Pluto TV's 'Free Movie Weekend' Program Returns with Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Sean Baker to Champion Independent Theaters
LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2025 -- Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service, is bringing back its award-winning 'Free Movie Weekend' program this summer. The initiative supports family-run and independent theaters across the country by offering complimentary movie tickets on select weekends, encouraging local attendance. This year, Pluto is teaming up with Oscar-winning director and champion of independent film and movie theaters, Sean Baker, to help amplify the program's core mission: making beloved movies easily accessible to audiences while celebrating the importance of the theater going experience as an invaluable part of the film entertainment ecosystem.
First launched in 2021, Pluto TV's 'Free Movie Weekend' was born out of the simple but powerful idea: to give back to communities by bolstering local cinemas and encouraging patrons to return to the movies after a harrowing year of closures and stay-at-home orders. Now in its fifth season, the program has grown into a nationwide celebration, with the program hosting 50 free weekends at theaters across 30 different states over its lifetime.
This summer, 'Free Movie Weekend' enters a new chapter with the help of filmmaker Sean Baker, a passionate advocate for independent cinema. Fresh off his historic wins at the 2025 Academy Awards, Baker used his moment on stage to remind audiences where the magic begins - the theater. Now he's bringing that passion and visibility to 'Free Movie Weekend', partnering with Pluto TV to nominate a local theater to be sponsored. As the first filmmaker to formally partner with the program, Baker's involvement marks a significant evolution for Free Movie Weekends and reinforces Pluto TV's ongoing commitment to accessibility, community, and the power of the big screen.
"Free Movie Weekend is a meaningful initiative that shares a cause close to my heart. Local cinemas are cultural touchstones, they are gathering places where communities come together to experience stories as they were meant to be seen: on the big screen," said Anora filmmaker Sean Baker. "I'm honored to partner with Pluto TV to help spotlight the independent theaters that play such a vital role in sustaining the art of cinema."
For this year's 'Free Movie Weekend,' Sean Baker nominated Los Angeles local theater Gardena Cinema. Gardena Cinema is the last family-run independent single-screen indoor walk-in movie theater in South Los Angeles that was built in 1946 and has been operated by the Kim family since 1976. Daughter Judy Kim continues to manage the 800 seat cinema after the matriarch, Nancy Soo Myoung Kim died on Mother's Day in 2022 from complications of uterine cancer.
The list of participating theaters and dates for this year's 'Free Movie Weekend' is as follows:
- Gardena Cinema - Los Angeles, CA: June 7-8
- Tara Theater- Atlanta, GA: June 14-15
- The Music Box Theatre- Chicago, IL: June 21-22
- The Redford Theater - Detroit, MI: June 28-29
- The Colonial Theatre - Phoenixville, PA: July 5-6
'Free Movie Weekend' has become a cherished event for theaters, local patrons, and Pluto TV alike as independent theaters continue their efforts to keep operating amidst challenges while the service reinforces its belief in the power of shared cinematic experience to complement the streaming experience by celebrating the full spectrum of how audiences connect with great storytelling.
In addition to 'Free Movie Weekend' in theaters, Pluto TV is celebrating "Summer of Cinema," a tentpole programming initiative throughout the summer months of June, July, and August. Pluto TV's "Summer of Cinema" features hundreds of fan-favorite films and franchises including Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones, Terminator, Star Trek, Interstellar, and Wolf of Wall Street across the service making Pluto TV the home for enjoying movies, for free.
About Pluto TV
Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, is the leading free streaming television service delivering hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience. The Emmy ®award-winning service curates a diverse lineup of channels, in partnership with over 400 international media companies, offering a wide array of genres, languages and categories featuring movies, television series, sports, news, lifestyle, kids and much more. Pluto TV can be easily accessed and streamed across mobile, web and connected TV devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Pluto TV's growing international footprint extends across four continents and over 35 markets.
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