Tours of classic films – with the actors appearing live – are packing theaters in an era of lagging attendance.

THE CROWD FILING THROUGH THE DOORS OF GOLDEN STATE THEATRE FOR ONE APRIL SHOW HAD AN UNUSUAL LOOK. Among those dressed for a night out were people with rumpled bathrobes or old sweaters tossed loosely over their shoulders and others sporting shirts representing bowling teams.

Yet such casual attire suited the occasion. Playing on the big screen that night was the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, an eccentric comedy in which robes, bowling and even a throw rug are essential to the story. Following the show, The Dude himself – Jeff Bridges – sat with a moderator on tattered armchairs, similar to the one from his character’s apartment in the movie, taking questions from fans.

His appearance on stage in Monterey is part of a trend. According to the audience evaluation company Comscore, around 100 re-release movies will have returned to the big screen by the end of 2025, almost double the number in 2019. Meanwhile new movies continue to struggle at the box office.

Increasingly, the stars of some re-release or anniversary films are tagging along.

“THE WRATH OF KHAN IS ARGUABLY THE BEST STAR TREK FILM WE’VE DONE,” observes William Shatner, who visits Golden State Theatre with the 1982 hit on Nov. 15. It certainly features one of the most charismatic movie villains of the era. And the original television series cast is in fine form. But there is another character involved.

“I come out and join the audience for an hour or more,” says Shatner, whose role as Captain James T. Kirk in the sci-fi 1960s television series helped make the Star Trek brand iconic. “When I get them talking, it becomes an interesting dialogue, not a monologue.”

Over the past year, such nostalgia tours have become a regular feature at Golden State. In February, John Heder, Efren Ramirez and Jon Gries – all from the cast of the film – appeared on stage with the 2004 cult classic Napoleon Dynamite. In September, John Cleese chatted with the audience after a showing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, marking its 50th anniversary.

Organizers were forced to postpone Chevy Chase’s Fletch, but Cary Elwes accompanies The Princess Bride to the theater in January 2026.

“We’re in conversation for shows next year,” says Simone Gianfrancesco, president of Mills Entertainment, the company that scheduled both Cleese and Shatner. “There is more in the mix.”

The format – a screening followed by memories from one or more of the film’s stars and questions from those in attendance – has resonated with audiences, even in smaller markets. Last December, Chevy Chase and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation drew a packed house of 4,000 to Fox Theater in St. Louis. Bridges’ show at Golden State sold out. Shatner’s visit is on pace to fill the room, as well – over 1,000 people for each event in an auditorium of 1,300 seats.

“We’re always looking for the next combination, we’re always finding new markets,” says Steve Lisciani of Standing Ovations Live, an entertainment company that works with Chase and Mel Brooks, among others. “You can’t judge by the size of the market.”

Built in 1926 as a movie palace, Golden State in its current iteration hosts concerts, standup comedy and theatrical productions. When films have featured on the schedule – a rarity in the past – they tended to be documentaries or shorts.

Presentations by actors and Q&A sessions have been part of the repertory theater model, as well as film festivals for decades. During Hollywood’s golden era, the debut of grand new theaters or much anticipated premieres would see the likes of Douglas Fairbanks or Judy Garland waving to an adoring public.

But many see the popularity of the current tours – which can include real-time cell phone trivia, videos and other activities – as an antidote to social media isolation. Writing in The Conversation, Sarah Bay-Cheng, dean of the school of arts, media, performance and design at Canada’s York University, noted that “You’ll see the terms ‘experience’ and ‘immersive’ proliferating across media platforms.”

Both Gianfrancesco and Lisciani say that interest in the tours began to increase around 2015 and shot up again after the pandemic.

“How often do you get the opportunity to spend an evening with John Cleese or William Shatner?” Gianfrancesco asks. “Especially in an age of streaming, it offers something you can’t replicate at home.”

Some of the films are seasonal. Chase is back on tour this fall with Christmas Vacation, as is Macaulay Culkin and Home Alone. But the appeal extends to all genres. David Arquette is currently screening Scream, for example, and Mills Entertainment is giving Airplane and Robert Hays a test run.

Chase has toured periodically through Standing Ovation Live for seven years. According to Lisciani, the comic actor’s feedback settles on audience response.

“I go to add interest and get paid,” Shatner says with a laugh. Turning more thoughtful, he shares Chase’s enthusiasm. “It’s a kick, a real joy to be in front of an audience and entertain them,” he adds. “I think it’s equally fascinating for the audience.”

