O Cinema Announces Expansion to Little River

Miami indie theater O Cinema has announced it will open a new location in Little River in June. New Times' 2024 Best of Miami pick for Best Arthouse Cinema has one location on Washington Avenue in South Beach. Since its 2011 launch, the local theater chain has opened three other locations — in Wynwood, Miami Shores, and North Beach — all of which have since shuttered.

The South Beach location's selections have been limited in recent months. This month's screenings include Best Picture-nominated I'm Still Here, a series of Oscar-nominated short films, Febrero (2023) and The Monkey (2025). O Cinema also supports AR and VR experiences, but they're hosted at other venues.

The potential expansion of programming seems to be at least one reason for the new location. O Cinema says its Little River theater, set to open at 80 NW 72nd St., will allow the organization to triple its programming and go beyond film screenings — the nonprofit cinema says the space will also feature a media art gallery, two flexible event spaces, a daytime coworking space, a lounge, and a café. In a statement announcing the development, chief executive officer and chief creative officer Vivian Marthell wrote the new location will also provide "flexible spaces for in-person and virtual classes, workshops, lectures, and events."

In tandem with its announcement, O Cinema also launched a $2 million fundraising campaign to complete the project. The organization says it's already secured $750,000 from the Knight Foundation.

O Cinema's expansion into Little River is part of a growing wave of businesses, galleries, and developments moving into the area in recent years. The neighborhood was even named one of Time Out's "coolest" in the world, a designation which was met with mixed reactions from locals who feel they've seen this film before.

The trend loudly echoes Wynwood's early days as a creative enclave in the 2010s, long before it became a hub for trendy hotels and even luxury bathhouses. O Cinema knows this transformation all too well — the theater was one of the first venues to become popular with the city's creatives before it was forced to close in 2019 to make way for a Lennar apartment development.