Jane Pickens Theatre

This theatre has an old-​school vibe that just can’t be beat. That, combined with a great selection of beer and wine, make for a great place to spend the evening or go out on a date. I’ll definitely be coming back!

Amazing. Very nice old theatre. They have alcohol, many kids of chocolate, and popcorn. The drink and chocolate options blew me away. They have chocolate from the local candy company where I grew up in Michigan. Totally random. This is my new favorite theatre. I also like that the kind of films they play. I am not one for indie films but they play many movies that have popular actors in them but still have an old school feel to them, best of both worlds. I have been trying to see many movies here, just never quite made it. I can’t believe it took me 11 years to get here, shame on me. I am a movie buff if you can’t tell, and a good theatre makes me happy :)

Everyone complains about how cold this place is but I bet it is dreamy in the summer! Seriously though, they were part of a kickstarter campaign and raised money to fund a new heating system. It is a big space to heat, so it will never be balmy, but gone are the days when you have to wear your hat and mittens as well as bring a wool blanket with you.
The snacks are great — lots of options but the best thing is that they serve spiked coffee and cocoa as well as beer and wine. Also great are the movie selections — they stayed on Philomena WAY too long, but there are some good foreign films and award contenders playing now.
The bathrooms still remind me of my catholic school days but there are signs of constant improvement here. It is amazing to see this old gal start a new life. Cool too that parking is free in Newport in the winter and I’ve never had a problem parking close by.
I’m a fan and I’m excited to go back. It is a great way to see a movie, followed by dinner at a local restaurant — especially now when Newport is quiet yet still so charming.

This theater seems to grow in charm each year, there are a lot of people/​groups supporting this place and creating a wonderful atmosphere.
At the Jane Pickens Theatre they play old movies that typically have occult followings, independent films, and more recently concerts! The space is stunning, I love the theater stage and all of the handy work in the architecture of the building.
The seats are nothing special, something people seem to be obsessed about for some odd reason. If you want fancy seats stay at home ;) This place is more about creating a feeling! I had a great time at the Dawes and Friends show here & when The Big Lebowski played, numerous people came in costumes, robes and purchased White Russians. I appreciate that a space like this is sprouting in Newport.

Charming theater in a former church building. It has a single screen, which is hard to find in this day and age. If you are looking for one of those hideous multiplexes with the video game arcade and the same mediocre Hollywood releases playing on multiple screens, with all the cheesy sound where you feel flattened in your seat every time something blows up, then this place is not for you.
The theater is huge, with the balconies and the curtained walls and the old school feel. It made me feel like I was in that scene from the Woody Allen film (whose name escapes me) and he’s watching an old movie with someone in an old fashioned theater. I liked this place a lot and highly recommend it if you want to see a film in a neighborhood theater that feels homey and nice.

This was the best theatre in town when Mr. Jarvis owned it. I went every week-​end
and bought tickets for Christmas presents and paid extra to be a VIP member.
With the passing of Mr. Jarvis and the people that worked there it was small town
and wonderful…
With the new owner it just doesn“t feel the same. The high end snacks, the price of
the movies., and the vibe of the place is just not enjoyable to me… I will go to the
Avon theatre in Providence to see the same movie because that has the same feel and the huge movie screen that I love. It is worth driving 45 minutes …
It is still owned by the original family…
It is air conditioned and well heated which the Pickens is not…
The choice of restaurants on the street is great and diversified and not nearly as expensive or mediocre as Newport is…

Jane Pickens now serves beer and wine! If you are not super psyched about this then you are just no fun at all.
Popcorn and prosecco are a delicious combo but they still don’t have air conditioning so I’m not giving up that 5^th star just yet!

Definitely a theater that has some charm. A single screen art house with relatively comfortable seating. They had a bit of a snafu with the sound at the beginning of the movie (Moonrise Kingdom, loved it) and the air conditioning could have been better. The slight negatives aside, if your a movie fan there really is nothing better then the old single screen theaters.

I used to frequent this theater in my teens when they would show Rocky Horror Picture Show on the weekends. That was another lifetime ago. I have been a few times to see movies over the years, most recently to see Moonrise Kingdom. I’ll preface the rest of this review by saying if I didn’t love the movie so much this review may have been a 2 star.
It was warm in the theater on a muggy Newport night. I believe when the movie started and the doors closed it cooled down a bit, but it was not the freezing chill I expect from a normal cinema these days.
The first 2 or 3 minutes of the movie there was a sound coming from the projector, it was making the movie inaudible, so we missed some of it. People got up to complain. I’ve worked in movie theaters before and in the projection room. I know what it’s like to deal with the old projectors and systems. They are not easy to just correct something that is wrong. I take that stuff more than most because I can feel the stress and frustration a projectionist has when dealing with a problem like that.
Once it was fixed there were no more problems. A small popcorn and some waters between a few friends and a great flick. I enjoy the fact that Pickens sometimes has movies that other commercial places don’t carry, although this particular movie was playing about 15 minutes away.
An added bonus was that they featured some movie props for the feature flick, thought that was a pretty cool touch.
Check out a movie here at some point if you can.

Coming from a town that lost their jewel of a theatre, The Strand in Ocean Beach California, I was so happy to see that Newport still has a local theatre. I’ve been to a few movies in my visits here & now that I live here have even attended an Academy Award showing. It was a blast! Really great the way they mixed up the Oscars with a social setting, great food & cocktails. I was not freezing, but it was a beautiful day so maybe I just got lucky! I will be going back to this theatre again & again. Even if I DO have to bring a blanket. I would hate to see another local treasure be turned into a Walgreens or t-​shirt shop.

Good movie selections, but c’mon, somebody help them get some heat. We saw a movie here in November and half froze while wearing our coats during the movie. The ticket taker offered us blankets, but no thanks, I’d rather you just install a furnace. How is there not heat? I mean, really, what place of business doesn’t have heat in the winter? I bet it’s a nice place to catch a movie in warmer months.

Old-​school movie house in the modern era
This is one of two movie theaters in downtown Newport. This is the place to go for art-​house movies in Newport.
The movie house is old school. It has a stage and a balcony. I half expected an intermission in the middle. If you’re into seeing movies on the biggest screen around and like having your bowels shaken by massive Dolby-​THX-​DDS-​whatever sound systems… this theater is not for you.
If, however, you appreciate better movies and like the ambience of an older theater (that has great treats at the snack bar), this place IS for you.
One beef I have with this theater is that their payment system is totally out of whack. I’ve missed two movies here because the one attendant took too long to process credit card ticket payments. They either need to have more people on shift or upgrade to high speed internet… minus one star for that.