Individual films can be considered “events” (see Barbie) but the practice of going to the movies has steadily been replaced by staying at home and catching up on Netflix shows.
Last year's box office confirmed this trajectory. While Disney titles such as Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine and Moana 2 were all able to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office, many other films suffered more sizable drops in attendance. Original movies struggled, as the highest-grossing film of the year that was not a prequel, sequel, or adaptation was the family fantasy film IF, which ranked No. 24. Even some of the bigger “successes” of the year, such as Gladiator II and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, may not have been technically considered “profitable” given their sizable budgets.
The solution to this downward trend may lie in repertory screenings and specialty events that encourage regular attendance. While some theater chains like AMC and Cinemark have their own “classic series,” most cinephiles yearn for a more curated experience that allows for greater socialization.
Thankfully, Dallas has one of the best programs in the nation with the USA Film Festival, which runs this year from April 23–27, joining an impressive list of film festivals in Dallas in 2025. The nonprofit organization has promoted cinema attendance for 55 years. According to the late, great At The Movies host and legendary film critic Roger Ebert, “They do everything right.”
The festival had its modest origins in 1970 when legendary directors Alan J. Pakula and Robert Altman attended specialty events to promote their upcoming films The Sterile Cuckoo and MASH, respectively. As it turns out, getting to interact with the director in the aftermath of a screening improved the experience, especially in an era when YouTube didn’t allow for film fans to conduct their own deep dives. The USA Film Festival went through multiple iterations in its early years, but each was focused on highlighting the collective experience of seeing new releases and celebrating the artists responsible.
Although the mid-1970s saw an expansion with an official competition and short films program, it was certainly not lacking in major star power; the legendary Gregory Peck even attended a three-day event in 1974, in which he discussed several of his most famous films. While these types of in-demand experiences are certainly helpful in drawing out crowds in the short term, the USA Film Festival realized that encouraging more regular attendance could be a strong goal. The year 1981 saw the rollout of a slate of yearlong programming, including preview screenings of upcoming releases. In 1983 came the first KidFilm Fest, which encouraged media literacy and educational programming for children’s filmmaking.
Members who pay a yearlong subscription fee are treated to several monthly screening events that include a wide variety of upcoming releases; expect everything from blockbusters like Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown to smaller, niche titles like Daddio and Thelma. Anyone who follows the award season knows that seeing all the Oscar-nominated films can be a challenge. Often these hotly anticipated titles aren’t given a wide expansion following their debut in New York and Los Angeles. Many of this year’s Oscar nominees screened as part of the USA Film Festival, including September 5, Nickel Boys, Sing Sing, A Real Pain, Better Man, The Brutalist, Conclave and Memoir of a Snail, among others.
Map to the Stars
Going to a screening with like-minded film fans is certainly a treat, but it's made even better when there is talent in attendance. In 2024, Cobra Kai stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka showed up in Dallas to promote the latest season of the hotly anticipated The Karate Kid legacy sequel series; legendary author Alonso Duralde also showed up for a special screening of the 1973 classic The Last of Sheila, which was based on his novel of the same name. Similar events were held in correlation with other local film events, including the Oak Cliff Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival.Although events like these are sprinkled throughout the year, the USA Film Festival centers its programming around a spring festival that includes an expanded lineup and exciting guests. Details about the 2025 series (set to begin April 23) are ambiguous at this point, but last year’s slate offered an exciting preview of what the festival was capable of. Michael Sheen attended a special screening of the 1973 cult classic Badlands, and screenwriter Dean Pitchford joined for a 40th-anniversary celebration of Footloose. Of course, there are still some staple year-round events to look forward to; early summer generally involves a “Studio Ghibli Summer Festival” honoring the films of Hayao Miyazaki, and “Hitchcocktober” involves screenings of many beloved classics from The Master of Suspense.
The USA Film Festival is also active in responding to current events and listening to its audience. The festival managed to still run through 2021 with social distance screenings, even when many other theaters closed their doors. Recently, the death of David Lynch inspired USA to host screenings of several of his most beloved films, including Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet and Eraserhead. Holiday screenings are also a major part of the lineup, with festive events held last year accompanying Elf, It’s A Wonderful Life and Love Actually as part of the “Three Weeks of Christmas” series.
Hopefully, cinema will not become a niche practice that only attracts selective audiences, as everyone deserves the opportunity to be transported to a different place through the silver screen. Time and money can be factors that dissuade audiences from cramming into their local AMC or Cinemark to attend a packed showing of Mufasa: The Lion King or Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but as long as things like the USA Film Festival exist, the future of the medium is in safe hands.
