Adult theater
Encyclopedia
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
where pornographic films are shown to an adult audience. There are usually continuous showings. The movie posters in front of the theaters normally feature no nudity.
Films and patrons
An adult movie theater shows heterosexual pornographic films and/or gay pornographic filmsGay pornography
Gay pornography is the representation of sexual intercourse between men with the primary goal of sexual arousal in its audience. There is also a tradition, and continuing considerable output, of lesbian pornography....
. Even if it shows only heterosexual films it often attracts heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual male patrons, some of whom are there for casual and anonymous sex with other patrons
Men who have sex with men
Men who have sex with men are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, regardless of how they identify themselves; many men choose not to accept sexual identities of homosexual or bisexual...
. The overwhelming majority of customers are male.
For the patrons, rules are generally less strict regarding partial- or full-nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
and public masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
or sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, and such behavior may be condoned explicitly or otherwise by the management. Such behavior may or may not be legal, and if not, may or may not be overlooked by local law enforcement. Certain theaters may also include a strip-
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
or sex-show
Sex show
A sex show is a form of live performance that features one or more performers engaging in some form of sexual activity on stage for the entertainment or sexual gratification of spectators. Performers are paid either by the spectators or by the organisers of the show. A performance would involve an...
between films, or other sex industry
Sex industry
The sex industry consists of businesses which either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment...
services.
Before the VCR and, later, the Internet, a movie theater or cinema house was often the only location where the average person could see a hardcore
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
adult film. The advent of home video led to a drastic reduction in the number of theaters.
United States
The earliest adult theaters in the U.S. were in California, and showed 35mm Sexploitation films. In 1960 there existed about 20 theaters in the USA that showed adult movies exclusively. In the late 1960s and early 1970s they spread to the rest of the country. Small "storefront" theaters with only a few dozen seats sprang up. By 1970, 750 porn theaters existed in the U.S. In the 70s, theaters shifted from showing 35mm sexploitation films to more explicit 16mm "beaver" films. In the 1980s some theater owners began forming chains to cut their costs, and by 1989 the number of U.S porn theaters had fallen below 250.Restrictions on adult theaters vary by region, and may be restricted by local and state regulations. Local governments commonly prohibit adult theaters from operating within a certain distance of residential areas, parks, churches and/or schools. Often adult theaters have been forced to move to the outskirts of cities in order to protect real estate prices in city centers. Renton, Washington
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
was involved in a 1986 Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case regarding this issue. In its decision on City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc., the Court upheld Renton's statute that no adult theater be located within 1,000 feet of a school, park, church, or residential zone; the Court rejected the theater owners' argument that the statute violated the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
, because the statute did not seek to ban the existence of adult theaters outright.
Hollywood's Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
(i.e. Hollywood Blvd) was home to many of Los Angeles'
over 400 "adult" establishments and the largest such district in its state.
The O'Farrell Theatre
Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater
The Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre is a striptease club at 895 O'Farrell Street near San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Opened as an X-rated movie theater by Jim and Artie Mitchell on July 4, 1969, the O'Farrell remains one of America's oldest and most notorious adult-entertainment...
in San Francisco, one of America's oldest and best known adult-entertainment establishments, opened as an adult movie theater in 1969.
Before Rudolph Giuliani became mayor, Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
was New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's largest
district of its "adult" businesses.
The Bijou Theater
Bijou Theater (Chicago)
The Bijou Theater is a gay adult theater and sex club located at 1349 N. Wells in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. The Bijou Theater opened in 1970 and it is the longest-running gay adult theater and sex club in the United States.-Operation:...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
is the longest running gay adult theater and sex club in the United States.
The Pussycat Theater
Pussycat Theater
The Pussycat Theaters were a chain of porn theaters in the 1960s to the 1980s. Pussycat Theaters had 47 locations in California. They were known for their cat-girl logo.-History:...
chain operated 47 porn theaters at its height.
Something Weird videos sells DVDs of many of the movies that were previously played at porn theaters in the 1970s in the U.S.
Netherlands
There are approximately 60 adult movie theaters in the NetherlandsMovie theaters in the Netherlands
There are ca. 132 movie theaters and 31 arthouse cinemas in the Netherlands in 2009, with ca. 675 screens , in addition to 79 small arthouse cinemas and a number of adult movie theaters....
.
In 2010 a law on sex companies was under consideration. In addition to municipal rules a national rule is introduced requiring adult movie theaters to have a pornography display license. An advertisement of the company should contain its license number. The theater must have a sign outside showing that the company is licensed, while inside a copy of the license has to be displayed.
Non-commercial sexual activities by and among clients do not require an additional license, but prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
on the premises requires an additional prostitution company license.
United Kingdom
There is an adult cinema in the SohoSoho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
district of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, located on the street Walkers Court. As of August 2010 the cinema charges a £14 entrance fee for all-day access. It has two screens, one for heterosexual and one for homosexual hardcore movies. There is also a large male-only toilet, and access to individual booths showing hardcore pornography. These booths are also accessible for free from an adjacent sex shop
Sex shop
A sex shop, erotic shop is a shop that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, clothing, pornography, and other related products...
.