After the Final Curtain: The Fall of the American Movie Theater

For more than half a century, America's great movie palaces stood at the center of their communities. They were places where first dates began, Saturday afternoons disappeared, and generations gathered beneath painted ceilings and glittering chandeliers. Today, many of those same buildings sit abandoned, forgotten, or have already vanished forever.
After the Final Curtain is a photographic journey through these remarkable theaters during the brief moment between their glory and their disappearance. Some have since been restored. Others have been demolished. Many remain empty, waiting for a second act.
Photographer Matt Lambros spent more than fifteen years documenting these spaces across the United States, often gaining access to buildings that had been closed for decades. His photographs preserve details that, in many cases, no longer exist. More than a collection of abandoned buildings, this book is a record of an important part of American cultural history and a reminder of what is still worth saving.
Featuring more than 200 photographs, After the Final Curtain offers a rare look inside America's forgotten movie palaces and the stories they continue to tell long after the audience has gone home.

Matt Lambros is an architectural photographer based in New England. Matt has followed his passion all over the USA of documenting the decay of America's abandoned theaters in the hope of shedding light on these forgotten buildings and the ongoing efforts to repurpose them. He has already released two books showcasing his work with the neglected movie houses: After the Final Curtain: The Fall of the American Movie Theater was released in late 2016 to critical acclaim, and Kings Theatre: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Brooklyn's Wonder Theatre, followed soon after. Matt's third book, After the Final Curtain: America's Abandoned Theaters, is due for release in the fall of 2019.
 
Matt continues to unearth the rich history and unique stories behind the now-crumbling exteriors of these otherwise forgotten picture houses. In this modern age, he feels it's especially important to remember the artistry and architecture behind these buildings, as well as the emotional connections they invoked in moviegoers across the country. Their former grandeur reflected the Golden Age of Cinema, when a trip to the theater brought an exciting slice of movie magic. 
 
Matt's photographs have been published extensively worldwide in a wide variety of media ranging from calendars, books, advertising, and the publications of The New York Times, The Guardian, Popular Mechanic, Le Monde, Adidas and many more.
His work has also been exhibited in art galleries in Paris, London, New York and Boston. A longtime member of the Theatre Historical Society of America, Matt joined the board of directors in 2017. 

Samples of his work can be viewed online at afterthefinalcurtain.net and mlambrosphotography.com.