#Help Us Bring This Old Theater Back to Life

This building has been showing movies since 1986. We're not about to let that end now.

Since 1986, there's been a movie theater on Forum Drive in Raleigh. Through nearly forty years, different owners, different popcorn prices, and probably a few thousand different projector bulbs, this building has quietly done one job: give people a place to watch a movie on a big screen with people they like.

We took over as Triangle Cinemas in 2023, and honestly, we knew what we were signing up for. Old buildings come with old problems. But we love this place, we love this town, and we weren't planning on being the ones who let the lights go out here.

Then on Monday, August 3, 2026, we had a fire.

We're still sorting out the full damage, but here's the truth: this is the hardest hit this building has taken in almost 40 years of showing movies. And it landed right on top of problems we were already trying to solve, an HVAC system that's been on its last legs, and projectors that have earned their retirement.

The good news is we're not completely dark. We're running limited morning shows for kids right now while we work on repairs, so there's still a reason to visit us. Insurance is helping cover some of the damage, but not all of it, and that gap is where this campaign comes in.

One casualty hit especially close to home: our popcorn popper didn't make it. Yes, the fire took out the machine responsible for the smell that's been drifting through this lobby since 1986. We're taking it hard.

Why we're asking

We're not a big chain with a corporate budget sitting behind us. We're a small, independent theater trying to keep a genuinely special place alive. This building has been part of people's first dates, birthday parties, family traditions, and lazy Tuesday nights for almost four decades. We'd love the chance to give it another forty.

What the money actually goes toward

- Getting the theater safely repaired after the fire

- A new popcorn popper, because a movie theater without popcorn is just a dark room

- Fixing the HVAC system so nobody sweats through a summer movie again

- New projectors so the picture looks as good as the movie deserves

- Keeping this old building standing for whoever loves it next

What you get for pitching in

We want to actually thank people who help us out, not just say thanks and move on. Here's what we're thinking:

$10+, Popcorn Pal: A shoutout on our social media, our genuine gratitude, and a spot on our About You page as a supporter, think Founders Wall, but digital. Every single donor gets this one.

$25+, Matinee Regular: A free medium popcorn and drink on your next visit

$50+, Balcony VIP: Two free movie tickets, good for a year, plus a Six Forks Combo

$100+, Reel Hero: Free popcorn and drink, plus two free tickets a week for two months

$250+, Founding Friend: Four free tickets a week for two months, a large popcorn combo, and a handwritten thank-you from our team

$500+, Legend of Forum Drive: Your name on our new "Founders Wall" in the lobby, plus free movies for two, all year

$1,000+, Hero of the Marquee: Everything above, plus a private after-hours screening for you and up to 20 friends once we reopen

How to help

Every dollar gets us closer to reopening fully. And if you can't give right now, sharing this with a friend who's ever grabbed popcorn here helps just as much, or better yet, bring the kids to one of our morning shows while we work on the rest.

Thanks for caring about a scrappy old movie theater. Here's to getting the projector bulbs glowing again.

Triangle Cinemas

9500 Forum Dr, Raleigh, NC 27615