A mere dozen years ago, your Laemmle Theatres forefathers set out with a new mission, one that would really put the “art” in “arthouse theater.” With our Culture Vulture program, we brought live stage to the cinema auditorium, took attendees inside the world’s greatest art museums to see the classics, and gave PBS documentaries the big-screen treatment they deserved, among other deep delves.
That was then, in a more conventional film environment.
These days, with companies like Fathom Events running one-night-only and limited programs, it’s not uncommon to see plays, concerts, TV finales, restored older films, and all sorts of niche documentaries on every topic.
At Laemmle Theatres, you can still expect to see more from the likes of Exhibition on Screen, telling the stories behind famous works of art, and National Theatre Live bringing the best of British stage productions to the movie screen. They no longer need other umbrellas to stand under, as their productions are now recognized by the likes of IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. If we ran just one a week, in some cases, we’d be limiting your options rather than expanding your horizons.
Culture Vulture began in 2014, with an all-male production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, starring Mark Rylance and Stephen Fry. It used to run at every Laemmle theater – the Claremont ran it for all 12 years, which is more than any other. Over those eleven-plus calendar cycles, the programs have broken down to: fine art 31%, stage capture 28% (Shakespeare 12% of that), opera 10%, ballet 10%, and music docs 7%.
In all, 24 of Shakespeare’s 38 plays have been a part of the program, some more than once. Hamlet, easily the highest-grossing title in Culture Vulture’s history, came through in three different productions, as did Romeo and Juliet, including in Matthew Bourne’s all-dance version.
Here are some more Culture Vulture numbers: a total series run-time of 11 years and 10 months, from September 22, 2014 to July 27, 2026.
In that time, our screens have run 434 titles, 2,078 engagements, 4,449 theatre-days, 10 theatres, and 90 distributors.
Culture Vulture titles needed strength in numbers, but the future has more than we can count. Just keep an eye on Laemmle.com for keywords like ballet, opera, and stage. If you sign up for Laemmle’s e-newsletter, you’ll be even more ahead of the curve.
Culture Vulture as a label may be phasing out, but like a phoenix from the ashes, it’s just rebirthing to spread its wings wider. Long live culture, on even more screens and locations!