Committee hears bill to require open- and closed-caption screenings at theaters

Senate Bill 5,486 would require movie theaters to provide open-caption screenings and working closed-caption technology for films that are produced and distributed with caption files, supporters told the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on March 25, 2025.

The bill, described in a staff briefing by John Brzezinski, would require companies that control, operate, own, or lease five or more theaters in Washington to schedule a minimum number of open-caption screenings for qualifying films: at least two open-caption screenings per week during the first two weeks of release (one of which must be on a weekend) and at least one open-caption screening per week during subsequent weeks in peak hours. Smaller companies (four or fewer theaters) would not face the same scheduled minimums but…