A writer for The Daily of the University of Washington went to the Varsity Theatre to watch "Anora." Only three groups of people were in the audience. When the lights came up, the writer described the people in the room acknowledging each other with "an unspoken understanding over a shared tale of vulnerability."
That small crowd helps explain what came next. The Varsity closed on Jan. 15. The same Daily UW piece reported that this left the U District without a movie theater for the first time in 80 years. The group bringing it back is not a chain or a new commercial operator. It's the Grand Illusion Cinema, a nonprofit run by volunteers, and part of the money for the reopening is coming from people in and around the neighborhood. Moviegoing on The Ave used to be a business that could close at any time. Now it's a community project that people are paying into directly.
How sixteen screens became none
The Grand Illusion says the U District had sixteen movie screens as recently as 2010 and has none today. Its director gave the Seattle Times a rougher estimate from memory, "like 16 screens or something." The closures themselves are easy to track:
- 2011, the Neptune. Seattle Theatre Group began converting the single-screen movie house in February 2011 and reopened it as a performing arts venue on Sept. 25, 2011.
- 2017, the Seven Gables. The theater at NE 50th Street and Roosevelt Way NE closed for what was described as refurbishment. It never reopened, and a fire destroyed the building on Christmas Eve 2020.
- January 2025, AMC Seattle 10. The 21+ theater with 10 screens, also called the AMC Metro, closed.
- January 2025, the original Grand Illusion. Its landlord declined to renew the lease in October 2024, and the last shows ran on Jan. 31, 2025.
- Jan. 15, 2026, the Varsity. It had operated for more than 85 years, most recently under Far Away Entertainment.
According to the Grand Illusion's history page, the Varsity first opened on Oct. 2, 1940, as a 474-seat single-screen house. Far Away Entertainment reopened it in February 2015 after Landmark closed it. If the Grand Illusion's plan goes ahead, it will be the second time a new operator has brought the building back after it went dark.
The commercial operators gave cost reasons
When Far Away announced the Varsity's closure, the Seattle Times reported a long list of reasons. These included declining revenue, rising operating costs, fewer studio releases and shorter theatrical windows. The operator also pointed to pandemic-era losses, Hollywood labor disputes, the cost of complying with local wage rules, higher utility and food costs, and competition from streaming. AMC's explanation for closing its 10-screen theater, as quoted by the Daily UW, was shorter. It said the decision was based on "what will best strengthen the company going forward."
The Grand Illusion runs on a different model. It became a volunteer-run theater in 2004, and the Daily UW described it as the only one of its kind in the United States. The nonprofit says it has been sustained entirely by volunteers for more than 20 years. Low overhead is what kept its ticket prices so low.
It also kept growing. Attendance at the original one-screen Grand Illusion rose from about 9,000 admissions in 2022 to more than 20,000 in 2024, its last full year at the old location. The organization says attendance stayed strong at its pop-up screenings after the old theater closed. The small volunteer-run room more than doubled its audience in the two years before AMC and Far Away closed their U District screens.
The Grand Illusion has a long history in the neighborhood. Randy Finley and his co-founders opened it in 1970 as The Movie House, in a converted dentist's office near University Way NE and NE 50th. Paul Doyle renamed it the Grand Illusion in 1979.
What the neighborhood is paying for
According to the Daily UW, the Grand Illusion has signed a 10-year lease on the Varsity. The theater's address is 4329 University Way NE. The nonprofit has more than $400,000 of its own to put into the reopening. It's asking the community to raise another $200,000 to finish the project and cover a solid first year of operations.
The Grand Illusion's own plan has two phases:
- Phase one reopens the large Art Deco main auditorium on the first floor and refreshes the lobby. The theater is getting a new 4K laser projector and a professional recalibration of its sound system. The group plans to install its 35mm projectors as soon as practical, and 16mm projection is also a priority.
- Phase two works on the two smaller upstairs auditoriums. One of them will be redone in the style of the original Grand Illusion, with red velvet curtains, classic-style seats and original pieces the group has kept in storage.
Two things will stay the same. At the landlord's request, the Varsity's neon marquee will remain essentially unchanged and the building will keep its name. The Grand Illusion will still operate under its own name. The concession stand will sell soft drinks, candy and popcorn, with no beer or wine for now.
