The Egyptian Theatre on East Pine is beginning a soft opening, with midnight screenings returning to the historic Capitol Hill venue after a long stretch of limited public use following last year's water pipe damage.

WFLM Seattle says it has the go-ahead to start operating the theater and has begun filling out a schedule of late-night films. The group has said its midnight series will be priced at $10.

The programming is expected to center on repertory cinema, crowd favorites, lesser-known titles, and other late-night staples. The first weekend back included a screening of the cult film Hard Ticket to Hawaii.

Seattle Central and WFLM have been working out details of a long-term lease for the building. In the meantime, the theater has hosted pop-up events and one-off screenings as the school looks for a steady operator following SIFF's exit.

The Egyptian has been part of Seattle's arthouse movie scene since 1980, and the return of regular screenings marks another step in bringing the landmark venue back into fuller use.