The Melba since 1939 · Downtown Batesville
The magic of the lone screen
A grand 1870 building, reborn in 1939 as Arkansas's first Cinemascope theater — one lone screen, and a whole town's worth of memories.
Free Screenings This Week
Boo! A Madea Halloween
Our Halloween screening on the grand screen — free for everyone.
Back to the Future
Two more free showings to close out the week.
All three screenings above are free — everyone's welcome.
Our Story
A lifelong love, restored.
Adam Curtwright's first job was at the Melba. Decades later, he couldn't shake the pull of the lone screen.
Together with his wife Mandi and Joe and Janelle Shell, they spent a year restoring the theater and reopened it in August 2016.
"This is not a money deal for us. We love this theater and we want the community to enjoy it for years to come"
Be Part of the Melba
Save my seat.
Celebrate family, friends, a business, or the memory of a loved one by naming a seat in the historic Melba. Your brass plaque stays for the life of the seat.
