Today, the calendar at the Rialto Theater more closely resembles an interactive variety show than a traditional cinema schedule. On any given day, the 80-year-old venue in Raleigh, North Carolina’s Five Points neighborhood might host a live podcast recording, a powerful shadow-cast performance, or even a local music showcase. The venue’s aggressive pivot into the “experience economy” is the primary reason the historic single-screen theatre is still up and running, and as relevant as ever, in 2026.

With the modern entertainment industry dominated by the at-home convenience of streaming subscriptions, surviving as an independent brick-and-mortar theatre requires offering a valuable in-person event that fuels genuine human connection. The necessity of this shift became apparent in 2022, when the Rialto abruptly shut its doors. As the building sat dormant, the surrounding community braced for the worst, fearing their cultural staple would be permanently gutted and transformed into generic commercial offices.

Instead, a rescue effort materialized in 2023. Raleigh media personality Hayes Permar led a local ownership group to purchase the business, securing a long-term lease that would breathe new life into the historic space. Permar and his team recognized that the traditional theatrical model simply wouldn’t work, and that saving the physical venue would mean fundamentally changing how the business operated.

By reshaping the space into a “neighborhood living room,” the new ownership was able to step away from the hassle that comes with trying to compete with the accessibility of streaming. While operating an independent venue still comes with struggles like razor-thin margins and the grind of business ownership, the Rialto perseveres. It now stands as a testament to its surrounding community, showing how people will still eagerly rally around physical gathering spaces, even in our increasingly digital world.