Kristen Stewart has purchased the historic Highland Theatre in Los Angeles’ Highland Park, stepping in to revive the nearly century-old movie palace and reimagine it as a community-driven cinema space.
The Highland Theatre, which opened in 1925 as a vaudeville venue and movie house, was designed by architect Lewis Arthur Smith, whose other credits include the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood and the Rialto Theatre in Pasadena. The theater closed in 2024.
“Making films is a political act,” Stewart said on Wednesday. “You have to decide how you want to wield your presence and your voice.”
She also noted that she wasn’t actively seeking to buy a theater when the Highland came onto her radar. “I didn’t realize I was looking for a theater until this place came to my attention. Then it was like a gunshot went off and the race was on. I ran toward it with everything I had,” she said.
Her plans extend beyond a straightforward restoration. “It’s an opportunity to make a space to gather and scheme and dream together,” Stewart added. “We want to make it a family affair, something for the community. It’s not just for pretentious Hollywood cinephiles.”
Calling the theater “an antidote to all the corporate bulls–t,” Stewart said she wants to pull movie culture away from a purely transactional model: “I think there’s a huge desire and craving for what this kind of space can offer.”
While many of the original features remain, the actress/director acknowledged the scale of the work ahead. “There are so many beautiful details that need to be restored,” she said. “I think there’s a way to bring the building back to life in a way that embraces its history but also brings something new to the neighborhood and the whole L.A. film community.”
A lifelong Angeleno, Stewart also emphasized her commitment to the city and its cultural future. “I absolutely f**king love this city,” she said. “L.A. gets a bad rap for being unserious, but there’s so much art and culture here.”
Looking ahead, she framed the project as part of a broader push for change in both exhibition and filmmaking. “The narrow path that’s been forged has to be broadened,” Stewart concluded. “We can’t keep making the same movie over and over again.”
