Where To See Your Holiday Blockbuster

With the mid-week Fourth of July holiday, an abbreviated work week practically demands an afternoon at the movies complete with giant tub o' fatty snacks and subzero air conditioning. New York is a real haven for movie theater aficionados, and we all have our favorites. Here's a brief breakdown of what to see, and where, this holiday. In the comments feel free to weigh in on the best and/or worst places to see giant alien vehicles attack earth or betrothed couples acting goofy.

* Cinema Village East (181 2nd Ave at 12th St.)
Pluses old fashioned balcony seating, snack vending machines.
Minuses often only a single ticket seller outside (can bypass with the electronic kiosk inside)
What to see: Ratatouille.

* AMC Loews Village 7 (66 3rd Ave)
Pluses sweet but slightly out of it ticket taker won't flinch if you bring in an outside drink like coffee.
Minuses: long lines for the tiny bathrooms, sometimes the trip to your theater is a hike since the building is narrow but tall.
What to see: Transformers, Knocked Up, or if you missed it earlier in the summer Hot Fuzz. Buy tickets from Fandango.

* Regal Union Square Stadium 14. (850 Broadway)
Pluses can pick up snacks from the nearby Whole Foods, Trader Joes and well-stocked candy aisle at Duane Reade on 4th Ave for those who bring large handbags to the movies. Also, they're now featuring a snack cart inside the theater just before the screening.
Minuses: long ticket lines and sometimes chaotic electronic kiosk area on the ground floor.
What to see: License to Wed, Live Free or Die Hard, or Sicko. Buy tickets from Fandango.

* AMC Loews Kips Bay (570 2nd Ave. between 31st and 32nd St.)
Pluses often cited as a favorite cineplex for cinephiles, the huge theaters have great sound and screen quality.
Minuses: a little remote unless you live in the nabe.
What to see: License to Wed, Transformers, Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard or Sicko. Buy tickets from Fandango.

* AMC Loews 34th St. (312 W. 34th St.)
Pluses huge complex with well-staffed ticket and snack lines.
What to see: Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers, Sicko, or License to Wed. Buy tickets from Fandango.

* In Times Square: AMC Empire 25 (234 W. 42nd St.) or Regal E-walk 13 (247 W. 42nd St.)
Pluses gigantic complex, easy to move between theaters if you're up for a on-the-sly double feature.
Minuses the Times Square tourists clogging the sidewalks.
What to see: Ratatouille or Live Free or Die Hard; Transformers, and the older Knocked Up or 28 Weeks Later.

* Clearview's Zeigfeld (141 W. 54th St.)
Pluses: old time movie palace ambiance, massive multi-tier theater and gigantic screen.
Minuses: have to venture to mid-town on your day off.
What to see Ratatouille.

* AMC Loews Lincoln Square with IMAX (1998 Broadway)
Pluses: perfect venue for when you need to see Michael Bay's masterpiece in three dimensions, actual food offered at the concession stands.
What to see: Transformers, License to Wed and Introducing the Dwights. Buy tickets from Fandango.

* UA Court Street Stadium 12 (108 Court St., Brooklyn)
Pluses: convenience for Brooklynites who need a Hollywood fix.
Minuses: legendary. Long lines, slow staff and further (grammatically incorrect) commentary are all cataloged on the theater's Citysearch page.
What to see: License to Wed, Transformers, Ratatouille, or Live Free or Die Hard. Buy tickets from Fandango.

* UA Kaufman Studios Cinema 14 (35th Ave and 38th St., Queens)
Pluses: not far from the Silver Cup studios, this area of Queens is rich with movie culture and tons of cheap eats.
What to see: Ratatouille, Sicko, Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers or License to Wed.

In their summer issue, New York magazine broke down why they love their top 5 first run theaters as well as a convenient list of excellent indie screens.

Photo via Paxton Holley's Flickr.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Karen Wilson in Arts and Events on July 3, 2007 5:01 PM

Comments [rss]

guest

Guys need more research - Village East remodeled awhile ago and completely got rid of their vending machines. Now they have some of the priciest concessions in the area.

brooklynbee

I agree that the worst movie theater is the UA on Court Street. Did you know that employees and patrons of that theater have gotten into shooting/stabbing fights there, and that there used to be an ATM in that theater until someone actually stole it?!

guest

Warning about the Union Square theatre - they sell seats RIGHT UNDER the screen, that you can't possibly see from. Pure greed.

A good thing - you can go to the manager, irate, and demand a pass to the next screening.

Nick S

can we all agree that the angelika is the worst theatre to see a movie in? that constant rumbling, the fact that the theaters are shaped like shoe boxes, the overall obnoxiousness of the crowd that sips lattes pre-movie.

UGH

guest

The Kaufman Astoria theater is amazing. Quiet, large, friendly, and tends to show movies a little later than the other multiplexes. One of a small number of reasons I miss living in the neighborhood

guest

loews 34th...with kips a close 2nd (it's a bit out of the way tho). plus at 34th, you can follow up your cinematic experience with some foodage in k-town.

banjoandro

Loews Lincoln Center has half price movies every Fri Sat. and Sun. before noon.

guest

Third on Regal Battery Park. Went and saw Ratatouille on opening night at 7:30PM. Theatre was only 80% full.

guest

I second Regal Park. It is the best theater ever. If you wanted to watch a new release You'd wait in a crazy line at union square only for it to be sold out as you reach the front. With regal, you can have a leisurely bike ride and watch Transformers on opening night a half hour before the screen time. I love Regal. You can buy tickets at costco that would encheapen the tickets to ~9 bucks.

Gregoire

If you're afraid a movie might sell out, go to the Regal Battery Park Cinema. NOBODY goes there. I saw 1408 there at 1:30 in the afternoon, with one other person in the theater.

CInema Village East is the worst theater. Only ONE screen has old style balcony seating. For the other five or six screens, the entire theater is the size of a balcony.

guest

Transformers was disappointing. I second Loews 34th Street. Clean and nice seating. Rarely crowded except for certain opening nights. 6 bucks before noon on the weekends.

scoboco

I love those two theaters on the Duece: great sound, great seats, reasonably clean. And if you need to grab a quick bite before your show, the pizza place on the corner of Eighth and 42nd, Villa Pizza, is, shockingly, actually good.

Full review:

http://scoboco.blogspot.com/2007/06/villa-pizza.html

David McCaffredy

Saw Transformers last night. Totally f-ing awesome. As long as you go with a bunch of friends and don't take yourself too seriously - you'll have a blast. Best ridiculous summer blockbuster of at least the last couple of years.