Colonial Theatre

Opened in 1903, the Colonial Theatre initially began as a legitimate and vaudeville house before turning to movies by 1914.

The Colonial Theatre is famous for being featured in the 1958 sci-fi low budget classic “The Blob” starring a very young Steve McQueen. The theatre also makes a cameo appearance in 1978’s “Grease”.

The Colonial Theatre made a comeback in the 1980’s through owner Jim Breneman who was a pipe organ restorer. He installed a very elaborate Kimball organ and began hosting concerts and silent films, along with the occasional live act until his death in 1992 which brought everything to a grinding halt.

First run features failed and the theatre was scheduled for the wrecking ball, until a community group was formed and the theatre was saved. The Colonial Theatre has been restored and renovated and reopened in 1999, showing art house, independent, and classic films as well as hosting live entertainment and special events, such as the annual “Blobfest” festival, a homage to the film that the theatre was featured in.

Seating 658 in the historic original auditorium Theatre 1 (437 on the main floor and 185 in the balcony.) The movie screen is a generous 12' 5" x 30' wide for films. The installation of a Wurlitzer pipe organ was completed in 2010.

In November 2011, the Colonial Theatre non-profit organization purchased the National Bank of Phoenixville building (built in 1925 and which recently housed the Journal Register newspaper) next door to the theatre at 225 Bridge Street. Carnevale Eustis Architects of Phoenixville conceived the eight million dollar expansion, an adaptive reuse of the historic building. Opened on May 12, 2017, the main floor of the bank building has a huge gorgeous lobby with marble decoration, its original glass ceiling, a baby grand piano, a concession stand with a bar, restrooms, and a 2nd floor rooftop garden suite that had been the bank manager’s office.

Reusing the previously existing building space at the rear of the bank lobby, is Theatre 2, first called the Blue Theatre, and since renamed The White Rabbit Theatre. Theatre 2 has 174-seats, with 125-stadium seats which are retractable for live events, plus a balcony with 49-seats, with a 10' 2" x 24' screen for films and live events, a concession stand with a bar and restrooms.

Below the bank lobby is Theatre 3, first called the Red Theatre, since renamed The Berry Theatre, with 65-seats, a 6' 4" x 14' 4" screen for films and live events.

The first films in the new auditoriums on May 12, 2017 were “The Lost City of Z” in auditorium 2 and “Their Finest” in auditorium 3.

On July 31, 2018, Mary Foote, the long-time general manager of the Colonial Theatre, who led the non-profit effort to rescue, reopen, and expand the Colonial Theatre, retired as the Executive Director.

In March 2020, movie theatres in the Philadelphia region were ordered to close, along with “all non-essential businesses” due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After movie theatres were allowed to reopen with safety precautions, many stayed closed, but in early-July 2020, the Colonial Theatre became one of two movie theatres (the other being the Water Tower Cinema of Montgomeryville, PA) to reopen in the Philadelphia region, one month before the reopening of local multiplexes run by national chains.

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