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Beat the Heat: THE MUPPET MOVIE

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Join us Saturday, July 25th at 3:00 p.m. as our summer Beat the Heat Family Film Series continues with the ultimate, blast-from-the-past Muppet extravaganza!

Tickets are donation-based and the proceeds will go to benefit local children’s organizations

About the film

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear, and all the world-beloved puppets of master puppeteer Jim Henson come together in the classic 1979 film that put these fun characters on the big screen for the first time ever.

The Muppet Movie blends together all the best elements of comedy, a sing-a-long musical, and an exciting road movie to tell the story of how humble swamp-dwelling Kermit the Frog gets discovered by a talent agent one day while playing his banjo and singing a special song. The agent prompts Kermit to hit the road and seek his fame in Hollywood. Along the way, the singing amphibian meets Fozzie and the other Muppets, and, as the gang grows in number, the adventure increases with hijinks, mayhem, and the kind of laughs that only the Muppets can deliver!

Check out the rest of our Beat the Heat Family Series line-up

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Running Time: 95 MIN95 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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Art House Theater Day Double-Feature: PUTNEY SWOPE + SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Join us Thursday, July 30th at 7:00 p.m. as we celebrate Art House Theater Day with an exciting double-feature of anti-capitalist classics!

One Film $5 – Double-feature $8

Double-feature Schedule:

7:00 p.m. – PUTNEY SWOPE (84 min)

8:35 p.m. – Intermission (25 min…grab a drink and a popcorn!)

9:00 p.m. – SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (112 min)

For Art House Theater Day, we are pairing two generations of radical, anti-establishment filmmaking for a night of surreal corporate warfare!

Kick things of with Robert Downey Sr.’s 1969 underground masterpiece Putney Swope, where an accidental black CEO uses a hilarious dubbed voice to upend the advertising world. Then, fast-forward to Boots Riley’s 2018 sci-fi satirical directing debut Sorry to Bother You, following a telemarketer who uses his telephonic “white voice” to climb capitalism’s twisted ladder.

Come for the biting social commentary, stay for the absurdist comedy. The system is rigged — dub your way in!

About Putney Swope

In this classic 1969 satire written and directed by Robert Downey Sr, a black executive – Putney Swope – of a Madison Avenue advertising agency is accidentally made chairman of the board of directors when a boardroom vote goes awry. Seeing an opportunity to shake things up, Swope renames the agency “Truth & Soul Inc”, fires his white co-workers, and brings on-board a host of radical black activists to try and turn the advertising world on its head with subversive and shock-inducing ad campaigns. While the effort makes Truth & Soul highly profitable, Swope and his cohort end up drawing the ire of the President and are declared a threat to national security.

About Sorry to Bother You

In his directorial debut, self-proclaimed communist and filmmaker Boots Riley presents an alternate reality set in Oakland, California where Cassius Green, a telemarketer who is floundering in his job and struggling with the existential crisis of being black and selling to white people. When a long-time fellow employee advises him to try using his “white voice” instead, Green suddenly finds huge success selling abhorrent-though-lucrative products to Caucasian customers. Meanwhile, Green’s co-workers are organizing a union to try and improve their less-than-favorable working conditions. As Green watches his success begin to erode his old sense-of-self, he has a crisis of conscience when his boss tries to recruit him for a nefarious plan.

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Running Time: 240 MIN (for full event)240 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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Beat the Heat: HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS

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Join us Saturday, August 1st at 3:00 p.m. as our Beat the Heat series offers up a fun and heartwarming film about a family that really gets in touch with nature!

Tickets are donation-based and the proceeds will go to benefit local children’s organizations

About the film

The legend of Bigfoot really hits home in this classic 1987 film that won an Oscar for Best Make Up. John Lithgow stars as George Henderson who, as he drives his wife and children back to Seattle from a camping trip, hits a sasquatch with the family station wagon. Believing the cryptid to be dead, and seeing the potential fame in providing proof to the world of Bigfoot’s existence, the family decides to strap the creature to their car and return home to notify the press. However, the family soon realizes that the hirsute beast, whom they affectionately dub “Harry”, actually survived the collision and is extremely kind and gentle. As the the Hendersons bring Harry deeper into the family fold, they discover that Harry has a nemesis who is hunting him down, leaving it up to George and his family to protect Harry until he’s able to safely return to his forest home.

Check out the rest of our Beat the Heat Family Series line-up

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Running Time: 110 MIN110 MIN
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Beat the Heat: ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES

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Join us Saturday, August 8th at 3:00 p.m. as our Beat the Heat Family Film Series continues with a fun, supernatural comedy featuring the creepiest, kookiest, and all-together-ookiest family there is…The Addams Family!

