# Do any movie theaters still show porn? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456 "2010-10-08T03:22:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/1 "2010-10-08T03:22:29Z")
The question is pretty much self-explanatory. Up until the late 1980s it wasn’t all that uncommon to find a real movie theater, usually in a run-down part of town, that screened XXX flicks on the big screen. I grew up in a pretty rural area, and even there they had a drive-in that screened in pornos, but it closed down years ago. Does anything like that still exist? Also has anyone here ever seen a porno in an actual theater? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/2 "2010-10-08T04:43:30Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > The question is pretty much self-explanatory. Up until the late 1980s it wasn’t all that uncommon to find a real movie theater, usually in a run-down part of town, that screened XXX flicks on the big screen. I grew up in a pretty rural area, and even there they had a drive-in that screened in pornos, but it closed down years ago. > Does anything like that still exist? Also has anyone here ever seen a porno in an actual theater? The Strand Theater in Kansas City, Missouri still does. Last I was there, the main theater was showing straight porn, the smaller upstairs theater showing gay porn. I knew this, because I was there to install the video projector for the straight theater. They run regular ads in the Kansas City “alternative” paper The Pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/3 "2010-10-08T05:11:38Z")
A drive in? God, I can’t think of anything skeezier than a hundred drunk guys masturbating in their cars. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/4 "2010-10-08T05:37:58Z")
The [Bijou](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijou_Theater_(Chicago)) in Chicago ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/5 "2010-10-08T05:57:25Z")
There’s a second-run theater on campus that always shows a porno at the end of each school year. Not on a regular basis, though, and you might not call it a regular theater. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/6 "2010-10-08T06:00:31Z")
There are several in Philly. BTW Their draw, AFAIK, these days is NOT ‘come see porn’. They exist as places for men to go and have anonymous sex with other men. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/7 "2010-10-08T06:39:30Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > A drive in? God, I can’t think of anything skeezier than a hundred drunk guys masturbating in their cars. What about a hundred guys having a wank, elbow length apart, in a theatre??? 😕 At least you don’t see them from the waist down in the car… ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/8 "2010-10-08T06:46:01Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > > [@Zsofia](#): > > > > A drive in? God, I can’t think of anything skeezier than a hundred drunk guys masturbating in their cars. > > What about a hundred guys having a wank, elbow length apart, in a theatre??? 😕 > > At least you don’t see them from the waist down in the car… There used to be a drive-in in Kansas City that was right by the Fairyland amusement park that would show X-rated films as the extra-late show after the regular R rated program. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/9 "2010-10-08T07:06:52Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Does anything like that still exist? Also has anyone here ever seen a porno in an actual theater? Yep, Portland has two. The Oregon Theater which was built in the 20’s, and after being closed for a number of years reopened as a porno theater. Then there’s the Paris Theater, which opened a few years ago. It’s right next to Voodoo Donut, one of our wonderful tourist attractions. As for your second question, yes, I have. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/10 "2010-10-08T11:55:41Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > There are several in Philly. There’s one on the edge of Center City that’s been in the same location for well over 40 years to my knowledge, possibly longer. It wants to expand and start an area for live performances as well. The neighbors – there’s a Trader Joe’s nearby – are up in arms. ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/11 "2010-10-08T13:01:41Z")
Did people wank at these places? I mean, I’m sure it happened, but was it the normal thing for people who went there to do? I’d imagine not but would be interested to hear from someone who has been to one. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/12 "2010-10-08T13:04:11Z")
I’m almost afraid to ask (but I will, in the name of Science[sup]TM[/sup]!), but are hardcore porn movies actually still being released on 35mm film for these markets, or are they using DVDs hooked up to Digital Projectors, or what? I mean, I can’t imagine there’s a huge market for Theatre-Screened Porn. Which, more importantly, raises another question: _Why_ (besides cottaging) would someone want to go to a movie theatre to watch a hardcore porno film in the modern day? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/13 "2010-10-08T13:34:18Z")
Vancouver has [The Fox Cinema](http://www.theculturalgutter.com/movies/the_venus_and_the_fox.html), which screens “classic” celluloid porn films. It has been in this incarnation for more than twenty years, so there must be market for it. Back in the eighties (before the switch to porn films) they used to screen 3D movies regularly, and I’ve had the 3D bug ever since then. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the restaurant next door (“Sticky Fingers”) went out of business when they suddenly became attached to a PornHaus. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/14 "2010-10-08T13:47:05Z")
