Rio Theatre

222 NE 1st Avenue,
Miami, FL 33132

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Wometco Theatres

Architects: Robert E. Collins

Styles: Streamline Moderne

Previous Names: Dixie Theatre

Nearby Theaters

Dixie Theater Article of 1951

Located in downtown Miami, the Dixie Theatre was opened on February 4, 1948 with Don Ameche in “That’s My Man” & Dale Evans in “The Trespaser”. All seating was on a single floor. It played double features during the 1950’s. On December 25, 1965 it was renamed Rio Theatre and was taken over by Wometco Theatres.

The Rio Theatre continued under the ownership of Wometco, who closed it in September 1980, being the last movie theatre to operate in downtown Miami.

Contributed by kitty

Recent comments (view all 27 comments)

Harvey
Harvey on April 27, 2010 at 11:25 am

May 1980 Miami News article on the closing of The Rio here.

Harvey
Harvey on April 27, 2010 at 11:28 am

Scratch that. October 1980, not May.

guarina
guarina on May 11, 2012 at 8:41 pm

It was the Dixie in 1962, run down and smelly by 1964.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on May 11, 2012 at 9:02 pm

Guarina, if you know the Rio you have so much more to share about Miami Cinemas. Please do share more details of your wonderful Miami movie experiences. We so want to know.

Louis of Pompano
Louis of Pompano on October 21, 2012 at 2:51 pm

The Rio was not a great place to go. The neighborhood surrounding it became really bad. The Rio was not on a main drag. After 1970 the streets that ran north & south in downtown were never great places to hang.

Ben Arnold
Ben Arnold on August 3, 2013 at 7:43 am

The Dixie was in operation in 1948 at 222 NE 1st Avenue. In 1965 it became the Rio, which existed into the ‘80s and showed double features in the '50s.

Ben Arnold
Ben Arnold on August 3, 2013 at 7:57 am

The downtown Miami Dixie theater really ought to be included in the Miami theater index.

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on September 13, 2018 at 12:16 pm

The Rio appears starting at 0:26 in this news story segment about the Miami Theatre from July 1978 on the Wolfson Archives Youtube channel:

https://youtu.be/-pFFhXWxquA?t=25

Looks like it is next to what is now or still the Miami Sun Hotel.

Wow, I’ve never seen the Rio before.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 25, 2020 at 4:54 pm

This opened as Dixie on February 4th, 1948. Grand opening ad posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 28, 2020 at 4:00 pm

Reopened as Rio by Wometco on Christmas Day, 1965. Another ad posted.

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