Behind The Screens: The Athena Cinema

It’s been a big mid (or end of summer, depending on where you’re based) summer for theatrical exhibition.

You probably heard that last weekend’s box office was the highest grossing domestic weekend of all time at $429 million between Spiderman: Brand New Day and The Odyssey. We’re thrilled about the news - and some of our members are reporting that the rising tide is indeed lifting all ships - moviegoers are showing up for independents too. (See recent data from Rentrak below.) We hope one real takeaway for our sector is that the ‘theatrical is dying’ narrative will cool down.

• AHC members have seen an 8.8% uptick in year over year grosses, and an impressive 38% over 2019

• AHC members collectively represent the 13th largest grossing group of cinemas year-to-date in the United States

So we’re excited to see this trend continue as we head into awards season and with other new indie releases as well. In other news, our friends at Cinema United announced the introduction of Supporting Cinema Renewal, Enhancement, and Enriching Neighborhoods (SCREEN) Act, legislation to encourage private investment in movie theaters and help revitalize the Main Streets and commercial districts they support. The SCREEN Act would establish a 30% federal tax credit for qualified movie theater revitalization projects. Eligible improvements include new seating, projection and sound systems, HVAC upgrades, and accessibility improvements. (And we’re told non-profit cinemas and independents can benefit as well, so stay tuned for more on that.)

This week, we’re excited to introduce you to The Athena Cinema in Athens, OH, a university town located in the Southeast part of the state. AHC Program Manager Colton Campbell spoke with Alex Kamody, who’s been the Director of the cinema for 18 years. (Ohio University also happens to be Colton’s alma mater.)

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CC: How long has the Athena Cinema been around in its current iteration?

The Athena Cinema has welcomed audiences through its doors since June 3, 1915, when admission cost 10 cents and the opening feature was Mary Pickford’s Cinderella. On our 100th anniversary, we partnered with the Mary Pickford Foundation to screen that same film exactly a century later (thank you to Dennis and Amy at Milestone for connecting us)! There was something magical about gathering in the same theater, with the same movie, serving the same community 100 years later.

CC: Can you talk about your relationship with Ohio University and its students?

Ohio University purchased the Athena in 2002, and today we operate as part of the College of Fine Arts while remaining a three-screen, first-run theatrical cinema serving southeastern Ohio in Uptown Athens (yes, we call it “uptown”). That combination is fairly unique.

Most of our staff are Federal Work-Study students. Experiential learning isn’t just something we talk about—it powers the theater. Students gain hands-on experience in projection, programming, marketing, graphic design, event production, and more while helping us continually evolve.

CC: Same vein, what about the community outside of the school? How does this change during the school year and in the summer?

Athens County is one of the most economically challenged counties in Ohio, so accessibility is central to everything we do. We intentionally keep ticket prices affordable and build programming that reflects both our university community and our Appalachian roots. One way we celebrate that heritage is through our free From the Hills & Hollers: Appalachian Stories film series.

Summer brings two challenges: half our audience leaves town, and so do many of our student employees. Thankfully, our local community shows up in remarkable ways. Some of our best-attended events happen during university breaks, reminding us that the Athena belongs just as much to Athens as it does to Ohio University.

CC: How was the AIFVF this year and what do you hope for the community and filmmakers to get out of this each year?

The Athens International Film + Video Festival has been a cornerstone of our community for more than fifty years. My mentor, Dr. Ruth Bradley, directed the festival for three decades, so it’s especially meaningful to continue that relationship. One of the festival’s defining characteristics is that student screeners earn course credit while helping curate the festival.

CC: What does Art House Theater Day (July 30th), can you talk about what that looks like at the Athena?

We were super excited to host our version of AHTD at the Athena! We presented a double feature of Putney Swope and Sorry to Bother You. In addition to the wonderful assets produced by AHC with Boots Riley, we also created our own custom trailer. We served themed cocktails and showed the AHC interview with Boots during the intermission for folks who wanted to hang out in the theater.

CC: Anything else upcoming or that you’d like to share with the AHC community?

We love building recurring series with community partners. Whether we’re collaborating with scientists, historians, local nonprofits, or faculty, our goal is always the same: invite new audiences into the theater and let our community help shape what happens here.

We partner with a variety of OU and community partners to offer many other annual series such as our Sustainability Film Series, Hispanic Film Series made possible through PRAGDA, Science on Screen, Heroes in Color, Cocktails & Classics, and this year we hosted a new edition of our annual Pride series OUTlaws: Gays Behaving Badly. We were also approached by NAMI of Athens to do a new series this year for Mental Health Awareness in May called Frame of Mind.

In addition to all these series, we do a new retro most years. In 2025, we had huge turnout for “Let’s Do Lynch”, our David Lynch retro we resurrected after running a similar series a decade earlier. We held a competition for local artists to design the poster. We made tote bags and posters of the winning design. In 2026, we followed the same format with “Enter the KINGdom”, a retro of Stephen King adaptations. It’s been especially exciting to see younger audiences embrace these repertory screenings. Every Moms Weekend we screen Mamma Mia! and the theater fills with moms drinking mimosas and singing along.

One other fun annual tradition is our Haiku contest. Every Black Friday, we open the contest and movie and theater-themed haikus pour in. The contest ends on New Year’s Eve, the winner is selected and the haiku is placed on the marquee on New Year’s Day. The winner gets free popcorn for the year. It’s a fun and free way for our community to be creative and stay connected (even when we’ve had to temporarily close for COVID and a structural repair).

CC: How are you connecting the past and present at The Athena?

We are working with a volunteer archivist to learn more about our history and preserve the stories and legacy of the theater. Recently I revisited the article announcing the Grand Opening. One line really stands out to me and I think of it often: “In other words, while looking at the best motion pictures possible, breathing pure air, being protected with safety-first fire appliances and sitting in a really comfortable opera chair, you are enjoying life.” The Athens Messenger, June 2, 1915.

That sentence still captures exactly what we’re trying to offer 111 years later. The technology has changed, but the goal hasn’t: bring people together for a great movie in a place that feels welcoming.

After navigating COVID, a lengthy structural closure, and the loss of our local multiplex, we’ve been fortunate to see audiences return in exciting ways. It’s an encouraging reminder that people still crave meaningful shared moviegoing experiences.

Despite having just three screens, we present hundreds of films and events each year, balancing first-run releases with repertory, the festival, educational programming, and community partnerships. None of it would be possible without an extraordinary staff and an incredibly supportive community. After 18 years at the Athena, I’m still amazed by the enthusiasm people bring through our doors and I’m even more excited about what comes next.

You can check out our Letterboxd list for this spotlight here.

Learn more about The Athena Cinema on their site, athenacinema.com.

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Art House Convergence (AHC) is a 501(c)3 arts service organization that connects, amplifies and advocates for mission-driven, community-focused independent cinemas and exhibitors within the film industry, and arts and cultural sector. We provide professional development, and capacity and network building for the independent exhibition workforce; and advocate for independent cinemas in the greater, and ever-changing, exhibition and film landscape.

Copyright, Art House Convergence 2026