The first permanent movie theater opened in Pittsburgh in 1905 and cost only five cents to enter.

Harry Davis and John P. Harris opened the Nickelodeon on June 19, 1905. The name combined the word 'nickel' with 'odeion,' which is Greek for a roofed theater. It had 96 seats and stayed open from 8:00 AM until midnight. The theater showed short silent films such as 'The Great Train Robbery.'About 1,500 people visited the theater every day during its first week. By 1907, around 3,000 similar theaters had opened across the United States. These theaters served over 2 million people daily. They were often built in neighborhoods where working-class families and immigrants lived.Silent films were popular because people did not need to speak English to understand the story. This success changed movies from a small hobby into a massive industry. It led to the creation of longer films and the famous Hollywood studio system. By 1910, larger and more expensive movie palaces began to replace these small theaters.