What does “coming to a theatre near you” mean?

Question

I've seen

coming to a theatre near you

many times. But I don't really get what it means. I have tried searching online but still don't get it. So what does it really mean?

What is more, is it a famous sayings or subtitle or something?

Answer 1

From (at the latest) the early 1970s "Coming soon to a theatre near you" was a common tagline at the end of trailers and advertisements for films to be released soon. National promotions, of course, could not give exact dates and locations for showings in tens of thousands of different communities.

This has become a jocular catchphrase not only for any eagerly expected event, but also for any sort of trend which might come to have a local impact. For instance, an employee-benefits firm has published an article on "a national trend that’s gaining an increasingly prominent toe-hold in the world of employee rights and benefits — mandatory paid sick leave" under the headline

Is mandatory paid sick leave coming soon to a theater near you?

In other words, should you expect that your state or community will in the near future enact laws requiring paid sick leave?

Answer 2

This is usually used for movies, or anything else that plays at a theater. A complete sentence would something like

This movie is coming to a theater near you.

That means that the movie will be playing (= available for viewing) at a theater near you, usually in the near future.