Growing up, Denver Film‘s CEO, Kevin Smith, would spend entire days at the movies.
“I grew up as an only child and film was a huge part of my life,” Smith said. “Many summers, my parents would drop me off at the movie theater, and I would see two or three films in a day, so the movie theaters were like a second home to me.”
Now, as the 98th Academy Awards approach on March 15, Smith sees more Coloradans returning to the experience of watching movies together in a theater rather than alone at home. With this year’s Academy Awards ceremony approaching, local theaters are entering what independent cinema operators often consider their busiest stretch of the year.
“This is our boom season,” said Ben Mozer, owner of The Lyric in Fort Collins. “I try to make it a point to get every single movie that I think is going to be nominated for an Oscar, and we’ve had most of them.”
Colorado audiences also have a local connection to this year’s ceremony. The Best Documentary Feature nominee “Come See Me in the Good Light” follows the late Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson, placing the state’s creative community on a national stage. Combined with the recent announcement that the Sundance Film Festival will be held in Boulder from Jan. 21 to 31, 2027, theater owners and film enthusiasts say it’s an exciting time for Colorado’s film scene.
At Denver’s Sie FilmCenter, Smith said attendance has increased over the past year, which he attributes to attendees wanting “communal experiences.”
“I can recall almost every film that I’ve ever seen in the theater with someone else because you’re really going on this journey with them,” Smith said. “It allows you to share your perspective and there are times when you might be watching a film and you’re like, ‘I’m not sure if I’m supposed to laugh at this,’ and then the rest of the audience laughs and you feel like there’s a comfort there.”
Mozer echoed that sentiment, noting that theatrical screenings help audiences remain focused in ways that home viewing cannot.
“In a theater, you concentrate your attention on the movie instead of thinking, ‘Oh, I want to get up and go to the bathroom,’ or getting distracted by something else,” he said.
The growth of Colorado’s theater scene is also tied to expanding opportunities in film education and production across the state. Benjamin Raether, a graduate of the Community College of Aurora’s cinematic arts program, moved to Colorado from South Dakota to pursue filmmaking.
“I thought that there were a lot of good education and opportunities around here,” Raether said. “And, obviously, there are a lot of movies and shows that over the years have famously been inspired by or shot in Colorado; there is definitely an inspiration for film here.”
Smith said he has noticed increased collaboration across the state’s film industry in recent years.
“It’s probably the first time in the last decade that I’ve really started to see a lot of galvanizing of the industry across the state,” Smith said. “Hopefully with continued increases in tax incentives or production budgets, but most importantly, just supporting local filmmakers, and for local filmmakers to be able to share their films and their stories early on and share with the local audience, that’s going to only build the industry much faster.”
For theater operators like Mozer, the quality of this year’s nominated films has helped draw audiences back into cinemas.
“A lot of really spectacular movies came out this year,” he said. “It always drives me crazy when people say they don’t go to the movie theater because there aren’t any good movies out. This is the dumbest thing to say this year.”
The ten Best Picture nominees for 2026 are “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners” and “Train Dreams.” Smith and Mozer both believe the award will go to one of two films: “One Battle After Another” or “Sinners.”
“I really liked ‘Sinners,’” Mozer said. “My favorite movie this year was ‘One Battle After Another.’ It’s probably, in my opinion, the best movie that’s been made in the last 15 years.”
“It’s really tough,” Smith adds. “‘Sinners’ is definitely one of my favorite movies of the year. I think Ryan Coogler did such an incredible job with such a layered film, and being able to have that be such an explosive audience that maybe hadn’t anticipated it being really incredible. I also loved ‘One Battle After Another.’ I think Paul Thomas Anderson has always been one of my favorite directors and this, to me, felt like one of his best yet.”
Both The Lyric and the Sie FilmCenter will host Oscar viewing parties on March 15. The Lyric’s event begins at 4:30 p.m., while the Sie FilmCenter’s “Hollywood’s Brightest Night” offers both free reserved tickets and $25 guaranteed seating options. For Smith, Oscar season always brings a familiar rush: audiences racing to see the year’s most talked-about films before the envelopes are opened.
“Look at your local arthouse theater,” Smith said. “They’re definitely playing some of these films, which I think would be my number one offering if you can see any of these in a theater still go ahead and try to do that because you won’t have a better experience.”