Even today, only a few people know that there used to be a movie theater on Asahi Street in Kunitachi City.
It first opened in 1956 under the name “Kunitachi Koni Theater” (国立コニー劇場). The theater showed domestic films and gained popularity among local residents. However, around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, television grew in popularity, leading to a decline in movie theater attendance. As a result, the theater closed in 1965. For a while after its closure, the abandoned building was rumored to be a haunted house.
In 1967, the theater was renovated and reopened as “Kunitachi Sukara-za” (国立スカラ座). It regained its popularity, drawing around 1,000 visitors every day by 1975. However, as home video and video rentals later became mainstream, attendance dropped again, and the theater permanently closed in 1987.
Since then, there have been no movie theaters in Kunitachi City. However, citizen groups frequently host pop-up movie events here in Kunitachi.
