Before the multiplex, there was the Charles. Opened in 1939 as the Times Theatre newsreel house and reborn as the Charles, Baltimore’s beloved five-screen arthouse is the city’s cathedral of independent film — a streamlined art-deco landmark on Charles Street in the Station North district.
The Charles is where Baltimore sees the films everyone will be talking about next month: festival prizewinners, foreign-language gems, documentaries and restorations, plus the annual excitement of Maryland Film Festival screenings. Its neon, its popcorn line and its famously opinionated audiences are a civic institution unto themselves.
In a streaming world, the Charles is the argument for leaving the house — made nightly, in the dark, with neighbors.
The Charles Theatre is at 1711 North Charles Street. Showtimes at thecharles.com.
