‘There’s excitement in the air’: how America fell back in love with indie cinemas

With unexpected programming and a community ethos, independent cinemas across the US are giving multiplexes a run for their money

On a quiet street in New York City’s Ridgewood neighborhood stands an unassuming, windowless white building. Its lone door, covered with an amalgamation of cut-outs, looks like a teenager’s bedroom; the building numbers are displayed via peeling stickers above it. But if you look closely, herein lies Low Cinema, an indie movie theater which boasts just 42 seats and thrives on being lo-fi.

“We need to bring back theaters that are the size of porno theaters but don’t necessarily play pornographic films,” cracks owner John Wilson, who is best known as the host of HBO Max’s popular How To with John Wilson and opened Low Cinema in spring 2025.