The Boulder Theater’s Sundance 2027 Makeover: New Sound and Screen at the 1936 Venue
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The Boulder Theater, a 1936 movie house just off Pearl Street Mall, is one of the venues getting upgrades ahead of Sundance 2027. Sundance Institute confirmed the historic theater is getting a new cinema sound system and a new projection screen so it can host festival screenings. The venue has been run for more than two decades by Z2 Entertainment, whose CEO Cheryl Liguori has called the Sundance partnership a natural evolution for the space.
Last verified: September 7, 2026
What is changing at the Boulder Theater
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| New cinema sound system being installed | Confirmed |
| New projection screen being installed | Confirmed |
| Venue will host indie film screenings during the festival | Confirmed |
| Specific film titles or screening schedule at this venue | Pending |
Sundance Institute’s own venue profile traces the Boulder Theater back to 1936, when it opened as a movie house at 2032 14th Street, a block off what is now Pearl Street Mall. Over the decades it became a live music venue, hosting acts including B.B. King, Patti Smith, Philip Glass, and The Black Keys, along with an early U.S. stop by Buena Vista Social Club. Z2 Entertainment, which has managed the Boulder Theater for more than 20 years, is overseeing the current work to fit it for film festival use again. Sundance describes the upgrades as intended to “elevate the filmgoing experience” for a global festival audience, and the announcement did not include a total project cost or a completion date beyond the goal of having the venue ready for the festival’s January 21 to 31, 2027 run.
Why it matters
The Boulder Theater is one of several historic buildings around town getting festival-ready investment rather than new construction, a pattern also seen at Macky Auditorium’s speaker system upgrade on the CU Boulder campus. For visitors mapping out where to see films, the theater’s downtown location makes it a natural stop on our one day, three day, and five day itinerary guide, and it sits among the wider set of venues cataloged on our festival venues page. Knowing a venue’s history also helps visitors picture what to expect walking in, since the Boulder Theater is a mid-size room built for live shows as much as film, unlike a traditional multiplex.
What we’re watching
We’re watching for Sundance’s venue by venue programming announcement, expected closer to the festival, to see which films and events land at the Boulder Theater specifically.