Located in the heart of Davis Square, the Somerville Theatre has been showing movies since 1914, when motion pictures were the latest fad. The main theater has 840 seats and can show archival film prints in both 35mm and 70mm formats, as well as digital cinema on a 4K laser projection system. The auditorium is capable of playing nearly every sound format ever used for film for the last 100 years, including 6-track magnetic sound and Dolby DTS. There are also two smaller theaters, which can show both 2K digital cinema and 35mm prints.

The Somerville shows a wide variety of repertory programming, from Hollywood classics to cult and horror films to off-beat series built around the whims of many guest programmers. Silent films with live musical accompaniment are also screened every month. It is one of the main locations for the Independent Film Festival Boston, hosts its own annual 70mm and Widescreen Film Festival, and is home to the annual Boston Sci-Fi Fest, a now 50-year tradition of a 24-hour Sci-Fi movie marathon.