"Having a luck dragon with you is the only way to go on a quest."

We're tipping our cinematic hat to the late, great director Wolfgang Petersen with a screening of his beloved 1984 classic, THE NEVERENDING STORY. A pop-culture touchstone for 80s kids, this fantastical coming-of-age tale about a young, bullied boy whose day off from school involves a flying luck dragon, a sinking horse, an ancient turtle, and a very vivid life lesson about how the spread of malaise and lethargy can ultimately lead to "a bunch of nothing," has experienced a renewed interest as a result of its inclusion in Netflix's "Stranger Things."

Barett Oliver stars as a young boy named Bastian, who decides to duck into his local bookstore to avoid bullies one morning while on the way to school. He managers to sneak away with a strange-looking book called "The Neverending Story," which he begins reading in the school attic while avoiding class. The novel is about Fantasia, a fantasy land threatened by "The Nothing," a mysterious darkness that destroys everything it touches. As he reads further, he learns that the kingdom of Fantasia needs the help of a human child to survive, and when he reads a description of himself in the book, his day off school turns into something else entirely... Also starring Gerald McRaney, Noah Hathaway.

"A fairytale of the very best kind." (Time Out Magazine)

"This utterly enchanting, family treat of a film should leave you and yours wide-eyed with wonder." (Film4)

Thursday, September 8
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

*Minors permitted. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service. Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.

*If you are looking to redeem your tickets to either a canceled Rio Theatre screening or a Rio Theatre gift certificate, please email with info including your name, canceled receipt number, gift certificate info, what you are wanting to see and when, and we can make the switch for you in advance. Alternately, you can bring this information with you to the venue, and we will do our best to help you at the box office.

THE NEVERENDING STORY (Wolfgang Peterson, 1984 / 102 mins/ PG) While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.