Historic movie palaces / Monroe Street theatre district
Casino Theatre (Monroe Street)
Closed – archive entry · 1906–1915
This tiny Monroe Street nickelodeon is where Detroit first saw motion pictures on a regular basis. Historic Detroit credits John Kunsky with opening it as Michigan's first movie house, and the city's biggest theatre empire grew out of it.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1906
- Closed
- 1915
- Seats
- about 120
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Casino is remembered as the place where Detroit first saw motion pictures on a regular basis. Historic Detroit credits John Kunsky with opening it as the first motion-picture house in Michigan. It belonged to Kunsky and A. Arthur Caille's Casino Theater Co., the nickelodeon business that grew into Detroit's biggest theatre empire. Cinema Treasures describes a tiny room of about 120 seats giving 40 shows a day, operated by M.W. Schoenherr, and says it closed in 1915.
- Where Detroit first saw movies regularly
- About 120 seats and 40 shows a day
- Where the Kunsky empire got its start
Plan your visit
The Casino closed in 1915. For a movie night in Detroit today, check the cinemas in our guide that are still open.
Cinemas nearby
Back to cinemas ↗
Multiplexes / Detroit
Bel Air Luxury Cinema
The only first-run multiplex inside Detroit's city limits: ten screens on East Eight Mile with luxury rockers, recliners and a giant custom chandelier. No need to drive out to the suburbs for the new releases.
IMAX & giant screens / Detroit
Michigan Science Center – Immersive Dome Theater
Midtown's science museum runs three screens: the giant Immersive Dome Theater, the Penske Planetarium and the 3D Toyota Engineering Theater. The museum calls the dome the largest theatre in Michigan.
Film festivals / Detroit
Detroit Black Film Festival
Independent films directed, written or produced by Black filmmakers, at a Detroit festival Lazar and Marshalle Favors started in 2020. The 7th edition in September 2026 screens 89 films from 30 countries, with the Charles H. Wright Museum as its hub.
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