Nickel Theatre

The Nickel Theatre, established in St. John's, Newfoundland on July 1, 1907, was the first movie theatre in the province. It opened as part of B.F. Keith's chain of nickelodeons and was located in the Benevolent Irish Society's St. Patrick's Hall. Unlike typical U.S. and Canadian nickelodeons, which were often small storefronts, the Nickel utilized a large pre-existing community hall.

The theatre offered daily movie screenings, marking the first time such regular public entertainment was available in Newfoundland. Although moving pictures had been shown earlier in St. John's, including Lumiere's Cinematographe at the Methodist College Hall on December 13, 1897, the Nickel introduced continuous daily programming.

Operated by J.P. Kiely from Montreal, who managed it until its closure in 1960, the Nickel held the distinction of being St. John's longest-running cinema. The building later became high-end condominiums, but the theatre's legacy endures through the annual Nickel Film Festival, which bears its name.

The theatre's chairs were sourced from John Lake's furniture factory in Fortune, Newfoundland. The site is notable for its historical significance in the development of cinema in Newfoundland and Labrador.