// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did "The Last Picture Show" say to the camera? You're developing a bad habit.
| The Last Picture Shows | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Rustin Thompson |
| Written by | Rustin Thompson |
| Produced by | Rustin Thompson |
| Cinematography | Rustin Thompson |
| Edited by | Rustin Thompson |
Production company | Foghorn Features |
| Distributed by | Foghorn Features |
Release date | |
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $300,000 |
| Box office | $45,566[2][3] |
The Last Picture Shows is a 2026 American documentary film about movie theaters in small west American towns, including abandoned theaters, ones that are struggling to survive, and ones that are doing well. Clips from Peter Bogdanovich's film The Last Picture Show (1971) are interspersed in the documentary. It is edited, shot, produced, written, and directed by Rustin Thompson. It premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 9, 2026.[1][4]
Production
[edit]The film was shot during two lengthy road trips Thompson took in the summers of 2023 and 2024. He said, "In some cases, I reached out to the owners before I got to the towns, but a lot of times it was hard to get in touch, so I would just show up. I would walk in, and usually the owner was there serving concessions, and I just started talking to them and said, 'Hey, do you want to be in this film I'm making?' And right on the spot, they would say yes, and I'd do an interview, no hassles with corporations or PR people."[5]
Additional cinematography was provided by Thompson's son, Nick Thompson, the director of the film Skagit.[6][7]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.6/10.[8]
Donald Liebenson of RogerEbert.com gave the film three and a half out of four stars and wrote that it's "a cautionary tale and a love letter to an era before it becomes bygone."[9] In a positive review, Glenn Kenny of The New York Times wrote, "[T]he movie's lyrical and elegiac tone makes it truly resonant."[10] Leonard Maltin also gave it a positive review, writing, "The Last Picture Shows is a moving and poetic slice of Americana."[11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Welcome to the Movies". Santa Barbara Independent. February 3, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ "The Last Picture Shows (2026)". The Numbers. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
- ↑ "The Last Picture Shows". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Exclusive Trailer for The Last Picture Shows Takes a Road Trip Through American Movie Houses". The Film Stage. June 25, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Seattle filmmaker's documentary finds hope in small-town movie theaters". The Seattle Times. July 6, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ Hutchinson, Chase (2022-09-15). "Sex, Slugs, and the Supernatural". The Stranger. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
- ↑ Davidson, Douglas (2026-02-09). "Documentarian Rustin Thompson's "The Last Picture Shows" explores what's lost when local picturehouses disappear from communities. [SBIFF]". Elements of Madness. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
- ↑ "The Last Picture Shows". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
- ↑ "The Last Picture Shows". RogerEbert.com. August 7, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ "'The Last Picture Shows' Review: Celebrating Old-School Movie Houses". The New York Times. August 6, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ "The Last Picture Shows". Leonard Maltin. August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.