North Carolina requires movie theaters to provide open captioning for select screenings starting October 1, 2025

Original title: Open Movie Captioning in Movie Theaters.

Last action · April 3, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Brian Turner and 15 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

What This Bill Would Do

Movie theaters holding more than 10 weekly showings must provide for at least one-fourth of scheduled showings for any film with four or more screenings per week, beginning October 1, 2025. Affected theaters must also advertise captioned screenings publicly, maintain compliance records for three years, and face civil penalties between $100 and $500 per violation.

Why it matters

The measure establishes mandatory accessibility requirements for commercial film exhibitors, shifting operational rules for North Carolina movie theaters and creating financial penalties for non-compliance.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Movie theaters

Movie theaters must schedule a minimum number of open-captioned screenings, advertise them, maintain compliance records for three years, and face civil penalties of $100 to $500 for violations.

Directly affected

Deaf and hard-of-hearing moviegoers

Moviegoers gain guaranteed access to on-screen dialogue and sound descriptions for at least one-fourth of scheduled showings for qualifying films.

Key Facts

Movie theaters that offer more than 10 movie showings each operating week must provide open captioning for at least one-fourth of scheduled showings for any movie that has four or more scheduled showings during that week.
No more than four open captioning showings of a single movie are required in an operating week.
At least half of the required open captioning showings must begin and end within peak attendance hours, defined as 5:59 P.M. to 11:01 P.M. on Friday and 10:59 A.M. to 11:01 P.M. on Saturday or Sunday.
If fewer than one in eight showings of a particular movie occurs during peak attendance hours, the requirement is satisfied if all peak-hour screenings of that movie have open captioning.

Show all 9 facts

Theaters must advertise open captioning dates and times in the same manner as all other showings and clearly indicate which showings include open captioning.
Theaters must maintain documents demonstrating compliance with the open captioning requirement for at least three years.
The open captioning requirement does not apply to any movie produced and distributed without open captioning.
Theaters found in violation face civil penalties ranging from one hundred dollars ($100.00) to five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each violation.
The act becomes effective October 1, 2025, and applies to movies showing on or after that date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which movie theaters are required to provide open captioning?

The requirement applies to any movie theater in the business of providing movie showings to the general public that offers more than 10 movie showings each .

Are all movies required to have open captioning under this bill?

No. The requirement applies only to movies that have four or more scheduled showings during an , and it exempts any movie that is produced and distributed without .

What are the penalties for violating the open captioning requirements?

A movie theater found in violation of the provisions is subject to a civil penalty of not less than $100.00 and not more than $500.00 for each violation.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

3 actions

Apr 3, 2025House
Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
Apr 3, 2025House
Passed 1st Reading
Apr 1, 2025HouseIntroduced
Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →