What is the oldest movie theater in the US that has been in continuous use as a movie theater?

Question

It appears from Wikipedia that the oldest theater in continuous use is in Denmark, but since so much of the film industry is dominated by Hollywood, I was wondering what is the oldest movie theater in the United States.

Answer 1

The Scenic Theatre in North Dakota claims to be the oldest continually operating theatre on its website. From their website footnote

The oldest continually operating theatre in America*
* Based on Box Office Magazine's published article on what they credited as the oldest in America & it was 17 years newer than the Scenic Theatre.

They claim they opened in 1911.

The Newtown Theatre also claims to be the oldest.

The Newtown Theatre has an extensive history dating back to 1831. It is, in fact, the oldest movie theater in the United States with it's first movie being shown in 1906. Originally built to be a hall for town gatherings and a "non sectarian" church for traveling ministers, it soon became a center of entertainment in Newtown.

If true this would make it older than the Scenic Theatre.

Both of these however, don't say whether they regularly showed movies to the public in the early days or not.

The Nickelodeon Theatre in Pittsburgh was the first genuine movie theatre in the US. It opened in June, 1905 so you're not going to get any earlier than that. It shut down in the 1910s, I think.

Answer 2

The Priest Theatre in High Springs, Florida has been operating since 1910. It was a vaudville movie house before film.

Answer 3

The Minor Theater, located at 1015 H Street in Arcata, California, is one of the oldest buildings in the United States built for feature films that is still open and showing movies. It was the first building in Humboldt County to be built as a "true movie theater."

From Wikipedia