During November 2024, one of the oldest landmarks in Tampa, Florida, Tampa Theatre, is hosting its Nora-vember movie series. Featuring three movies written by Nora Ephron, the series’ first movie shown was “Sleepless in Seattle,” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
“Sleepless in Seattle,” released in 1993, portrays Sam and Annie as two people who live across the country with entirely different lives. The movie follows their journey as they finally find their way to each other.
Ellianna Valkenburg, a senior at Plant High School, attended the “Sleepless in Seattle” showing on Nov. 10. She expressed her love for the historic theater and its choice of romantic comedies.
“I loved the atmosphere; it was very different from a traditional movie theater in the best way possible. It definitely made the movie experience so much more fun. I also liked how it wasn’t as crowded as a normal theater,” Valkenburg said. “My favorite part about seeing ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ was getting my best friend’s commentary throughout the movie.”
In terms of its history, Tampa Theatre has been open since 1926, making it the oldest active movie theater in the city. Along with that, Tampa Theatre is the city’s only nonprofit movie theater, leaving a legacy for years to come.
In addition to the “Sleepless in Seattle” showing, on Nov. 17, the theater is hosting a double feature of “When Harry Met Sally” and “You’ve Got Mail.” The former was released in 1989 and starred Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, whereas the latter was first shown in 1998 and starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, just like “Sleepless in Seattle.”
“When Harry Met Sally” will be shown at Tampa Theatre on Nov. 17 at 3 p.m., followed by “You’ve Got Mail” later in the evening at 6 p.m. Tickets can be found on the theater’s website, tampatheatre.org.