Independent movie theater

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An independent movie theater (American English) or indie cinema (British English) is a movie theater which screens independent, art house, foreign, or other non-mainstream films.^[1] It can be contrasted with a mainstream theater (often a multiplex), which is more likely to screen blockbusters and other popular films.

Indie theaters are often characterized by their smaller size and stronger ties to their local communities.^[2] Many are also located in historic or nontraditional venues.

Unlike mainstream theaters, which almost exclusively draw patrons looking to see a particular film and make no tacit endorsement of the films they screen, indie theaters often work to cultivate a reputation for good taste by curating a selection of high-quality films, thus drawing patrons who might know little about a film before going to see it.^[3]