The Grand Illusion Cinema first opened in the spring of 1970 under the name, The Movie House, given due to the existence of a small home on the site.

[1][2] Early films that were projected included international and obscure movies, and the cinema was known for an annual December showing of It's a Wonderful Life, a tradition begun in 1971.

Over the years the cinema has been host to such people as Quentin Tarantino, Takashi Miike, Alex Cox, Eddie Izzard, Stuart Gordon, Don Hertzfeldt, Dennis Nyback, and the cast of Troll 2.

In 2008, along with such seminal theatres as the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin and the Film Forum in New York, The Grand Illusion was named one of the best movie houses in America by Paste magazine.

[5] In April 2023, the owner of the building announced that the site was for sale and despite an active lease, the existence and future of the Grand Illusion is unknown.