On the first Friday in September, Megan Corry stopped on Dock Street and looked through the front window of the Landmark Ritz Five. Corry is an artist who grew up in South Jersey, still lives there, and has been coming to this theater since she was 17. She had last been there for the indie horror hit Obsession. She told The Philadelphia Inquirer that seeing it closed was "very upsetting." When she peeked in that evening, the doors were open again. The Inquirer reported that 14 customers came in between 5 and 6:30 p.m. Staff said business was slow because many people didn't know the theater had reopened.
That small crowd is a good place to start a guide to Old City's October. The neighborhood has more art-house screens within a few blocks than any other part of Philadelphia, and they come from one family. The Ritz Five, PFS East and PFS Bourse all used to be Landmark's Ritz theaters. Today two different operators run them on two different calendars, and one of the three is open under conditions that were still being worked out in mid-September.
Ten Days Dark on Walnut Street
The Ritz Five is at 214 Walnut St., and the Inquirer described the smell of its popcorn drifting down Dock Street. According to the Inquirer, the city Department of Licenses and Inspections ordered it to stop operating on Aug. 25 after two failed inspections. The first, in March, found seven violations. They included failing to get a permit to install a fire-alarm system, missing paperwork showing that fabrics were flame retardant, exit doors that didn't fully self-close and latch, uncertified emergency lighting, and no valid food license. The theater failed again on Aug. 11. The notice posted on the doors in late August said it still needed an electrical permit and a fire-alarm system.
The theater's property managers appealed to the Board of Safety and Fire Prevention, which advises the fire department, and received a variance. The theater reopened on Friday, Sept. 4, with doors at 2 p.m. An L&I spokesperson said the theater must stay under a fire watch to remain open. That means staff continuously patrol the building for signs of fire.
Landmark posted an update on Sept. 14. The company said the theater had "Conditional Approval" to reopen and that work "continues daily with our contractor to complete the new fire alarm system and fulfill all remaining Fire Department requirements." We could not find a public announcement since then saying the alarm is finished or the fire watch has ended. The Ritz Five is showing movies and selling tickets for October. The latest word on the building itself is still that September update.
Three Ritzes, Two Operators
The Ritz Five matters to the neighborhood because of the two theaters that came before it. All three Philadelphia Ritz cinemas used to be part of Landmark Theatres. In 2022, the Inquirer reported that the Philadelphia Film Society was taking over the former Ritz East and renaming it PFS East, in time to host part of opening night for that year's festival. The former Ritz at the Bourse had already become PFS Bourse. Landmark kept only the Ritz Five. Landmark's parent company is Cohen Media Group.
| Theater | Address | Who runs it | How it's built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landmark Ritz Five | 214 Walnut St. | Landmark Theatres | More auditoriums, but smaller ones |
| PFS East | 125 S. 2nd St. | Philadelphia Film Society | Two auditoriums, seating about 250 and 300 as of 2022 |
| PFS Bourse | 400 Ranstead St. | Philadelphia Film Society | More auditoriums, but smaller ones |
That reorganization explains how October works in Old City. The Film Society's two Old City houses are part of its festival. In 2022, J. Andrew Greenblatt, who leads the Film Society, said this about the East:
"It was, frankly, the most important theater in the Philadelphia Film Festival for my entire run here."
PFS East has been busy this year. Metro Philadelphia reported that the Film Society's SpringFest ran there April 17 to 23, 2026, with a bigger slate and twice as many screens as before. The Ritz Five sits outside the festival and plans its own schedule. That makes this October the first big test of the reopened theater.
What the Ritz Five Has on the Calendar
Landmark's October listings are a mix of concert film and late-night cult screenings, which suits a neighborhood that stays out after dinner on Second Street:
- Queen Budapest plays Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m.
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow cast is part of the Cine Insomnia late-show series on Fridays, Oct. 9 and Oct. 16, then returns Nov. 20 and Dec. 18.
