Historic Houston movie theater closes due to pandemic

HOUSTON (AP) — A historic Houston theater that director Richard Linklater called his “film school” and that for decades was the place to catch hard-to-find independent and foreign films has closed for good. Like many U.S. movie theaters and other businesses, the River Oaks Theatre was a victim of the coronavirus pandemic. After nearly 82 years in business, it turned off its projectors last month, depriving the nation’s fourth-largest city of an institution where everyone from rappers to suburban kids and cinephiles formed friendships, fell in love and found community. Some theater supporters hope it can be preserved as a space where movies can be shown or live events can be held. The “Boyhood” director says it’s an important part of Houston’s cultural history.