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The Movie Nerd Report: What’s playing at Cleveland cinemas on Mother’s Day Weekend 2026

There’s more than just “Mortal Kombat II” hitting theaters this weekend. See what else is coming to independent screens near you.
An old “start” frame of a film reel sits in a projector. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)

Hello Dear Readers of The Land! My name is Mike Wendt, I am a filmmaker and I am also the production coordinator for the Greater Cleveland Film Commission! A few years ago, I started making a weekly post on my social media dubbed the Movie Nerd Report, in which I round up the week’s offerings in the movie theaters in Northeast Ohio, as coverage from some of the local media outlets started to dwindle. We are so fortunate to have so many offerings in our region and I want to use this platform to help get the word out and now I am glad to be writing about them right here! 

So for your Mother’s Day weekend, here is your Movie Nerd Report: 

This Saturday at the Atlas Cinemas Lakeshore 7 (22624 Lakeshore Blvd  Euclid, OH 44123) will be the “21 Days of Horror Screening and Awards Ceremony.” This annual event gives teams the opportunity to create a horror short film in 21 days, and now you get to see the results. Screening Group 1 is at 4:30 p.m. and Screening Group 2 is at 7:00 p.m., tickets are $15 for each screening group or $20 for a full day pass!

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Over at the Cleveland Cinematheque (11610 Euclid Ave  Cleveland, OH 44118) :

Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9 p.m. they will present the Japanese film “Bushido.” 

Thursday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 6:40 p.m. they will present a 4K Restoration of another Japanese film in “The Taste of Tea.” 

Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. they will present the road trip drama featuring Akron native John Magaro in “Omaha.” The film will also be playing starting this Friday at The Nightlight Cinema in Akron. 

Friday at 8:45 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. brings a double feature from acclaimed Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa in “Chime & Cure.” 

Sunday at 4:45 p.m. they will present a documentary about sculptor and woodcutter Jimmy Grashow in “Jimmy & The Demons,”

More information about the films and ticket prices are at: cinematheque.cia.edu

At the Nightlight Cinema (30 N High Street Akron, OH 44308): 

Thursday at 7:45pm and Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., they will present a documentary about  the recent (and long overdue) inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, “Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition!”  

They will be opening a prison set drama from the executive producer of Netflix’s Adolescence in “Wasteman” with the talented actor David Jonsson. 

Friday through Sunday they will present the 25th Anniversary restoration of the award winning drama “Daughters of The Dust.” 

Just in time for Mother’s Day this Sunday and Wednesday,  they (and a handful of other theaters in the area) will also be showing 35th Anniversary Screenings of “Fried Green Tomatoes,” so perhaps take your mom for a good cry. 

More information about the films and ticket prices are at nightlightcinema.com

This weekend there is a trio of new films opening in wide release: The first is the sequel to the 2021 original in “Mortal Kombat II.” The film is expected to do quite well, but as of this writing reviews have remained embargoed. 

Opening for families and featuring an all-star cast including Hugh Jackman is “The Sheep Detectives,” The plot revolves around a shepherd that is found dead and the group of sheep that aim to solve the mystery. It currently stands at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Finally, a film that I got to see early is the unlikely pairing of James Cameron and Billie Eilish in “Billie Eilish-Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour 3D” While I cannot say I am a Billie Eilish expert, I did find this film to be a unique showcase for her talent and paired with James Cameron’s flair for visuals, this was pretty good! Plus it’s good to see Cameron make something other than Avatar films for once. 

So, I hope this has been a helpful guideline to all the offerings you could enjoy this upcoming week, stay tuned for more next week!

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