Tickets are donation-based and the proceeds will go to benefit local children’s organizations

About the film

This 1993 sequel film sees the return to the big screen of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Lurch – the one-and-only Addams Family! As they welcome baby Pubert, a new addition addition to the family circus, the Addams’s find themselves in need of a nanny. They hire outwardly-kind Debbie, who turns out to actually be a serial killer who preys on rich bachelors. Debbie seduces Fester, secretly planning to make him one of her victims and inherit his wealth. As the plot thickens, Debbie’s efforts to eliminate her new beau keep falling short. And, she ends up getting a taste of her own medicine as Baby Pubert saves the day and proves he’s got what it takes to continue the Addams Family name.

Check out the rest of our Beat the Heat Family Series line-up

 

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Running Time: 94 MIN94 MIN
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Welcome Week Rooftop Movie: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton

Welcome to Athens, Bobcats! Did you know there’s a fantastic indie movie theater in the heart of this city, right Uptown on Court St..?

To celebrate Welcome Week, we are offering a FREE (for students) movie screening on top of the Athens City Parking Garage at 15 East Washington St:

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

WELCOME WEEK ROOFTOP MOVIE NIGHT

Thursday, August 28th

Seating for the screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Then, at 8:30 p.m. the show will roll!

The event will start with some movie-themed trivia to get you pumped up for cinema!

Admission is FREE for OHIO students with a valid OU student I.D. (Limit of 2 per student)

$8 General Admission for the public

Tickets can be acquired online (link below) or in our lobby during normal business hours.

A limited number of chairs will be provided, but you are encouraged to bring your own chair, pillow, blanket etc.

Concessions (popcorn, soft drinks, water, candy, etc) and Athena merchandise will be available for purchase on the rooftop.

** Since these events reach capacity quickly, we strongly recommend that students claim their tickets in advance by coming to The Athena lobby during our normal business hours. **

New Students: We encourage you to come visit our 110-year-old theater with its magnificent marquee. You can also come inside the lobby to find out about the other kinds of films we screen, grab some tasty concessions, peruse our great selection of Athena merch, say hello to our amazing staff, and get a limited-edition student loyalty card.

Or, if you’re really enthusiastic, help us out by becoming a member – the benefits are totally worth it!

About the Film

In the 1930s, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a popular European ski resort, presided over by concierge Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes). Zero, a junior lobby boy, becomes Gustave’s friend and protégé. Gustave prides himself on providing first-class service to the hotel’s guests, including satisfying the sexual needs of the many elderly women who stay there. When one of Gustave’s lovers dies mysteriously, Gustave finds himself the recipient of a priceless painting and the chief suspect in her murder.

 

 

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Running Time: 99 MIN99 MIN
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Beat the Heat: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Viewing: August 15,2026

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Join us Saturday, August 15th at 3:00 p.m. as our Beat the Heat Family Film Series concludes with a fantastical adaptation of one of the most-beloved children’s books of all time!

Tickets are donation-based and the proceeds will go to benefit local children’s organizations

About the film

Directed and co-written by visionary filmmaker Spike Jonez, with a script by award-winning author Dave Eggers, Where The Wild Things Are beautifully brings to life children author Maurice Sendak’s amazing world of fantasy wherein Max, a troubled young boy, gets sent to his room without dinner and ends up being crowned king of an island of misunderstood monsters known as “The Wild Things”.

Check out the rest of our Beat the Heat Family Series line-up

 

 

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Running Time: 101 MIN101 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible
Saturday 08/153:00
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Sustainability Series: DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE

Viewing: September 09,2026

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Join us Wednesday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m. as we begin our 14th annual Sustainability Film Series with a fantastic documentary featuring the environmental activism efforts of legendary folk musician Pete Seeger!

Admission is FREE – Tickets are required

Local musician Steve Zarate will be performing songs by Pete Seeger in The Athena lobby from 6:20 p.m. until the 7:00 p.m. showtime

About the film

In the 1960s, the iconic American folk singer Pete Seeger devised an audacious plan—to build a sailboat to save the polluted Hudson River. But the Clearwater was not just a beautiful wooden vessel; it was also a movement, intersecting environmentalism, civil rights, and antiwar activism.

An intimate portrait of Pete and the grassroots community he anchored in the Hudson Valley for over forty years with his wife Toshi, Down by the Riverside shows how an unconventional campaign to save a beloved American waterway prompted a green revolution.

