The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art revealed its first film lineup on Thursday. These films will be shown continuously throughout the day in two theaters, each seating 299 people. Seeing a movie is included with your museum ticket, and you can come and go as you please. This flexible setup allows the theaters to also function as extra exhibit areas, supporting the museum’s focus on the art of storytelling.
Visitors can enjoy a variety of films in the theaters, including early works by museum co-founder George Lucas created between 1965 and 1969. A daily schedule of showings will be available at the entrance to help guests plan their visit. The film selection will change regularly throughout the year, and the theaters will also host special events.
The museum’s film program is special, offering a flexible experience unlike most others. As Ryan Linkof, the museum’s senior curator, explained, visitors can drop in and out throughout the day at their own convenience. This aligns with the museum’s overall goal of letting people explore at their own speed and choose what interests them. The program itself is incredibly diverse, showcasing everything from early films and experimental works to documentaries and animation – including many hidden gems and filmmakers who deserve more recognition. This news was initially shared at a panel during San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday.
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The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has captured attention with its striking, modern design. However, the museum’s long-term legacy might actually be its beautifully designed outdoor spaces.
Located right next to each other on the ground floor, just off the north lobby of the new $1-billion museum, are two theaters honoring film pioneers. One is named for Robert J. Flaherty, whose groundbreaking 1922 silent film “Nanook of the North” changed documentary filmmaking forever. The other honors Slavko Vorkapich, an innovative early Hollywood editor and filmmaker who also led the USC film department from 1948 to 1950 – well before George Lucas became a student there.
As a film critic, I’m excited to see the new Flaherty theater at the museum will be a haven for documentary films. They’re planning some really interesting screenings, especially those that delve into the creative lives of artists like Norman Rockwell, Jim Lee, Schulz, Sendak, Rivera, Leyendecker and Weegee – all figures prominently featured in the museum’s opening shows. Beyond that, they’ve commissioned a new series called “Seeing Is Believing: The Story of Narrative Art” from Robin Dashwood, which I’m definitely checking out. And for those with a taste for film history, they’ll also be showing episodes of Howard Suber and Laura Gabbert’s recent TV series, “The Power of Film,” alongside the classic 1988 documentary, “Comic Book Confidential” directed by Ron Mann. It sounds like a fantastic lineup!
The Vorkapich theater will offer a more cutting-edge experience, featuring short films that push the boundaries of filmmaking and celebrate the art of cinema – the wonder of bringing images to life, as Linkof explained.
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The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will finally open its doors after almost four years of postponements.
Offerings include Lucas’ student films, as well as montage sequences by Vorkapich for movies like “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”; silent films by Georges Méliès, Émile Cohl, W.K.L. Dickson, Edwin S. Porter and more; early animations by Winsor McCay; experimental films created by Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy; early sound animations by Walt Disney and Fleischer Studios; experimental films by Canadian animator Norman McLaren; Looney Tunes cartoons; abstract “visual music” works by Mary Ellen Bute, Oskar Fischinger, Jordan Belson and others; excerpts from Busby Berkeley musicals; experimental films from the 1960s by Stan Brakhage and Kenneth Anger; experimental animation by Vince Collins; “Cowboy Bebop”; and an episode of “Star Wars: Visions.”
The Lucas Museum will open its doors on September 22nd. Tickets became available Tuesday and were selling quickly, with people reporting wait times of over four hours and virtual queues reaching up to 13,000 visitors. While museum officials haven’t revealed the exact number of tickets sold on the first day, they expressed gratitude for the strong initial response from members and early ticket buyers, saying they are excited to welcome everyone in September.
2026-07-24 04:01