Finding the Best Auditorium (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

Is there an app (ios) preferably, that shows what auditoriums a movie plays in? And is there a way to know whether that auditorium is a standard or upgraded auditorium. For instance, Cinemark has a theater in my area with, I think, just one XD auditorium. I think they'd like the audience to think they're all the same but they are not.

By using Flixster, I was able to determine (I think) that my Cinemark theater has one XD screen out of 18. Wonderwoman has it now. After knowing which auditorium screen is XD, how can I tell the size of the screen and the quality of the sound? I don't see anyway to do it.

 

[Tino]

Hate to say it but they way I find out is to call the theater and actually speak to a manager.

 

[Jake Lipson]

If all you want to do is figure out which movie is in xD format, you should be able to figure that out on Fandango because xD showtimes cost extra and are labelled as such on there. However, it won't tell you the screen size or anything like that.

I can't use stadium seating. My local AMC is set up so that there are stairs/stadium seating to ALL seats, except for the very back row, for auditoriums on the right side of the theater (#8-#15.) I found this out the hard way when I moved here and got stuck in the very back row on the right side a few times. The left side of the theater, on the other hand, only has stadium seating for the upper rows, and accessible seating in the middle section which I like. So, I actually just call the theater before I plan a trip there and ask which side of the theater the movie is playing on. They have always answered this question for me without a problem. If it's playing on the right, I'll typically go to Cinemark instead -- although the Cinemark has begun letterboxing all of its 2.35:1 films rather than filling the screen with them, which is annoying. So I usually have to decide whether this is more or less annoying than being in the back.

The best possible outcome is if the AMC has it on their left side, but they only have 7 screens on the left, so that's not always the case.

 

[zoetmb]

If it's a reserved seat auditorium and you know what's playing there (let's say Wonder Woman and you know because it's a higher price), go online to the theater's own site (not Fandango or any other 3rd party site) and check out the number of seats and seat layout on the seating chart. Assuming no other theaters in the complex have exactly the same seat count and layout, you'll always be able to tell which theater it is in the future.

But there's no way to tell screen size or sound system. In fact, in the seating diagrams, ignore the screen size (especially at AMC theatres) because it has nothing to do with the actual screen in either size or placement. The online diagrams are very misleading.

 

[Sam Favate]

I have to say I really dislike the new AMC layout of the theaters. Having stairs instead of a ramp makes it difficult, since we have a child in a wheelchair, and I don't think it's right that all wheelchair patrons should have to sit in the back row (which is where all the wheelchair locations are). Yesterday in Wonder Woman, I had to back his wheelchair down the stairs until we got to a row we wanted, and that was fortunately wide enough so we could fit the chair it in (he sat in a regular seat). But really, whoever designed these rooms (and whoever signed off on them) didn't think a bit about the disabled.

 

[Jake Lipson]

But really, whoever designed these rooms (and whoever signed off on them) didn't think a bit about the disabled.

This is the same problem I have here, albeit only with half the theater (the left side, which has accessible seating in the middle, was apparently renovated much more recently than the right side.) It is my experience that the only people who really think about people with disabilities are either disabled themselves, or relatives/friends of someone with a disability. Unfortunate, but largely not uncommon. And, technically, since AMC is providing wheelchair access in the back row, they're not out of compliance with the ADA, even if it would be nicer/better for wheelchair access points to be more varied within the auditorium.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

That sucks. At my local AMCs, you typically enter via a gently sloping ramp which lets in at the middle of the theater. The accessible seating is in the middle, some of the best spots in the auditorium usually. Sorry to hear that's not the case everywhere.

 

[Jake Lipson]

At my local AMCs, you typically enter via a gently sloping ramp which lets in at the middle of the theater. The accessible seating is in the middle, some of the best spots in the auditorium usually.

That is how it is here on the left side, and how it is in Indiana where I used to live. I think it comes down to this seating plan being used in newer (or newly remodeled) theaters. I know because I asked about it that the left side here (the good side) was remodeled more recently than the others.

Of course, accessibility problems exist in all kinds of places, not just movie theaters, and the AMC chain is hardly the only one to blame. My local art house was built in 1972 and their second floor, complete with one of the three screens they have, is totally inaccessible.

 

[Johnny Angell]

If it's a reserved seat auditorium and you know what's playing there (let's say Wonder Woman and you know because it's a higher price), go online to the theater's own site (not Fandango or any other 3rd party site) and check out the number of seats and seat layout on the seating chart. Assuming no other theaters in the complex have exactly the same seat count and layout, you'll always be able to tell which theater it is in the future.

But there's no way to tell screen size or sound system. In fact, in the seating diagrams, ignore the screen size (especially at AMC theatres) because it has nothing to do with the actual screen in either size or placement. The online diagrams are very misleading.

I have not seen seating charts online.

 

[Malcolm R]

Around here, you enter at the bottom/front of the auditorium and have to walk up the stairs to all the stadium seats, toward the back row. So the only choice for those with wheelchairs is to sit in the front row, close to the screen.

I also wish there was a way to know what film is playing in what auditorium at a given cineplex without having to call the theater directly. I'm more likely to drag my butt to the theater if I know the filim I want to see is not in the smallest auditorium.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I have not seen seating charts online.

This illustrates how seldom I buy online and also that I've never bought online for reserved seating.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Around here, you enter at the bottom/front of the auditorium and have to walk up the stairs to all the stadium seats, toward the back row. So the only choice for those with wheelchairs is to sit in the front row, close to the screen.

I also wish there was a way to know what film is playing in what auditorium at a given cineplex without having to call the theater directly. I'm more likely to drag my butt to the theater if I know the filim I want to see is not in the smallest auditorium.

