Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Milford Independent Cinema is permanently closing its doors at the end of the month.

It marks the “end of a beloved community institution that has served as a cultural creative and educational hub in Milford for years”.

Leadership said the difficult decision follows extensive efforts to sustain operations amid significant and ongoing changes within the film exhibition industry. It said shifts toward streaming platforms, evolving film distribution models, rising operational costs, and increasing box office fees required to show first-run films have made it increasingly difficult for independent theaters to remain viable.

The Cinema has been unable to secure the level of corporate sponsorship or large donors needed to offset those growing expenses. Roughly $70,000 in annual support is required to cover core operating costs and provide the time necessary to achieve long-term sustainability.

As the industry has changed, officials say the Cinema worked diligently to evolve alongside it and meet the broader needs of the community.

The Cinema’s Board of Directors said “This decision was not made lightly and is not due to a lack of effort or community support. The Milford community showed up for us time and time again – with attendance, donations, fundraising, and unwavering encouragement. We truly tried to evolve with the industry and meet the needs of our community. Unfortunately, we simply did not have enough time or the level of corporate and major donor support required to get where we needed to be”.


The following was posted on the Cinema’s Facebook page:

It is with great sadness that we had to send out this announcement. The community has continually supported us more than we could have imagined. But with rising costs and changes in the industry we needed to be realistic. Without the corporate / philanthropic level of support we just can’t sustain things. A few grant requests have been submitted but we haven’t heard back as of now. We do have a full line up through the end of the month with our FAN night, movies and rentals. If something changes or a hail-Mary grant comes through we will keep everyone informed.


The Milford Cinema will remain open through January 31st, with final screenings and special events planned in the coming weeks.

More on the closure is in the provided links.