Sound Cinema: The Grand Cinema

Founded in 1997, The Grand Cinema has been Tacoma and Pierce County's destination for independent, foreign, and repertory films. This four screen theater is a non-profit cared for and kept up by tremendous and tireless volunteers. Thanks to the generous donors who have already contributed to the Save the Grand campaign, The Grand hopes to purchase The Merlino Arts building in which it resides. This will prevent future property managers from attempting to sell off the space.

The Grand's lobby is built to guide you perfectly from front door to seat. You start up a ramp to the ticket counter. Then you pass by a table and corkboard with community and film events. The smell of popcorn hits you as some friendly volunteers help to get snacks. The restrooms are just to your right to use before getting to your seat. As you stand on the threshold of the theater space, an usher can guide you to your seat if need be.

Lounge area inside The Grand Cinema.

The Evergreen Echo

The theaters at The Grand have virtually the same number of seats and the same screen size. Theaters 1 and 2 are to the left and theater 3 is straight ahead. Theater 4 is a kind of magical journey; you take yourself down a narrow corridor, which suddenly opens up into a high ceilinged, comfy-seat-strewn lounge area where film discussions are held after certain screenings. The walls are covered in posters from every era of film imaginable and make it a sort of museum room for coming attractions and past events.

Inside the theaters is a classic red velvet sound-dampening setup and a couple of steps that lead to the gentle slope of the aisle. The seats are comfortable on the back and bum, but sadly offer little extra space to the tallest of us. This can be a problem if someone sits in front of you, as the seats gently rock back and will bruise a knee. 

There is another unique seating quirk to watch out for. As the aisle seats are in the middle of the screen, these seats are the most coveted. This can and does make for a very awkward interaction as the whole row has to empty for someone to get to the seat closest to the wall. Then at the end of the show when your bladder is full you might (politely but firmly) have to ask the two heads discussing the film just seen to take it to the lobby so you can get through.

I made my way to The Grand to catch a showing of No Other Land. This Oscar-winning documentary shows the powerlessness of Palestinian civilians to stay and work their ancestral farms in the West Bank in the face of the Israeli government order that changes the status of the land into a military training ground. It is a film shot by people at the heart of the conflict and shows harrowing images of the journalists attempting to show the world the injustice they see on a daily basis. As the film still has no U.S. distributor, its run will be short, but it is well worth seeing on the big screen.

The Grand—in addition to its slate of independent and international first run films—has many incredible series, events, and programs throughout the year. “Weird Elephant” is a late night series curated for the genre lovers among us. The Silver Screen Society is promoting women in film for Women's History Month; this includes a special craft night on March 19 where you can bring a (quiet) craft and enjoy Easy A. The Grand is also host to the Tacoma Film Festival every October, the Tacoma Film Camp during the summer for kids looking to learn about filmmaking, the 253 Short Film Competition where filmmakers compete to create a short in 72 hours (April), and Free Family Flicks every third Saturday of the month.

Brick façade of The Grand Cinema in Tacoma.

The Evergreen Echo

In its nearly 30 years of operation, The Grand has created an enthusiastic community of filmgoers and cinephiles. Since reopening after the pandemic shutdowns, The Grand has also hosted many wide release features. This helps the box office of course, but it also gives another type of accessibility. The multiplexes of Pierce County are spread out, so it can be hard for people to make the half hour drive from where they are to the AMC in Lakewood, the Regal at the farthest end of South Tacoma, or the Cinemark in Ruston. 

The Grand is a beautiful film oasis in the heart of Tacoma. It is a truly great place to see a movie no matter the size of its budget.