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Charles Francis Jenkins used his invention, the Phantoscope, to show a woman dancing on a wall. This film was really short and had no sound. Edison later bought the patent and changed the name to the Vitascope.
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In 1895 the first film scores were released. This was just sheet music that would be performed live. Usually was preformed in the theater by a pianist or organist.
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First full-time cinema was opened in 1902. This was located in Los Angeles. The films were mostly short and had no sound.
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The first Nickelodeon opened in Pittsburgh. These theaters got their names from their 5-cent admission charge. They typically showed short, silent films.
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The first feature-length film was at the Nickelodeon theatre. But this forced Nickelodeons to charge more for admission. This is the first step towards movie theaters as we know them today.
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Movie theaters are showing more feature length films by now. Most theaters are owned by production studios now. This created the building blocks of Hollywood.
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The first movie with sound was released in 1927. Previous films had been released with sounds on discs, but "The Jazz Singer" was the first to have dialogue synchronized during a film. It changed the game for forever.
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First drive-in movie theater opens in New Jersey. This allowed people to sit in the comfort of their own cars to watch movies.
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Antitrust laws force Hollywood studios to de-couple from the movie theaters. That meant that all films could be shown in any theater. This also lead to some of the movie theater brands that we know and love today.
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Movie theaters upgrade to stereophonic sound alongside a giant screen. The first movie to use this was Walt Disney Film Fantasia. This was the true beginning of the modern movie theater era.
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First digital projector was unveiled to the public. Huge reels of film were no longer needed to show a movie at the theaters.
