State Theater FAQs

Your State Theater account provides a secure transaction process for ticket and membership purchases. It also gives you access to your orders and tickets, and gives us the ability to reach you in the rare case of scheduling changes or cancellations.

To see which auditorium where any particular screening or event will be occurring, just click on the actual showtime at elystatetheater.org and the auditorium will be listed just under the film’s title on its ticketing page. It is also listed on each film ticket. If we happen to make any scheduling changes after you’ve purchased your ticket(s), we’ll let you know.

Each Monday, we assess the prior weekend’s film attendance, confirm showtimes, and put tickets on sale for the following Fri-Thu. The film you’re interested in may be extended based on attendance, so you can check back on Monday to see if we’ve added showtimes.

At Ely’s Historic State Theater, we offer discounted tickets and memberships to those 65+.

The State Theater sells the same number of tickets as there are seats available. Once a show is sold out, it really does mean sold out! There is no waiting list as we have a no refunds or exchanges policy.

When you sign up for our Cinema Club Membership, our point of sale vendor will mail your member card to the physical address you used to sign up for your membership—and you can also add your card to your smartphone’s digital wallet. If you chose to receive a new card and still haven’t, please contact membership@elystatetheater.org.

You must be logged in to your Cinema Club membership to access your member benefits. If you are logged in and a current member but you still don’t see the member price, you may have a duplicate account that is not connected to your benefits. Please contact us at membership@elystatetheater.org to merge your accounts.

Using your smartphone, log in to your State Theater account.

• Tap on My Benefits.
• Select “Add to Apple Wallet” or “Save to phone” (Google Pay).

Actually, there is a difference between a regular donation vs. membership. For the State, both count as donations but they are separate revenue streams. A membership is an annual gift that also comes with benefits, and benefits increase at different levels of giving. Higher levels of membership are partially tax deductible, whereas a straight donation to the Belcourt is always fully deductible.

If you’d like to become a Belcourt member, we’d love to have you! You can join here:  elystatetheater.org/membership

We safely and securely keep items found during the current month and one month prior. After two months, unclaimed items will be donated. To inquire about a lost item, contact our team (218-235-6300 or info@elystatetheater.org).

Street parking is always free for patrons of Ely’s Historic State Theater, but details vary seasonably and are subject to City of Ely ordinances. If you are attending a live event or sold out movie showing, we recommend you arrive 20 minutes early. Click here for more details: elystatetheater.org/parking-info.

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We don’t keep a list or reserve posters for people, but once a film’s run is over and the poster is no longer on display, you can ask about it in person at the concessions counter only. If it’s still in the building, we’ll let you take it for a small donation (we suggest $10).

Every year, over 23,000 people attend our movies and events. Advertising at Ely’s Historic State Theater provides strong customer engagement by guaranteeing a captive audience. Movie-goers are 44% more likely to remember an ad and 70% more likely to identify advertised brands vs consumers of traditional media. Click here for current advertising rates and details: elystatetheater.org/advertising.

The State aims to keep you informed about upcoming programs and give you a chance to settle without taking too much time, so we add only about 5-9 minutes of trailers and ads before each feature. For our patrons who love movie trailers, behind the scenes content, movie trivia, and community announcements about upcoming events at the State Theater and in Ely in general, our custom pre-show rolls approximately 25 minutes before the listed showtime of each film. 

For family shows at the Belcourt, children 11 months and younger do not require a ticket but must sit in a grown-up’s lap (carriers and strollers cannot block aisles or seats).

Ely’s Historic State Theater (EHST) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed in 2019 just before the major start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, EHST began serving the community as an event space and hub for arts activities, including first-run, recently released, and repertoire films, as well as live music performances, educational programming, media arts workshops, Ely Film Festival, live community events, and more! 

Our facilities provide two auditoriums (the State Theater and Greenstone Cinema), comfortable seating, 4K projectors and screens, audio systems, stage lighting, and a modern concession & lobby area.

Learn more about Ely’s Historic State Theater by watching this 3 minute video:

Watch Video

The State Theater was built in 1936 by the Swanson family in Ely. Its designer was a noted architecture film called Liebenberg &* Kaplan, who had designed many theaters in Minnesota and other northern states. In 2008, the recession caused the State Theater to close its doors to the public.

By 2014, the State Theater had fallen into disrepair and was purchased by Alley A Realty, a family business specializing in historic preservation and redevelopment. They worked with the State of Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Interior, and a passionate team of local community members to restore the exterior and interior to its original condition. Ely community members worked together to add our theater on the National Register of Historic Places, form our 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (Ely’s Historic State Theater) in 2019, fund and build our new concessions area, lobby and Greenstone Cinema, and develop programs to serve the Ely community.

For information about fun activities to do in Ely and the surrounding area, there are many resources you can consult. We recommend visiting Ely.org for general information about the area. Once you’re in town, pick up a copy of the Ely Summer Times or Ely Winter Times, a free publication available at several local retailers, including Ely’s Historic State Theater.

For more information about lodging options in town, visit www.ely.org/lodging.