Local Munich theater holds the record for running the cult classic longer than any other theater.
The Westwood Theater in California was the only cinema where The Rocky Horror Picture Show had any success when it debuted in September, 1975. Producers would have considered the movie a failure, but for the few patrons who devotedly returned to see it each weekend. It was given one last chance at the Waverly Theater in New York City on April Fool’s Day, 1976. New York saw the same results as L.A., with people returning nightly to see the film. As the movie’s popularity grew, so too did the number of theaters in which it was shown – including those overseas. Here in Munich, Museum Lichtspiele has been screening The Rocky Horror Picture Show daily, without interruption since September 19, 1976. Other theaters argue over who can rightfully claim to have been showing the film the longest, but Ferdinand Hlebayan, Museum Lichtspiele owner, is proud that the Guinness Book of World Records declared his theater the winner, having shown the movie for 23 consecutive years. He worried the turnout for the movie would decrease when it was released on home video a few years ago. He needn’t have. In 1998, just under 6,000 people took in the cult classic at Museum Lichtspiele. People come from all over Europe to see the movie in Kino 2, the screening room designed to resemble Frankenstein’s castle. The theater also supplies Rocky requirements to patrons: a sack of rice and a loaded water pistol. For movie times, call Museum Lichtspiele at (089) 48 24 03