- Pieces, also from Cine Insomnia, plays Friday, Oct. 30, the night before Halloween.
If you drive in from across the river, Landmark's page lists discount parking at the Auto Park at 2nd and Sansom, the garage at the former Ritz East with entrances on 2nd and Front between Chestnut and Walnut. The price is $11 with validation after noon. The garage serves both operators: you park at the Film Society's building to see a movie at Landmark's.
October 15 Through 25, Across the Film Society's Three Theaters
The 35th Philadelphia Film Festival runs Oct. 15 to 25. The Inquirer reported on Sept. 30 that the Film Society had announced its first 50 films. Greenblatt expects more than 110 films over the 11 days, shown "across PFS's three theaters." The 2026 coverage we found doesn't name the three. In 2022, the festival guide listed PFS Bourse and PFS East as venues alongside the Philadelphia Film Center. The full lineup is due Oct. 7, and that announcement will show how much of the festival takes place on Ranstead Street and South 2nd.
The first wave of films gives a sense of what will be on those screens:
- From Venice and Cannes: Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, Cristian Mungiu's Fjord and Ryūsuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden
- Other highlights: Pedro Almodóvar's Bitter Christmas, Danny Boyle's Ink, Simon Stone's Elsinore with Andrew Scott, and Beth de Araújo's Josephine, which premiered at Sundance
- A film decades in the making: William and David Greaves' Once Upon a Time in Harlem, shot by William Greaves in 1972 and finished by his son years after his death
- Filmadelphia world premieres by area filmmakers: Hoag Kepner's Big Phan, Doree Simon Hatfield's Gentle By Birth, Andrew Sullivan's I Don't Want to Drink Your Blood Anymore and Max Korman's Joy Will Prevail
The Inquirer reported that badges and passes are already on sale and that the festival will again include filmmaker Q&As, red carpets, and opening and closing night parties. The Philadelphia Film Society's festival page is the place to check prices and venue assignments once the full lineup is out.
The Film Society is also running a warm-up series in Center City. Reel October is a two-week program of 35mm prints at the Film Society Center. It opened Sept. 30 with Reservoir Dogs and El Mariachi and closes Oct. 11 with The Exorcist.
Friday, October 16
Put the October calendars side by side and one night stands out. On Friday, Oct. 16, the second day of the festival, the Film Society's screens are in festival mode. The Ritz Five has its second Rocky Horror night with a live shadow cast. A few blocks west, Independence Mall hosts a free Movies on the Mall screening of Hocus Pocus. Activities start at 5:30 p.m. and the movie starts at 7. On one night, inside one walkable area, you can choose among a festival premiere, a cult classic with a cast acting it out in front of the screen, and a 1993 family movie on a lawn.
The smaller screenings fill in the rest of the month. Old City District's calendar lists Find Me, Okay? on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 6:45 to 9 p.m. After the film there is a discussion with director Yula Gidron and Nova survivor Arbel Ashkenazy. Check the venue before you go, because the listing we saw didn't include one. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, FRIEDA at 320 Walnut St. holds a dinner and screening of the documentary Hidden Letters, also listed by Old City District.
None of these would make much difference on its own. Together they explain why August mattered. Old City's movie calendar has to fit around a festival run by one operator and a year-round theater run by another. In late August, for 10 days, one of those two was closed. The Ritz Five's Friday late shows, the Queen concert film and the Halloween-week Pieces screening all depend on a fire-alarm installation that Landmark said in mid-September was still underway. The Ritz Five's first test is the Queen screening on Wednesday, Oct. 7, the same day the Film Society announces its full lineup.
We keep a close eye on Old City blocks like these, the theaters, garages and Walnut Street dinner spots that shape a night out. If you're thinking about a move that puts the Ritz Five and the festival within walking distance, Philly Home Collective would love to show you the streets around Second and Walnut. Work with us.
