl who is swept off her feet by a seductive prince. When his fiancée learns of the flirtation, chaos and tragedy ensues. Through the use of historic photographs, papers, original nitrate negatives and more, Milestone Films and Kino Lorber have created this newly constructed version of the film that honors Stroheim’s original vision. The film is paired with a brand new romantic score from award-winning composer Eli Denson. Silent.

09/02/2026

Each month Turner Classic Movies Writer Hannah Jack (Hannah’s Old Hollywood ) curates a classic film for our big screen, then a few days later, she hosts a FREE online zoom seminar about the movie. In September she has chosen William Wyler’s DODSWORTH! Watch it on our big screen on September 6th at 1pm and then join Hannah on zoom a few days later on September 29th at 7:30pm for a FREE Deep Focus Seminar on the movie. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: princetongardentheatre.org/specials

Register for the free seminar on September 29th and other seminars through November at deepfocusfilm.org (link in bio).

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲: Celebrating the sale of his manufacturing plant, Sam Dodsworth treats his wife to a European vacation. The further they travel, the further they drift apart emotionally. Skilled director William Wyler brings acute depth and sincerity to this candid portrait of a marriage in trouble that earned seven Academy Award nominations upon its release 90 years ago. It stars Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor and David Niven.

𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 $𝟭𝟬 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿! Join today for as little as $40 a year. Learn more at princetongardentheatre.org/membership

09/01/2026

Summer may be over, but our screens are still packed with great classic screenings and community events. Don’t miss a new restoration of Gloria Swanson’s QUEEN KELLY, David Lynch’s take on DUNE & so much more. Our Cinema Studies Course will also return with CITY OF GOD on SEP 23rd! Swipe right to see the whole lineup and get tickets to these films and dozens of others at Princetongardentheatre.org/specials

09/01/2026

It is day one of our Fall Membership Drive! Show your love of film by joining the independent Princeton Garden Theatre or renewing your existing membership between September 1st - October 15th. If you join or renew during the drive, you’ll get an extra month of membership free, one free popcorn per member, and the chance to win FREE movies for a year! Join or renew today at princetongardentheatre.org/membership

BONUS: If you join or renew your membership during our BOGO promotion (September 1st through September 15th), you can give an Individual membership for FREE to the person of your choice.

Your membership provides essential support for film programming at the nonprofit Garden Theatre. Ticket and concession sales cover costs associated with booking Main Attractions, but your membership is what sustains Special Programming. We would not be able to showcase Hollywood Summer Nights classics, Family Matinee films for kids of all ages, Prof Picks, Retrograde cult favorites, or Deep Focus Seminar film discussions without your contribution.

Members get more!

+Reduced Admission to Main Attractions and Special Programs

+Free Admission for all Family Matinees

+ Member benefits at our sister theaters (Ambler, County, Hiway)

09/01/2026

We have partnered with our friends from The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at Princeton University to bring this enlightening doc examining systematic racism to the big screen on September 17th. A representative from the IARA will be on site to provide an introduction to the film. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 princetongardentheatre.org/specials

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲: From South African filmmaker Tara Moore comes a powerful examination of inheritance and accountability—with an unlikely protagonist: the grandson of the ‘Architect of Apartheid,’ whose reckoning with his ancestral legacy illuminates universal truths on inequality and privilege. Included on the 2025 Oscar long list for Best Documentary Feature.

08/31/2026

Our Reel Rebels Series continues on September 10th with THE GREAT ESCAPE! Grab your tickets now at princetongardentheatre.org/specials

This epic WWII adventure-thriller centers on an audacious plan by Allied prisoners of war to stage a massive breakout from an “escape proof” German prison camp. With a fantastic ensemble cast led by Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough and Charles Bronson, THE GREAT ESCAPE is an iconic Hollywood representation of camaraderie, resilience and defiance in the face of oppression.

08/30/2026

The Garden is going global! Join us for the second edition of this annual weekend-long film festival which will feature some of the best classic films from around the world. Running Friday, Oct. 9th thru Sunday, Oct. 11th, we will be featuring works from nine different countries. Showcasing beloved foreign classics like Godard’s WEEKEND, Ozu’s GOOD MORNING, and Murnau’s FAUST, as well as rarely screened gems like the Finnish melodrama RESTLESS BLOOD or the Senegalese road movie TOUKI BOUKI. 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 at princetongardentheatre.org

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏-𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑭𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏.
Princeton Federal Credit Union

Address

160 Nassau Street
Princeton, NJ
08542

Telephone

+16092791999

Website

http://princetongardentheatre.org/

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