In the summer of 2022, Kevin Smith did something that most financial advisors would call a slow-motion car crash. He bought a movie theater. Not just any theater, though. He bought the Atlantic Moviehouse in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey—the very place where he spent his teenage Friday nights watching the films that eventually made him want to pick up a camera.
Now renamed Smodcastle Cinemas, the five-screen theater isn't exactly a cash cow. Honestly, Smith is the first person to admit that. On a good week in 2025, he might report selling only a few hundred tickets across the entire slate. But for a guy who built a career on the "View Askewniverse," this wasn't about the box office. It was about saving a piece of his own history from being turned into another block of luxury condos.
What Exactly is Smodcastle Cinemas?
Basically, it's a 100-year-old building at 82 First Ave that Smith co-owns with his wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, and long-time friend Ernie O’Donnell. If you walk into the lobby today, you aren't just getting the smell of popcorn. You’re greeted by a massive mural featuring Jay, Silent Bob, and the rest of the Jersey crew.
It's a weird, beautiful hybrid. It functions as a first-run movie house showing big Hollywood flicks like Avatar: Fire and Ash or The SpongeBob Movie, but it’s also a live event space. Smith uses the 250-seat main auditorium for what he calls "Start/Stop" screenings. These are legendary (and notoriously long) events where he’ll play one of his movies—say, Clerks II—and pause it every few minutes to tell a fifteen-minute story about a specific extra or a catering mishap.
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The Film School Dream
One of the coolest things Smith has been pushing is the "Jay and Silent Bob’s View Askewniversity." It's not a traditional four-year college where you take math classes you'll never use. It’s more of a film school camp. The goal is to teach kids and aspiring directors how to actually make a movie on a budget, much like Smith did back in '94 with a bunch of maxed-out credit cards and a convenience store key.
Why the Kevin Smith Movie Theater Matters for Indie Cinema
Most independent theaters are dying. That’s just the reality of the 2020s. Streaming killed the middle-class cinema experience. But Smodcastle Cinemas is trying a different play: The Experience Economy.
You don't just go there to watch a movie you could see on your iPad. You go there because you might run into Brian O’Halloran (Dante from Clerks) at the concession stand. Or you go for the Smodcastle Film Festival, which has become a legitimate hub for horror and indie creators to actually get their work on a big screen. In late 2025, the festival was packed with everything from "Best Gore" awards to Q&As that went until 2:00 AM.
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It’s personal.
Smith even kept an apartment above the theater. He’s there. He’s present. When a bomb threat was called in shortly after he bought the place, he joked that it was probably just a critic commenting on his recent box office performance. That kind of "local guy" energy is what keeps the doors open when the ticket sales for a random Tuesday afternoon show are in the single digits.
The Reality of Running an Indie Theater in 2026
Look, the numbers are tough. Smith recently shared a box office breakdown where one of his Sunday screenings of The 4:30 Movie sold exactly four tickets. That's not a typo. Four.
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Running a theater in 2026 requires more than just showing movies. Smodcastle stays afloat through:
- Podcast recordings: Live episodes of SModcast or Fatman Beyond.
- Merch: The lobby is basically a mini-version of his "Secret Stash" comic shop.
- Fundraising auctions: Before big shows, Smith often auctions off screen-used props to help cover the theater's overhead.
It’s a "Viking Funeral" for a certain type of cinema, but Smith is determined to keep the fire burning as long as possible. He isn't competing with AMC or Regal. He’s competing with the feeling of staying on your couch. And honestly, a couch doesn't have a mural of Jay and Silent Bob or a guy at the front telling you why Blue Velvet changed his life.
How to Visit and What to Expect
If you're planning a trip to Atlantic Highlands to see the Kevin Smith movie theater, here is the ground reality:
- Check the Schedule: Don't just show up. Use the official Smodcastle Cinemas site. The "Live Events" sell out fast, while the Monday matinees are usually empty.
- Seating is Old School: There are no assigned seats. If you’re there for a live Q&A, get there early. The lobby is tight, and the lines can wrap around the block.
- Parking: It’s street parking in a small Jersey town. Give yourself twenty minutes to find a spot if it's a weekend.
- The Vibe: It’s unpretentious. People wear hockey jerseys and talk about Star Wars in the lobby. It feels like 1995 in the best way possible.
Actionable Insight: If you’re a filmmaker, don't just visit—submit your work. The Smodcastle Film Festival is one of the few places where the guy who "made it" is actually watching the submissions from the guys who haven't. If you just want to watch a movie, go on a Sunday for the "Start/Stop" sessions. You’ll get four hours of entertainment for the price of one ticket, even if you do get home way past your bedtime.