Cinemagic functions as a independent, local theater, and can therefore program whatever the owners can source and want to show. The theater has always shown more indie, art house or international films, rather than blockbusters. When Cinemagic opened as the Star Hawthorne, it showed films such as Hold ‘Em Jail and Lady for a Day. Hold ‘Em Jail (1932) directed by Norman Taurog was about a football fan prison warden who organizes a scrummage with another prison for his inmates. The warden blackmails two bumbling inmates who were wrongly convicted into playing for his team at the promise of exoneration. This film was a pre-Hays code comedy that was a box office flop, but developed a cult following for the sports comedy genre. Lady for a Day (1933) by Frank Capra is also a pre-code comedy focusing on an impoverished fruit seller, Annie, who poses to her daughter in Spain that she is a wealthy socialite, but when her daughter and her new fiancé come to visit, Annie enlists the help of a gangster to continue her facade. This film was a critical and audience success, earning Academy Award nominations. This goes to show how this theater showed both broad successes and smaller, fun films. This also aligns with the double feature structure of the Star Hawthorne, as they usually showed one bigger film alongside one indie or less success.
Another example of programming at Cinemagic is the showing of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) directed by George Lucas at the opening show of Cinemagic in 1991. This showing appealed to a large cult following and brought attention to the theater because it was the first showing since 1982. Owner Gary Fine knew that this showing would help the opening of the theater, and bring a wide crowd. That is why he appealed to George Lucas for screening rights, and Lucas said yes, on the condition that all the proceeds from the one night only showing will go to Youth Resources, a non-profit that helps underprivileged children in Multnomah County. Lucas stated that he would only re-release the film “unless done in the 70 mm format, in a well maintained theatre and as a benefit for a worthy cause.” Thus, the showing of Star Wars as the premier of the theater contextualized Cinemagic as a theater for fans, who could see their favorite films in a great theater in good condition. Cinemagic went on to show films such as A Clockwork Orange, My Fair Lady and The Wind and the Lion.
