On Nov. 28, 1939, the River Oaks Theatre on West Gray opened with Bachelor Mother, a comedy starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven. On Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, at 1:15 p.m., the theater will show that film again for its 87th birthday. Its event page calls it "the very first movie shown at the theater in 1939."
Since reopening, the River Oaks Theatre has built its calendar around dates, tributes and the groups that bring films to it. The schedule from now through mid-December shows that clearly.
A Theater That Came Back as a Repertory House
The theater closed in 2021. Culinary Khancepts and Star Cinema Grill acquired it and reopened it on Oct. 3, 2024. The theater calls itself "Houston's premiere film and live events venue," showing "art house films, awards-worthy blockbusters, and classic cinema" alongside comedy, music and other live acts.
The building is smaller than most people expect. It has a 249-seat main auditorium and two 53-seat rooms upstairs. A separate 20-seat VIP Screening Lounge handles rentals and special screenings. You order from your seat. Scan the QR code on your table for the menu, then press the button on your armrest when you're ready. The menu runs from tuna tartare, wings, burgers and flatbreads to cocktails, beer, wine, mocktails and popcorn.
Leaning on old films was the plan from the start. In a September 2025 Chron feature, artistic director Robert Saucedo described the theater's first year back as "a slow, steady increase of people coming back into the theater." The same article reported that the theater set out to rely on its old reputation as a repertory house. It also works with distributors to bring in independent films that are harder to see at the big chains. Movie groups and clubs have formed around its programming.
"We really believe in making sure that the River Oaks has programming as diverse as the city," Saucedo told Chron.
November Runs on Series
The current calendar shows that approach in practice. Most of the screenings between now and mid-December belong to a named series. Each series has its own logic, and together they set the month's pace.
| Date | Program | Series or format |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7, 6:00 p.m. | Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror | Live score by Invincible Czars |
| Sat., Nov. 7, 9:30 p.m. | Faust | Live score by Invincible Czars |
| Wed., Nov. 11, 8:00 p.m. | Now You Tease Me: Houston's Finest Magic Cabaret & Burlesque | Live event |
| Nov. 12 to 15 | The Skin I Live In, All About My Mother, Volver, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Talk to Her | Five by Almodóvar |
| Nov. 19 to 30 | Phantasm, Falling Down, On the Waterfront, Best in Show and more | In Memoriam |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 1:15 p.m. | Bachelor Mother | Anniversary screening |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 7:00 p.m. | Unbelievable: The Magic of Jamie Salinas | Live event |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | Essentials |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Hundreds of Beavers | Winter Wonderland |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 7:00 p.m. | The Cockeyed World of Russ Meyer, with Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy in person | Live event |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Dune Part Three | New release |
Saturday, Nov. 7 is the evening built most around the room itself. Invincible Czars will play live scores for two silent classics back to back, Nosferatu at 6 p.m. and Faust at 9:30 p.m. Five days later, the Almodóvar series fits five films into four days, from Nov. 12 through Nov. 15. New releases still get booked, too. Dune Part Three is on the calendar for Dec. 17. Most nights, though, a series decides what's showing.
The In Memoriam Run Fills Late November
The biggest series this month is In Memoriam, which takes up much of the calendar from Nov. 19 through Nov. 30. There's no single honoree. Each screening's page dedicates the film to one person connected to it.
On the Waterfront on Nov. 24 is dedicated to Eva Marie Saint. Best in Show on Nov. 30 honors Catherine O'Hara. 9 to 5 on Nov. 22 carries the line "This screening is in memory of Dolly Parton." Other dedications include Falling Down for Robert Duvall, Persepolis for writer and director Marjane Satrapi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople for Sam Neill, and Times Square for Tim Curry.
The run covers a wide range. It spans Phantasm and The Blob from 1988, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and a 9:15 p.m. Repo! The Genetic Opera on Monday, Nov. 23. The theater treats a tribute the same way it treats its own birthday. It picks one film for one date, and the reason is printed on the ticket page.
Local Groups Program Some of the Screens
Some nights on the calendar belong to outside organizations, which pick the film and present it under their own names. In November and early December, those include:
- Houston Psychoanalytic Society Presents: Ex Machina on Nov. 16
- Houston Latino Film Festival Presents: On the Road on Nov. 18
- Out at the Rodeo Presents: Brokeback Mountain on Dec. 2
Filmmakers come too. Party People and Cast Aside the Clouds are both listed with filmmaker Q&As, and American Theater is billed as a live event with a Q&A. The 2025 Chron feature reported that Houston-born directors Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson have both programmed showings at the theater.
Put these together and the calendar reads like a list of partners. A psychoanalytic society, a film festival and a rodeo-linked group each get a night on the screen, in a building with only three auditoriums.
How Nov. 28 and 29 Lay Out
Thanksgiving weekend shows the whole approach in one stretch. The theater has spaced things out so that one visit or several can work:
- Saturday, 1:15 p.m.: Bachelor Mother in laser projection for the theater's 87th birthday. It runs 92 minutes.
- Saturday, 7:00 p.m.: Unbelievable: The Magic of Jamie Salinas, a 60-minute live show.
- Sunday, Nov. 29: The Muppet Christmas Carol, rated G, in the Essentials series, plus an In Memoriam screening of Persepolis the same day.
In the film, Rogers plays Polly Paris, who finds an abandoned baby on the steps of an orphanage. Everyone assumes the baby is hers, and the department store owner's son, played by Niven, gets involved. Houston audiences saw it on the theater's opening night, and the main room will show it again 87 years later to the day.
Theater calendars change. Check showtimes and ticket availability on the River Oaks Theatre website before you plan around a specific screening.
Dinner on the Same Block
The River Oaks Shopping Center around the theater has added several new businesses in the past year, so a movie night on West Gray now has more choices for a meal before or after.
- Maison Chinoise opened Oct. 31, 2025, at 1958 W. Gray, Suite 102. The Houston Chronicle reported that it serves modern Chinese-fusion dishes and is run by Lombardi Family Concepts.
- Honest Mary's is at 2047-A W. Gray in the former La Madeleine space. PaperCity reported it open in December 2025.
- Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina opened in March 2025, according to the Houston Business Journal. Its mezcal-focused companion, Goode Co. Bar Buena, is now listed as open in the shopping center directory.
- Flea Style opened March 7, 2026, at 1963 W. Gray, Suite A, according to Community Impact. It has a hat bar for custom hats and is in the former Mad Potter space, according to PaperCity.
On Nov. 28, that adds up to a lunch-hour matinee, an afternoon of shopping on West Gray, dinner at Maison Chinoise or Goode Co., and a 7 p.m. magic show, all on one block. The Bachelor Mother screening that starts the day is the same film the building opened with in 1939.
West Gray's mix of landmarks and new businesses shapes what living within walking distance of them feels like, and that local knowledge is what Jay Bradley and Prestige Realty Group bring to every conversation about River Oaks. If you're curious what your home near the theater is worth this season, get an Instant Home Valuation or Schedule a Market Consultation.
