The History of Buckhead Theatre
Nearly a Century of Stories
Before it became one of Atlanta’s most distinctive live entertainment venues, Buckhead Theatre was the neighborhood movie house.
The Spanish Revival theatre opened on June 2, 1930, welcoming its first audiences with the Technicolor musical comedy Gold Diggers of Broadway. With its ornate façade and signature buck’s-head sign, the theatre quickly became a gathering place at the heart of Buckhead.
Follow the timeline below to see how that neighborhood movie house evolved through new names, new eras and generations of entertainment into the Buckhead Theatre of 2026 - a vibrant live entertainment destination where audiences come together and connect with the artists they love.
1930
The curtain rises
Buckhead Theatre opens on June 2, 1930, as a neighborhood movie house. Its inaugural program is headlined by the Technicolor musical comedy, Gold Diggers of Broadway. The Spanish Revival building soon becomes one of Buckhead's central gathering places. A letter on Buckhead Theatre stationery dated June 2, 1931 - one year to the day after the theater opened - documents its continuing relationship with
Universal Pictures.
1943
A landmark reinvents itself
An early renovation refreshes the theatre and its marquee. The building reopens with Hit Parade of 1943, establishing a pattern that will define its next eight decades: the architecture endures while the experience keeps evolving.
1962
The Capri era begins
Renamed the Capri Theatre, the venue shifts to first-run event films. Its gala opening promotes the Atlanta premiere of the widescreen epic El Cid, marking a more glamorous chapter in the building's movie-house history.
1979 - 1980
Movies give way to live music
Promoter Alex Cooley transforms the former cinema into the Capri Ballroom. During its short but memorable run, the room welcomes performers including Waylon Jennings, Patti Smith, Peter Tosh, the Boomtown Rats and Santana.
1980s
Dinner, movies and punk rock
In 1980, the building returned to its movie-house roots as the Buckhead Cinema ’N’ Drafthouse—Atlanta’s first cinema-and-drafthouse concept, pairing films with food and drinks. By the mid-1980s, live music was reclaiming the stage. Hüsker Dü performed on February 28, 1987, followed less than a month later by the Ramones on March 25.
1990s - 2008
The Roxy years
Reimagined as the Roxy and later the Coca-Cola Roxy, the theatre becomes an essential stop on Atlanta's concert circuit. A celebrated three-night Phish engagement in 1993 is later issued as the eight-CD collection Phish: At the Roxy.
2010 - 2017
Back to the original name
After the Roxy closes, the historic building receives a $6 million restoration and reopens in 2010 as Buckhead Theatre. Live Nation assumes operations in 2017 and invests another $7 million in upgrades, preserving the room while preparing it for a new generation of shows.
PRESENT DAY
The story is still being written
Nearly a century after its first screening, Buckhead Theatre continues to bring audiences face to face with the artists shaping their moment. Every performance adds another chapter - and every ticket, setlist, photograph and fan memory can become part of a living archive as the theatre approaches its centennial in 2030.