Designed by architect J.H. Phillips, The Bellevue Theatre has been a cornerstone of the Montclair community since it opened its doors on May 13, 1922. In the decades that followed, people across generations experienced films and personal milestones at the cinema, events like first dates, birthday parties, and life changing movie experiences. When the Bellevue Theatre closed its doors in 2017, 95 years of filmgoing experience came to an end.

In 2025, Montclair Film signed a lease to re-open the theater as an independent, non-profit cinema alongside its other successful, non-profit cinema, The Clairidge. The Bellevue reopened during the 2025 Montclair Film Festival, and then reopened for year-round exhibition on October 31, 2025.