Waikiki Theatre
Waikiki Theatre was a single-screen movie theater in Waikīkī, Honolulu, that operated from 1936 until 2002.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Waikiki Theatre was a single-screen cinema located on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikīkī, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It opened on August 20, 1936, and served as a neighborhood and visitor-oriented movie venue in one of Honolulu’s best-known commercial and tourism districts. The theater was designed by architect Charles William Dickey, an important Hawaiʻi architect whose work contributed to the islands’ distinctive regional architectural character. The venue’s identity was rooted in its location as much as in its film program. Situated at 2284 Kalakaua Avenue, the theater occupied a prominent position in Waikīkī, an area associated with hotels, retail, entertainment, and beach tourism. Unlike a multiplex operation, Waikiki Theatre was a single-screen house, giving it a comparatively focused exhibition format. Its primary business was the public presentation of motion pictures rather than the sale of a broader consumer product range. Music was also part of the theater’s operating history. The venue initially had a Hammond Model A organ. During its first year, that instrument was replaced by a Robert Morton four-manual, sixteen-rank organ built in 1921. The Robert Morton organ had previously been installed at the Hawaii Theatre and remained in use at Waikiki Theatre until 1997. Its presence linked the venue to the earlier tradition of theatrical organs, which had originally accompanied silent films and continued to serve ceremonial, entertainment, or historical functions after sound cinema became dominant. Beginning in 1969, the theater was also known as Waikiki Theatre 3. The available historical account does not establish that this name represented a full conversion into a multi-screen complex; it records the later name as an identifier used from 1969 onward. The theater continued operating at the Kalakaua Avenue site until it closed in November 2002. After closure, the building was demolished in April 2005. The historic Robert Morton organ was not destroyed with the building. In 2005, it was moved to the Palace Theater in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, preserving an important physical element of Waikiki Theatre’s history in another Hawaiian theater setting. The Waikiki building itself no longer exists, and the theater is therefore a defunct local cinema brand and historic entertainment venue rather than an active operating business.
History
Waikiki Theatre was established as a single-screen movie theater in Waikīkī, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Designed by architect Charles William Dickey, it opened on August 20, 1936, at 2284 Kalakaua Avenue. Its location placed it in the center of Waikīkī’s visitor economy and made it part of the district’s long-running commercial and entertainment landscape. The theater’s principal function was motion-picture exhibition. As a single-screen venue, it operated in a traditional cinema format rather than as a modern multiplex with several auditoriums. The available historical record identifies the building, its architect, location, operating period, changing name, and organ history, but does not provide a complete record of its owners, managers, film programs, attendance, or financial performance. An organ was installed as part of the theater’s early operation. The original instrument was a Hammond Model A. During the first year, it was replaced by a Robert Morton four-manual, sixteen-rank organ constructed in 1921. That organ had previously been used at the Hawaii Theatre. Although theatrical organs were strongly associated with the silent-film era, the instrument remained an identifiable part of Waikiki Theatre’s history well into the late twentieth century. It stayed at the venue until 1997. From 1969 onward, the venue was also known as Waikiki Theatre 3. The historical source records this later designation but does not provide enough information to determine the precise business or architectural reason for the name change. The theater continued to operate at its Kalakaua Avenue address until November 2002, when it closed. The closure ended the site’s use as a cinema. In April 2005, the Waikiki Theatre building was demolished. The Robert Morton organ was preserved separately and moved in 2005 to the Palace Theater in Hilo. This transfer allowed a major surviving artifact associated with the Waikīkī venue to remain in theatrical use or preservation within Hawaiʻi, even though the original building was lost. Waikiki Theatre is consequently best understood as a defunct local cinema and historic entertainment venue, not as an active international brand or a continuing cinema chain. Its historical importance rests on its long presence in Waikīkī, its design by Charles William Dickey, its role as a single-screen movie house, and the survival and relocation of its Robert Morton theater organ.
- 2005
Building is demolished and organ is relocated
[1]The building was demolished in April 2005, while the former theater organ was moved to the Palace Theater in Hilo.
- 2002
Theater closes
[1]Waikiki Theatre ceased operations in November 2002.
- 1997
Robert Morton organ leaves the theater
[1]The Robert Morton organ remained at Waikiki Theatre until 1997.
- 1969
Venue begins using the Waikiki Theatre 3 name
[1]From 1969 onward, the theater was also identified as Waikiki Theatre 3.
- 1936
Waikiki Theatre opens
[1]The theater opened on August 20, 1936, at 2284 Kalakaua Avenue in Waikīkī, Honolulu.
- 1936
Robert Morton organ replaces the original Hammond
[1]During the first year of operation, the original Hammond Model A organ was replaced by a 1921 Robert Morton four-manual, sixteen-rank organ formerly used at the Hawaii Theatre.
Products and positioning
A locally significant, single-screen cinema serving Waikīkī, Honolulu, with an architectural identity and historic theater-organ tradition.
Cinema operations · 1936
Single-screen movie exhibition
Waikiki Theatre’s core offering was public motion-picture exhibition in a single auditorium. The venue operated as a conventional movie theater at its Waikīkī location rather than as a documented national chain or multiplex network. Specific film titles, programming policies, ticket prices, and concession lines are not identified in the available source material.
Theatrical organ · 1936
Robert Morton theater organ
A Robert Morton four-manual, sixteen-rank organ built in 1921 was installed at Waikiki Theatre during its first year after replacing a Hammond Model A. The instrument had previously been used at the Hawaii Theatre and remained at Waikiki Theatre until 1997. It was later transferred to the Palace Theater in Hilo in 2005.
Brand decisions
2002
End cinema operationsStrategyBackground
After operating at 2284 Kalakaua Avenue for decades, Waikiki Theatre closed in November 2002.
Action taken
The venue ceased movie-theater operations.
Aftermath
The building was subsequently demolished in April 2005, ending the site’s physical existence as Waikiki Theatre.
1936
Replace the original Hammond organOtherBackground
The newly opened theater initially had a Hammond Model A organ, but the instrument was replaced during the first year of operation.
Action taken
A Robert Morton four-manual, sixteen-rank organ constructed in 1921 and formerly used at the Hawaii Theatre was installed.
Aftermath
The Robert Morton organ became part of the venue’s history and remained there until 1997.
Recent events
- 2005
Waikiki Theatre building is demolished[1]
Other
The former theater building was demolished in April 2005 after its closure.
- 2005
Historic Robert Morton organ is moved to the Palace Theater in Hilo[1]
Other
The Robert Morton organ formerly used at Waikiki Theatre was transferred to the Palace Theater in Hilo after the Waikīkī building was torn down.
- 2002
Waikiki Theatre closes after decades of operation[1]
Other
The single-screen theater on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikīkī ceased operations in November 2002.
Sources1 sources
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