Montclair's Historic Bellevue Theatre

11/07/2025

“No more Willowbrook seating for me,” said a beaming Carol Vigoda-Fuchs as she relaxed in one of 145 plush, red reclining seats in Bellevue’s modernized first-floor auditorium. An avid moviegoer and daughter of beloved actor Abe Vigoda (The Godfather, Barney Miller, Arsenic & Old Lace), she said that returning to the Bellevue is like journeying back in time, unleashing a flood of memories.

Montclair Film revives Bellevue Theatre: a historic cinema reborn with modern upgrades and community programs. Discover the reopening—click for details!

11/06/2025

The impact of saving a vintage venue like Bellevue for future filmgoers extends beyond Montclair.

The movie theater industry has found a way to reinvent itself in every generation. Now, theaters are turning to the nonprofit model to once again save local arthouses.

11/06/2025

The nonprofit Montclair Film is now managing one of the area’s most cherished cultural venues.

"The theater breathes life and energy into the streets in our neighborhood, and that, in turn, will attract more visitors."

11/06/2025

When the historic Bellevue closed in 2017, I thought I'd been there for the last time. The rumored re-openings came and went. The theater stayed dark.

11/06/2025

The newly reconfigured three-screen theater reopened just in time for the Montclair Film Festival.

The aroma of freshly popped popcorn wafted into the street outside the Bellevue Theater for the first time in nearly eight years as the historic venue in Montclair sold out for a remastered version of “The Sound of Music.”

11/06/2025

Visiting Bellevue Theatre is like journeying back in time, unleashing a flood of cherished memories.

Explore the history of the Bellevue Theater, from its grand 1922 opening to its current role with Montclair Film.

07/18/2025

Preserving a historic theater is no small undertaking and is not without its challenges. Restoration requires significant financial resources, dozens of consultants, widespread community support and exceptionally motivated, determined, and resourceful owners like the extraordinary Sayegh family. With today’s news that Montclair Film will keep Bellevue functioning as a cinema and develop it as a site for the arts my 8-year mission to assist and support in restoration and reopening is complete. The cinema has not just been saved, but will grow into an arts hub through the wealth of expertise Montclair Film brings, including their importance in cinematic arts on a regional and national scale. I’ve been seeing films at Bellevue for decades and recognize what this theater means to Montclair. All I wanted was for the doors to open once again, to expand the creative potential of the site, and to re-establish its place in the cultural fabric and artistic landscape of this wonderfully unique town.

Montclair Film signs multi-year deal to operate Bellevue Theatre in Upper Montclair, with plans to reopen as a nonprofit cinema in fall 2025.

07/18/2025

Montclair's Bellevue is making headlines in Hollywood!

New Jersey non-profit Montclair Film has signed a deal to operate the century-old Bellevue Theatre, expanding its footprint in the New York City suburb.

07/18/2025

Ilmar Vanderer, a longtime Montclair resident and former town council candidate, said the reopening is more than a historic preservation milestone.

“As important as it is for towns such as Montclair to preserve architecturally significant buildings, in this day and age it is even more crucial to remind people of the value of a thriving community space,” Vanderer said.

“Besides being valuable artistic and cultural assets, historic theaters are also proven community revitalizers and economic drivers that catalyze other business development, create jobs, and improve the local quality of life,” Vanderer added.

A beloved movie theater in Montclair that has been shuttered for nearly a decade is about to be reborn. Here's when it is expected to open.

07/18/2025

With today’s news that Montclair Film will keep Bellevue functioning as a cinema and develop it as a site for the arts my 8-year mission to assist and support in restoration and reopening is complete. The cinema has not just been saved, but will grow into an arts hub through the wealth of expertise Montclair Film brings, including their importance in cinematic arts on a regional and national scale. I’ve been seeing films at Bellevue for decades and recognize what this theater means to Montclair. All I wanted was for the doors to open once again, to expand the creative potential of the site, and to re-establish its place in the cultural fabric and artistic landscape of this wonderfully unique town.

The Bellevue Theatre in Montclair, which closed in 2017, will be reopened under Montclair Film, which hosts an annual film festival in town.