As the globe confronts a seemingly insurmountable climate crisis, this film is a parable for our time that offers hope for the next generation, revealing the potential of imagination, music, and participation to transform the planet.

Check out the rest of our line-up of Sustainability Films

This series is sponsored by

 

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Running Time: 85 MIN85 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible
Wednesday 09/097:00
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From the Hills and Hollers: BLUEGRASS: COUNTRY SOUL with Becks Lipshultz

Viewing: September 17,2026

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Join us Thursday, September 17th at 7:00 p.m. as our 5th Annual From the Hills and Hollers: Appalachian Stories Film Series begins with a classic documentary about the music of the mountains!

Admission is FREE – Tickets are required

This event will include a pre-show presentation by Becks Lipshultz

About the film

Step back in time to 1971 and go inside one of the premiere festivals devoted to the exciting, culturally relevant, and traditional form of music known as Bluegrass. Carlton Haney — a booking agent, talent scout, festival promoter, bluegrass musician, and known widely as “The P.T. Barnum of Country Music” — was one of the first folks to take a stab at promoting the virtues of this age-old style of music from the hills and hollers, largely through the creation of one of the first multi-day festivals featuring bands and solo performers who had been perfecting the style for generations. And, this film offers viewers both a front row seat and a behind-the-scenes look as some of the best performers of the era take the stage.

Featuring bluegrass music’s pioneers, as well as those who would take the music into the future, Bluegrass: Country Soul contains unforgettable performances by the likes of Earl Scruggs, The Osborne Brothers, Ralph Stanley, Chubby Wise, Mac Wiseman, J.D. Crowe, and Jimmy Martin, The Country Gentlemen, Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Alan Munde, and more. Also of note is Tony Rice’s final show with The Bluegrass Alliance, and his first outing with J.D. Crowe & the Kentucky Mountain Boys. Most importantly, however, is the legacy this film has enshrined by preserving these legendary moments in color for generations to come.

About the speaker

becks! is a queer singer-songwriter whose Appalachian roots ground their music to place, while pushing the envelope of what it means to ‘belong’ in the folk and old time scenes. Their family history of union organizing and three generations of ‘card carrying communists’ bring an edge to their live performances that ties in some of their more commercial catalogue with the history of the Appalachian region and their family’s own resistances in the Ohio River Valley.

 

 

 

Check out the rest of our Hills & Hollers Series Line-Up

This series is sponsored by University Libraries, College of Health Sciences and Professions, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Honors Tutorial College, OU School of Film, and The Office of Signature Academic Experiences.

 

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Running Time: 89 MIN89 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible
Thursday 09/177:00
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Hispanic Film Series: AZTEC BATMAN: CLASH OF EMPIRES

Viewing: September 22,2026

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Join us Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:00 p.m. as we kick off our 2nd annual Hispanic Film Series with a one-of-a-kind superhero film!

Admission is FREE and open to the public – Tickets are required

About the film

This bold, animated re-imagining of the Batman legend, written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Juan Meza-León, is set during the days of the grand Aztec empire. Yohualli Coatl, a young Aztec boy, witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of Spanish conquistadors and flees to the city of Tenochtitlan. Once there, he gains entry into the temple of the bat god Tzinacan, and, using new and novel weaponry, trains himself to become the avenger of his father’s death.

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Check out the rest of our line-up of films in the Hispanic Film Series

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of the OHIO School of International Studies and Languages (SISAL), Sigma Delta Pi (National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society), Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.

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Running Time: 89 MIN89 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible
Tuesday 09/227:00
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Sustainability Series: EARTH’S GREATEST ENEMY

Viewing: September 23,2026

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Join us Wednesday, September 23rd at 7:00 p.m. as our Sustainability Series features a hard-hitting documentary about the effects of the U.S. Military’s insatiable appetite for fossil fuels!

Admission is FREE – Tickets are required

About the film

Earth’s Greatest Enemy, the second feature film project by Abby Martin, is a groundbreaking anti-imperialist environmental documentary.

Exempt from international climate agreements and rarely scrutinized in mainstream reporting, the Pentagon is the world’s single largest institutional polluter—spewing carbon, contaminating water, and scarring landscapes across the globe. Combining investigative journalism, striking visuals, and stories from impacted communities, this film challenges audiences to rethink the hidden costs of a global military empire and its planetary consequences. Provocative, urgent, and eye-opening, this is a documentary that will change how you see both the military and environmentalism.

Check out the rest of our line-up of Sustainability Films

This series is sponsored by

 

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Running Time: 121 MIN121 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible
Wednesday 09/237:00
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