Memberships are the main way neighbors can contribute right now. Here are the current levels:
| Membership | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard | $55 |
| Senior, student or military | $40 |
| Varsity Founder | $200 |
Members get reduced admission, invitations to member events, and extra perks during the Varsity's first year.
Ticket prices haven't been set. The Grand Illusion says its prices have long been the lowest in Seattle, and that if it ever has to raise them, it will keep them as low as possible. For comparison, the Daily UW put the average movie ticket in Washington at $18.28. Under its previous operator, the Varsity charged $9 for student tickets at every showing. At the Grand Illusion, tickets were $10 at most and $7 with a student ID.
For timing, the nonprofit's official target is still late fall 2026. It says the exact date depends on how the work goes and that it will announce a grand opening date. The Stranger reported a window of November or early December, with movies planned every day once the theater opens. On Oct. 28, the Grand Illusion posted a Varsity progress report on Bluesky with construction updates and a request for donations and memberships. The Grand Illusion lists its email list, membership and social media accounts as the ways to hear about the grand opening.
Evenings near The Ave until then
The Grand Illusion's pop-up screenings at SIFF, Northwest Film Forum and Central Cinema are winding down as the Varsity gets closer to opening. They'll stop completely once the theater is running. If you want to catch one, now is the time.
Closer to home, the evening schedule within walking distance of The Ave is fuller than a neighborhood with no screen might suggest. The Neptune, which stopped being a single-screen movie house in 2011, now carries much of the live calendar. These are the dates listed from this week through the end of the year:
| Date | Venue | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Neptune Theatre | Marc Broussard |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Neptune Theatre | John Scofield Electrospective |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Neptune Theatre | Kevonstage |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Neptune Theatre | Aterciopelados |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Meany Center | Janice Carissa |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Neptune Theatre | The Residency |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Meany Center | Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Isata Kanneh-Mason |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Neptune Theatre | Foy Vance |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Neptune Theatre | Ron Funches, 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Neptune Theatre | Eivør |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Neptune Theatre | RHYE |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Burke Museum | Burke Book Club on "Rising from the Plains," 6:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 19–21 | Meany Center | Hung Dance |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Meany Center | Michael Feinstein |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Burke Museum | Burke Book Club on "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs," 6:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 21–31 | Neptune Theatre | Lucy Darling of the Holidays |
Full listings are on the Neptune's calendar, the Meany Center calendar and the Burke Museum calendar. The National Park After Dark show the Neptune had on Nov. 11 is listed as postponed.
The block the Varsity sits on
The Varsity is on The Ave between NE 43rd and NE 45th streets. That puts it right next to the stretch where community groups have been testing other uses for the street. On Saturday, Oct. 10, the nonprofit U District Advocates closed University Way NE to cars between NE 42nd and NE 43rd for an "Ave for All" pilot. The city had denied the original permit, and the event went ahead after an appeal was approved. The Daily UW reported that the street had games, live music and sidewalk chalk hopscotch that day, running alongside the farmers market. It was a one-day pilot, not a permanent change to the street.
The U District Farmers Market runs every Saturday year-round from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., on University Way NE between NE 50th and NE 52nd. That's about two blocks from the light rail station. When the Varsity reopens, a Saturday morning at the market could easily end with a matinee a few blocks south.
New businesses are moving onto The Ave as well. The Daily UW reported that Mayuri International Foods has been preparing a University Way NE location with Indian fast food and a small grocery section. It's targeting a Nov. 8 opening, pending final inspection.
When the Varsity's marquee lights up again, it will be the first movie screen in the U District since January, and the theater will be running on volunteer labor, more than $400,000 of the nonprofit's own resources, and whatever neighbors add through donations and memberships. A $40 or $55 membership is the most direct way to help the next screen on The Ave stay open longer than the last few did.
Heather and the team at Cedar to Sound Homes watch storefronts and venues like the Varsity because they shape what a block is like to live on. If you own near The Ave and want to know how changes like this one affect your home's value, we're glad to walk you through it. Start with a free home valuation.
