Clinton Theater

The Clinton Street Theater is one of Portland’s most enduring and character-filled cultural venues—a place where film, performance, and community blur together in a way that feels increasingly rare. Operating since 1915, it’s among the oldest continuously running movie theaters in the United States, but it’s anything but stuck in the past.

Rather than focusing on mainstream releases, the Clinton has built its identity around cult cinema, independent films, and interactive screenings. It’s perhaps best known for its long-running showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where audience participation isn’t just encouraged—it’s expected. Costumes, call-backs, props flying through the air… subtlety is not part of the program.

But it’s not just about Rocky Horror. The theater regularly hosts a wide range of programming: obscure and classic films, local premieres, comedy shows, live music, festivals, and community-driven events. The space itself is intimate, with a single screen and close seating that keeps the audience connected to what’s happening on stage or screen.

There’s a scrappy, independent spirit to the place. It’s not polished like a corporate cinema, and that’s exactly why it works. The Clinton feels owned by the people who use it—filmmakers, performers, and audiences alike. It’s a venue where experimentation is welcome, weirdness is embraced, and not everything has to be optimized for mass appeal.

In a city that prides itself on keeping things a little unconventional, the Clinton Street Theater stands as one of the clearest examples of that ethos still alive and kicking.