Montclair Film has signed a multi-year lease to operate The Bellevue Theatre, the historic three screen cinema in Montclair, NJ

The Bellevue Theatre will become a nonprofit cinema and will be programmed and operated by Montclair Film, in concert with The Clairidge

Montclair Film is targeting an Autumn 2025 launch, in time for the 2025 Montclair Film Festival

Montclair Film, New Jersey’s leading film non-profit, today announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement to operate The Bellevue Theatre, a three screen cinema located at 260 Bellevue Avenue, Upper Montclair, NJ. The agreement was signed today by Montclair Film @ The Bellevue LLC, a single member, non-profit LLC wholly owned by Montclair Film, and Jesse Sayegh, owner of the building in which The Bellevue Theatre operates. The agreement was unanimously approved by the Montclair Film Board of Trustees. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Designed by architect J.H. Phillips, The Bellevue Theatre has been a cornerstone of the Montclair community since it opened its doors on May 13, 1922. In the decades that followed, people across generations experienced films and personal milestones at the cinema, events like first dates, birthday parties, and life changing movie experiences. When The Bellevue Theatre closed its doors in 2017, 95 years of filmgoing experience came to an end. When Montclair Film re-opens The Bellevue as a non-profit cinema later this year, the organization will be restoring nearly a century of moviegoing tradition and continuing to build upon the cinema’s unique role in the cultural life of the community.

The Bellevue Theatre joins Montclair Film’s cinema portfolio and will be programmed and operated by Montclair Film in concert with The Clairidge, Montclair Film’s six-screen, nonprofit cinema in downtown Montclair, and Cinema505, Montclair Film’s microcinema, performance, and event space in downtown Montclair.

The addition of The Bellevue enhances Montclair Film’s role as a major cultural force in the region and provides multiple benefits to the community, including more capacity for artists and distributors to share their work, access to films for the Upper Montclair residents, the opportunity for the organization to expand its educational programming, an anchor business in the vibrant Upper Montclair business district, and the return of the Montclair Film Festival to its former home at The Bellevue Theatre.

Once reopened, The Bellevue will operate as a full-time cinema, featuring a focus on current releases and in-demand films. Additionally, Montclair Film will continue to bring the best in art house, independent, documentary, classics, and foreign language films to The Clairidge. Both will feature conversations and educational programs with partners, non-profits, and other organizations throughout the region. Additionally, Montclair Film members’ benefits will extend to The Bellevue Theatre, The Clairidge, and Cinema505 as well, expanding the value of all Montclair Film memberships.

In order to sustain The Bellevue, the theater will require ongoing community engagement. Montclair Film is kicking off a fundraising campaign to invite individual, sponsor, and community support for the reopening and operation of The Bellevue. All contributions are tax-deductible and will directly support the organization’s work to reopen the theater. To lend support, contact Montclair Film Development Director George Brennan at [email protected] or click the link below.

Upgrades and operational capacity are scheduled to be in place by autumn of 2025, in time for the 14th annual Montclair Film Festival, taking place October 17-26, 2025. Full operation is scheduled to begin in early November, 2025, in time for the busy holiday season.

“We are so excited to be able to bring the movies back to The Bellevue Theatre,” said Evelyn Colbert, President of Montclair Film’s Board of Trustees. “Our community has been clear in sharing their desire to see The Bellevue Theatre thriving again, and we are counting on that passion and enthusiasm to help us re-establish The Bellevue as a destination for new memories and experiences. Without an audience, there is no cinema, and we look forward to this new opportunity to expand upon our mission to transform our community through the power of film.”

Jesse Sayegh, the property owner of the Bellevue Theatre since 1996, is pleased to have restored and returned this long-standing and cherished landmark to the people of Montclair. He is excited to partner with the Montclair Film to help preserve and promote the arts in this vibrant community. “Not only do we honor the memories of so many patrons over the past 100 years of the theater’s existence,” he says, “but we now have the opportunity to continue that tradition and create new memories for years to come.”

“Community support is crucial to sustaining a non-profit movie theater, and as the continued growth at The Clairidge has demonstrated, Montclair is a thriving community for filmgoing,” said Montclair Film Artistic Director Tom Hall. “The Bellevue Theatre will allow us to expand and diversify our programs, delivering more opportunity for filmmakers and distributors to share their films, and offering us tremendous new flexibility to grow the impact of cinema in our community.”