> [@ColdPhoenix](#): > > Did people wank at these places? > > I mean, I’m sure it happened, but was it the normal thing for people who went there to do? I’d imagine not but would be interested to hear from someone who has been to one. Obligatory Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens link: > **[Paul Reubens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Reubens#1991_arrest_and_retreat_from_public_eye)** > > Paul Reubens (/ˈruːbənz/; né Rubenfeld; August 27, 1952 – July 30, 2023) was an American actor and comedian, widely known for creating and portraying the character Pee-wee Herman. > Born in Peekskill, New York and raised in both Oneonta, New York and Sarasota, Florida, Reubens joined the Los Angeles-based troupe the Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor. Reubens developed his Pee-wee character at the Groundlings. After a failed audition f... ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/15 "2010-10-08T14:15:03Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > The question is pretty much self-explanatory. Up until the late 1980s it wasn’t all that uncommon to find a real movie theater, usually in a run-down part of town, that screened XXX flicks on the big screen. I grew up in a pretty rural area, and even there they had a drive-in that screened in pornos, but it closed down years ago. > Does anything like that still exist? Also has anyone here ever seen a porno in an actual theater? > [@Zsofia](#): > > A drive in? God, I can’t think of anything skeezier than a hundred drunk guys masturbating in their cars. I just mentioned this yesterday in another thread. I’ve watched a porno in both a walk-in theater and a drive-in theater (The Capri Drive In, Sand Springs, OK). I haven’t seen a porno movie in a theater in almost 30 years. (I’m 48, I probably last went in my early 20s) ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/16 "2010-10-08T14:16:45Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m almost afraid to ask (but I will, in the name of Science[sup]TM[/sup]!), but are hardcore porn movies actually still being released on 35mm film for these markets, or are they using DVDs hooked up to Digital Projectors, or what? I mean, I can’t imagine there’s a huge market for Theatre-Screened Porn. Which, more importantly, raises another question: _Why_ (besides cottaging) would someone want to go to a movie theatre to watch a hardcore porno film in the modern day? Ewww, I had to look up what “cottaging” meant. Now I’m sorry I did. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/17 "2010-10-08T19:45:35Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > > [@ColdPhoenix](#): > > > > Did people wank at these places? > > > > I mean, I’m sure it happened, but was it the normal thing for people who went there to do? I’d imagine not but would be interested to hear from someone who has been to one. > > Obligatory Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens link: > > [Paul Reubens - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Reubens#1991_arrest_and_retreat_from_public_eye) I’ll always remember that for Gilbert Gottfried’s Joke: > [@](#): > > How did the hell do you find him guilty? Did they dust for prints? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/18 "2010-10-08T20:12:07Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Vancouver has [The Fox Cinema](http://www.theculturalgutter.com/movies/the_venus_and_the_fox.html), which screens “classic” celluloid porn films. It has been in this incarnation for more than twenty years, so there must be market for it. > > Back in the eighties (before the switch to porn films) they used to screen 3D movies regularly, and I’ve had the 3D bug ever since then. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the restaurant next door (“Sticky Fingers”) went out of business when they suddenly became attached to a PornHaus. That was my first good belly laugh of the day. Sticky Fingers! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/19 "2010-10-08T20:30:54Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Also has anyone here ever seen a porno in an actual theater? Once, for 20 minutes, in the 80s. What surprised me was how incredibly dark it was in the theatre. It’s not like a regular theatre where there’s enough light to see how many people are there or whatever. It’s pitch black. So much so that when I thought I’d found an empty seat, the person sitting in it had to speak up when I tried to sit down. So as far as seeing a bunch of guys jerking off, that wasn’t really going to happen. I couldn’t see jack. Also, the cocks on the screen are like 30 feet long. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456/20 "2010-10-08T20:38:42Z")
Really dating myself here, but I saw “The Devil In Miss Jones” and some third-rate “Hollywood” porn flick on a double-bill at a PussyCat Theater in LA when they first came out. All I remember about either movie is that the second one featured what looked like a bicycle retro-fitted into a sex toy, and a character asking one of the females later on if he was “better than the bicycle.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-movie-theaters-still-show-porn/556456.md?page=2)