Historic Tara Theater to reopen with new films and art house classics

Caption

The historic Tara Theatre is re-opening under new ownership after a brief closure.

Credit: Tara Theatre

Atlanta’s historic Tara Theatre is set to reopen, months after it got a new owner.

Atlanta Film Society Executive Director Chris Escobar took over the theater's operations shortly after Regal Cinema closed it in November.

The Tara originally opened in 1968.

“It’s the second-oldest movie theater that we have, despite it being only 55 years old,” Escobar said. “Most other cities have far more historic movie theaters. In Atlanta, that’s quite an endangered species.”

The Tara also is one of only three art house cinemas in Atlanta.

Getting it back into working condition cost several hundred thousand dollars, Escobar said.

“Anyone who’s come here before certainly will feel welcome and at home,” he said. “But they will see some lovely new additions.”

That includes a renovated lobby.

But most of the cost went for behind-the-scenes equipment, such as projectors, amps and computer servers, Escobar said.

Opening on Thursday, the theater’s grand re-opening will feature a brief ribbon-cutting, followed by an evening of classic films honoring the theater’s history through the decades:

1963’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World starring Spencer Tracy and Milton Berle

1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope from George Lucas

1989’s Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future Part II

2022’s Tár, starring Cate Blanchett in the last film to play at the Tara before it closed

A full lineup of the weekend’s films is available here.