The Peoria Riverfront Museum, a privately funded museum, first opened in 2012. Known by many who live in the Peoria area, the Riverfront Museum’s establishment displays a wide range of exhibits from art and science to history and film. This museum is AAM-accredited and is a Smithsonian-affiliated nonprofit museum. The museum has quickly become a popular center for art display viewing, school field trips, and city events in Peoria.

Recently, the Peoria Riverfront Museum received $350,000 for new upgrades towards their giant screen theater. The funds received to make said changes were given by several donors, members of the board of directors, and Peoria Heights Pearl technology. The pre-existent movie screen dated back ten years and now has two new laser projectors as well as an upgraded sound system. The lasers are equipped with the power of 3600-lumen, improving the viewers overall experience. This sound system includes new nine-foot speakers, improving the quality of visual and audial functions during movie screenings.

Changes to the screen have also allowed it to have a size of over 50 feet tall and 70 feet wide. This means the screen is now five by seven stories big. The size allows the movies to be shown “beyond your field of vision, for a completely lifelike experience.” The theater seats 200 people and as said by CEO John Morris, hosts one of the country’s “largest film society screens.” Morris stated that the screen is, “dedicated to showing great classics, to showing educational films, to showing the kinds of films that a film society at a museum would show – there’s no bigger screen in America.” The screen is supposed to “celebrate the art of film” as well as “enrich understanding of the world.”

The Peoria Riverfront Museum states on their website that, the museum is “dedicated to telling stories that build confidence, create a culture of lifelong learning, and unleash the full talent and genius of every individual.” Through their screen, theater, and film society, the museum hopes to bring a deeper understanding of film and cinema from around the globe. Some of the reoccurring showings in this theater are programs like Marc Eliot’s Art of Film. They also present weekly viewings of their Kid Pix Series every Saturday morning and a blockbuster movie every Saturday night. A wide range of films, multi-media presentations, and even live performances can be viewed at the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s theater, now including a new and improved giant screen.

https://peoria.org/listing/peoria-riverfront-museum-124/

https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/peoria-riverfront-museums-giant-screen-theater-gets-350000-new-upgrades/

https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/giant-screen-theater/film-society

https://www.25newsnow.com/2024/01/31/peoria-riverfront-museum-debuts-newest-theater-upgrade/

https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/giant-screen-theater/about-the-gst–2