The Row House Hollywood theater in Dormont has traded its worn-out past for a striking new identity built around film, design and community. With its Metropolis-inspired interior, restored 70mm projection and ever-changing lineup, the century-old theater is helping give Dormont’s business district a fresh reason to stay out after dark.
The Row House Hollywood Theater in Dormont Marks A New Beginning
There’s new life and dazzling images inside the century-old cinema in Dormont.
With less than a square mile of land, fewer than 8,000 residents and streets lined by American foursquares, duplexes and row houses, Dormont could hardly be called a metropolis.
But the borough has its own Metropolis — the interior of the 100-year-old Hollywood Theater. In 2025, it extended the Row House brand from Lawrenceville to the South Hills. The theater’s futuristic decor is based on Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent classic. The film is set in a major city with a huge class divide. The dystopian Metropolis triggered international controversy from various political camps when it premiered in Berlin. It is widely considered the first science fiction movie.
The Theater’s Transformation
A special showing of Metropolis launched Row House Hollywood after a $2.5 million renovation shepherded by its owner, developer Brian Mendelssohn, with some help from Needs More Fog, a Pittsburgh-based media production company that specializes in creating themed experiences.
The Hollywood opened as a silent film theatre in 1926, one year before Metropolis debuted. Its once-shabby balcony was traditionally a favorite spot for teens to toss popcorn on the audience below — when they weren’t … well, use your imagination. Mendelssohn’s vision was loftier: he wanted to create an Art Deco-era atmospheric experience, where viewers feel like they’re sitting in a courtyard under the night sky. Today, balcony dwellers can stargaze at lights rolling across the domed ceiling and look down on the futuristic cityscape that flanks the 400-seat theater’s mega screen.
From Rocky Horror Shadow Casts to Eclectic Programming
For years, the Hollywood was best known for its Rocky Horror Picture Show extravaganzas (and Rocky Horror still plays twice a month). Now, with a staff of 30 and its own booker, its offerings are eclectic. You still can see quirky films and cult favorites, but they co-exist with independent festival darlings, classics and first-run features. It’s not easy to compete with the large chains, marketing manager Kelsey Zehmisch says — but on the day we met, the theater was showing Mother Mary, the 2026 musical psychodrama starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel that also was playing at the multiplexes.
Surrounded by specialty shops, such as Forage Vintage and Goods and Beyond Bedtime Books, and eateries including New Saigon and Thai Spoon, the theater has helped revitalize Dormont’s shopping district. Nearby eateries include Potomac Bakery and Moonlit Burgers. The theater attracts locals seeking an affordable night out, with tickets costing $12.50. It also attracts serious film buffs and students from throughout the region.
70mm Projection and Film Quality
These days, it’s easier to be versatile, since their projectionists can screen in several formats — including 70mm, which is expensive and rare but offers better viewing quality. Row House Hollywood acquired the fully restored 70mm projection system once used at the Byham Theater.
The theater is a work in progress. The sound system is being upgraded, and the remodel of the lower level, which once housed a bowling alley, is underway. Already, though, the theater is frequently populated with families or groups of friends on a night out.
“We count on our ‘plugged in’ staff to point the way,” Zehmisch says of their repertoire. “We’re not highbrow art; we’ll show anything. We’re not mainstream, but we’re not obscure just for the sake of being obscure … And we’re constantly reinventing programming. We want to highlight truly unique stories.”
Story by Susan Fleming Morgans
About the Photographer
Laura Petrilla is a Pittsburgh-based editorial and commercial photographer contributing to TABLE Magazine, covering food, people, and places. Her work has appeared in Pittsburgh Magazine, and for the past five years she has photographed still lifes and models for Peyote Bird Designs. See more at laurapetrilla.com.