10/03/2026
🎬 THIS ARTICLE HIT HOME.
I just read a great article from The Daily Yonder about “Cinema Deserts” in Rural America, featuring filmmaker Rustin Thompson and his documentary The Last Picture Shows. After reading it, I couldn’t help but think about The Star Theatre here in Eaton.
Thompson traveled more than 10,000 miles across 10 states and visited 123 theaters, documenting small-town movie theaters that have closed, are struggling to survive, and some that are still finding ways to thrive. His original idea was to make a film about the disappearance of small-town cinemas—but along the way, he discovered something more hopeful: there are still people fighting to keep these places alive because they believe their communities need them.
As someone who operates a single-screen theater in a small town, so much of what he talks about is something we deal with regularly.
One part of the article really stood out to me: the discussion about how major studios can dictate how long a movie has to remain on a single screen, even when a large portion of the local audience has already seen it. For a theater serving a smaller population, that can make programming a real challenge. We don’t have multiple screens to move movies around or unlimited choices of what we can show. We have one screen—and every movie, every showtime and every week matters.
But the biggest thing I took away from the article is this:
A small-town movie theater isn’t just a movie theater.
It’s a place where people meet.
It’s where families make memories.
It’s where kids experience the magic of the big screen for the first time.
It’s where friends get together.
It’s where you take a date.
It’s where a community can come together for a special event, a concert, a live performance, a private movie, or a fundraiser.
And that’s exactly what we want The Star Theatre to continue being for Eaton and the surrounding communities.
We aren’t just trying to sell movie tickets.
We’re trying to keep the lights on in a historic building, bring movies and events to our community that people would otherwise have to drive farther to see, create new experiences, and make this building a place where people want to gather.
The article talks about theaters as “oases of community” in areas where movie theaters can be many miles apart. That description really resonates with us.
We know there are plenty of ways to watch a movie at home now. But there’s still something different about walking through the doors, grabbing some popcorn, sitting in the dark with a room full of other people, and seeing that picture come to life on the big screen.
That’s an experience worth protecting.
So if you live in Eaton, Preble County, or one of the surrounding communities, I hope you’ll continue to support your local theater.
Come see a movie.
Bring your kids.
Bring your friends.
Come to an event.
Grab some popcorn.
Tell somebody about us.
Share our posts.
Every ticket, every concession purchase, every rental and every person who walks through our doors helps make it possible for The Star Theatre to remain here.
Small-town theaters don’t survive because they’re easy to operate.
They survive because their communities decide they’re worth keeping. ❤️🎬
Thank you to everyone who continues to support The Star.
We appreciate you more than you know.
Read the full article from The Daily Yonder here: Q&A: Filmmaker Rustin Thompson on Cinema Deserts in Rural America
🎥 The Star Theatre — Eaton, Ohio
🍿 Movies, Music & More
📍 310 N. Barron Street, Eaton, Ohio