For Gianfrancesco, matching a movie, an actor or actors and a tour schedule is more feel than formula. There are hundreds of films with nostalgic appeal to choose from. A company must secure screening rights, which can be an insurmountable hurdle in some cases.

Once all the necessary paperwork is cleared, however, it comes down to a subjective question.

“Would you want to have a beer with this person?” Gianfrancesco says. “What’s going to drive someone to go out, to buy a ticket? It has to do with the magnetism of the person in the room.

“We’ve been lucky to tour with William Shatner for several years,” she continues. “At 94 years old, he’s still doing a great show.”

A 2019 Boca Magazine review of a John Cusack performance following a showing of Stand By Me in Boca Raton, Florida illustrates the potential hazards. The author does not mention a moderator, but does complain about audience members monopolizing the microphone or asking questions of narrow interest. Cusack was also cited for an apparent lack of interest in topics he’s addressed many times over.

According to Lisciani, Rainn Wilson from the television series The Office seeks to disarm the crowd by announcing, “Here are the answers to the 10 most-asked questions.”

“A lot of the questions are the same,” Shatner agrees. Like food writers who challenge themselves to find a new way to describe the flavor of a mushroom or an avocado, he will push himself to tell the same story with a fresh edge. “I try to make it interesting” – for himself as well as for the fans.

Time is a critical factor for Lisciani. He targets films with a run time around 90 minutes. This gives the artist an hour to interact with the audience. Anything more, he believes, would make for a long evening. Otherwise, there are few guidelines to success.

“It’s hard to pinpoint what works and what doesn’t,” Lisciani says. “It’s a lot of trying.”

What is now styled as Napoleon Dynamite Live! began in 2018 as a celebration of the film’s 15th anniversary. The actors have since turned the static Q&A format into traveling theater. They play original music, toss out trivia questions and prizes, add a little improv comedy and – when the layout of the theater allows – perform random stunts. At a stop in Butte, Montana a few weeks before their appearance in Monterey, Heder plowed a bicycle down the auditorium’s stairway.

The troupe have been on the road for six years.

Ten years ago, nostalgia tours tended to lack showmanship. A lot of trying led to an understanding of the audience. People come to see more than a movie. Depending upon the film and the actor, the evening may include slide shows or short videos. Standing Ovations Live offers a trivia contest audience members can play from their phones, with answers posted real time on the big screen.

“We always want to add something new,” Lisciani says. “But the overarching concept is still the same.”

LABOR DAY WEEKEND HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN A BIG DAY FOR MOVIE THEATERS. The newly-released horror film Weapons topped $13 million over the four-day span. Second in domestic box office receipts was the Steven Spielberg classic Jaws, raking in almost $10 million. The 20th anniversary re-release of Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith hauled in $25.5 million on its opening weekend, behind only Sinners.

Such figures put Los Angeles Times writer Cerys Davies in a speculative mood. “It’s almost as if movie studios, filmgoers and theater owners alike are pining for a time when the movie business, now struggling more than five years after the Covid-19 pandemic, was the center of popular culture in the U.S.,” she wrote.

According to the data services firm Statista, moviegoing peaked in 2002, when some 1.5 billion tickets were sold. By 2024, that number had fallen to 760 million. A report by Nash Information services found that movie theater visits fell sharply – by two-thirds – between 2019 and 2023.

“There’s a tsunami of change in Hollywood,” Shatner observes, adding that Hollywood continues to struggle against the pull of electronic platforms. As a result, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Hollywood lost 42,000 film industry jobs in the years 2022-2024 alone.

The apparent decline of Hollywood and the growing market for cinematic retro-releases has made nostalgia tours attractive to both studios and actors. Twenty years ago, Shatner could never have imagined the popularity of the events. As an actor, he says, “You would be making new films.”

Pining for the past. A bit of necessity. Both are factors in the growth of film tours. But there is perhaps a more significant driving force.

“Covid was once seen as a catalyst speeding the demise of the movie theater as a business model,” observed culture writer Abe Beame in a column in The Ringer. “But it now appears that the pandemic may have served as another kind of catalyst, one that has motivated a niche audience of passionate moviegoers to seek out more in-person theater experiences.”

Mills Entertainment, Standing Ovations Live and other companies have turned classic movies into experiences – entertaining, educational and interactive.

“It’s interesting how it worked out,” Mills Entertainment’s Gianfrancesco says. “This is really resonating. Everyone sees the opportunity.”

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with William Shatner 7:30pm Saturday, Nov. 15. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $53-$103. (831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com.