From the days of vaudeville and silent films to the current digitally enhanced 3D spectaculars, New Mexico’s theaters have dazzled audiences for over a century. Explore these timeless stages with us!
- Posts: 41 -
Fiesta Drive-In
Southeast Region: Carlsbad
Constructed 1948. The Fiesta Drive-In originally opened in 1948 with a single screen. The massive original screen tower had a mural of a Mexican man and woman dancing and was animated with neon lighting. Above them was the theater’s name in streamlined style lettering. The Fiesta Drive-In closed in 1970 Read more…
Flickinger Center for the Performing Arts
South Region: Alamogordo
Constructed 1950. Flickinger Center for Performing Arts is a 590-seat performing arts center in downtown Alamogordo, New Mexico. Originally the Sierra Movie Theater, built in the 50s, it was purchased by Margaret Flickinger and given to the community in 1988. It was renovated and converted to a multipurpose performing arts Read more…
Fort Union Drive-In
North Region: Las Vegas
Constructed 1956 The Fort Union Drive-In has made the conversion to digital projection, but this was the story in 2013. New technology requires that the theater undergoes an upgrade to digital equipment and projection room. There are around 350 drive-ins left in the nation, and only two left in New Read more…
Gila Theater
Southwest Region: Silver City
Constructed 1950. A fantastic example of a small town movie palace. The 1950 Gila Theatre was the first movie house in the area to feature a built-in candy concession, it sports a combination of standard auditorium layout which rises around the entrances at the rear to a stadium-style arrangement. The Read more…
Guild Theater
Central Region: Albuquerque
Constructed 1966. The Guild first opened in 1966. It was originally called the Guild Art Theatre. After undergoing several changes, currently the Guild is an independent theater. 3405 Central Avenue NE Albuquerque, NM 87106 | 505-255-1848 Image by Lindsay Waite.
Hiland Theater
Central Region: Albuquerque
Constructed 1950. The Highland Theater was opened on April 20, 1950. Seating inside was provided for 1,188 patrons on a stadium plan, with a raised step section at the rear. The Highland closed as a movie theater in 1995, became a performing arts venue for about a decade and was Read more…
KiMo Theater
Central Region: Albuquerque
Constructed 1927. The KiMo Theatre is one of our Albuquerque’s finest treasures and is home to a variety of dance, music, film, theater, cinema and more. The KiMo was opened on September 19, 1927 with an original seating capacity of 1,321. A contest selected the name, which means King of Read more…
Kiva Theater
North Region: Las Vegas
Constructed 1912 Though it opened in 1912 as the Mutual Theater, the Kiva Theater is the second-oldest movie theater still operating in New Mexico, being seven years younger than the Fountain Theater in Mesilla. There is a photo of the auditorium of the Kiva Theatre in the April 29, 1939, Read more…
Land of the Sun
Southeast Region: Artesia
Constructed 1947. In 1947, a first-class, state-of-the-art movie theater, Land of the Sun, opened in Artesia. It was operated by the Gilchrist family until 1975. Eventually it came into ownership by Carmike Cinemas, and by the late 1990s, the theater had become rundown, inside and out. Artesia MainStreet and Carmike Read more…
Lea Theater
Southeast Region: Lovington
Constructed 1948. The Lea Theater was built in 1948 in Lovington as the post-WWII economy and local oil discoveries launched a boom in Lea County. Situated across the street from the impressive Lea County Courthouse, The Lea Theater is an excellent example of the mid-century modern International Style that was Read more…