And how the hell do you get a person to talk to when calling the theater? I while back when I couldn't get showtimes from an app, I called the theater. The recording eventually said to call another number for showtimes which I did, and that call gave me another number. I was pissed and gave up.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I also wish there was a way to know what film is playing in what auditorium at a given cineplex without having to call the theater directly..

If you purchase tickets on Landmark Theaters' website -- or just click on a showtime as if you are going to buy tickets -- it will tell you on the form which screen the movie you've chosen is in. I used this all the time when I used to live in a Landmark market. I have always thought it is a nice feature that Fandango, not to mention theater websites, should copy, although I've never seen it on any other major chain's website. You can tell if something is in an IMAX or Cinemark xD auditorium because the cost will reflect that in a premium, but otherwise, this is not something that exists, but should.

I suspect the reason that it does not exist is because the vast majority of the moviegoing public, who are not home theater enthusiasts, likely don't care what screen it's on and wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary or complain unless the presentation is actually interrupted with an error.

As a general rule of thumb, though, I think that the newer the movie is, the likelier it is to be in the bigger auditoriums.

 

[Jake Lipson]

And how the hell do you get a person to talk to when calling the theater?

Depends on your theater, I guess. Cinemark just answers the phone when I call. AMC starts with a recording, but after the recording says to press zero to speak with a theater associate. The direct numbers to both locations are saved in my phone, which tells you how often I call them. As long as it's not after-hours, or at a time when the box office is particularly crowded, it's fairly easy to get someone on the phone, and they're typically happy to help, especially if my question is very specific and quick to answer (i.e., "Is the 7:45 show on the left or the right?").

 

[Sam Favate]

Around here, you enter at the bottom/front of the auditorium and have to walk up the stairs to all the stadium seats, toward the back row. So the only choice for those with wheelchairs is to sit in the front row, close to the screen.

The older theaters in our area are set up like this, while the newer ones, like AMC (which just retrofitted its theaters) have the handicapped seating in the back. Far from hoping it gets better, it's getting nothing but worse. I live in New Jersey, and the older, neighborhood theaters are all closing (two closed in the last year in the two neighboring towns) while the nearby AMCs have all remodeled with the seats in the back.

 

[Johnny Angell]

A lot of talk about where you enter the auditorium and are there steps or ramps. These are valid concerns but I'm more interested in knowing what's the best auditorium in the house, and after that, the next best.

Best, meaning best projectors, screens, sound systems. I presume in the case of Cinemark, the XD auditorium is their best. It would just be nice to have that info right there in an app on my iPhone. I'm not a detective at heart.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Best, meaning best projectors, screens, sound systems. I presume in the case of Cinemark, the XD auditorium is their best.

I agree with what you're saying, but here's why that hasn't happened: 99% of potential moviegoers do not care. I'm not saying that it's not a valid concern, but since most people don't think about it, that feature has yet to be demanded by the public at large, so it doesn't exist.

I went with my mother and sister to see La La Land earlier this year, and I insisted on attending the IMAX screening and paying more to do so, which entailed the largest screen, best projection and sound system in the theater. The two of them asked me what makes it IMAX, couldn't tell the screen was bigger, and remarked afterwards that it was just like seeing it in a regular theater, so unconcerned were they with the quality of the presentation. To them, a movie is a movie is a movie. They might be outliers, in that I would suspect most dedicated moviegoers know what IMAX is, but I would also suspect most people's interest level in finding the best auditorium is closer to theirs than mine, yours or the bulk of the people who use this forum.

And it's not like we decide what film is booked where. So you know what auditorium is the best; would you actually NOT go see a film that you wanted to see just because it isn't booked in the top-of-the-line auditorium? Most people will likely not care. A theater like Cinemark, which doesn't give a crap if they letterbox scope films like DVDs, is certainly not going to care to tell us what the capabilities of their various screens are.

Also, for those of us with specific seating needs in regards to stairs/ramps, the basic accessibility of the space has to be of paramount importance over how good the tech in the room is. If we can't get a good seat in the room, the best tech in the world isn't going to matter because we won't be able to see/hear/experience it.

 

[cinemiracle]

Around here, you enter at the bottom/front of the auditorium and have to walk up the stairs to all the stadium seats, toward the back row. So the only choice for those with wheelchairs is to sit in the front row, close to the screen.

I also wish there was a way to know what film is playing in what auditorium at a given cineplex without having to call the theater directly. I'm more likely to drag my butt to the theater if I know the filim I want to see is not in the smallest auditorium.

The reason that they do not tell you which auditorium the film is playing until you buy a ticket, is to stop you going from one cinema to the next after you have seen a film.That way you would not be able to plan your day so as to see as many films as possible during a single day and all for the cost of a single ticket. So easy to do in multiplexes. Another trick is for people in wheelchairs to ask to use the bathroom (would you ever refuse such a disabled person?) and then just go directly to whichever cinema you wish. I must admit that I have done both things many times.It always works.

 

[Malcolm R]

The reason that they do not tell you which auditorium the film is playing until you buy a ticket, is to stop you going from one cinema to the next after you have seen a film.That way you would not be able to plan your day so as to see as many films as possible during a single day and all for the cost of a single ticket. So easy to do in multiplexes.

I don't see how not listing the specific auditoriums prevents this? They post all the movie times online, so it's easy to plan this anyway, if that's somehting you do. I don't think people doing this care about auditoriums.

 

[cinemiracle]

I don't see how not listing the specific auditoriums prevents this? They post all the movie times online, so it's easy to plan this anyway, if that's somehting you do. I don't think people doing this care about auditoriums.

Not easy to plan if you don't know which auditorium and which level the cinemas is on.You try it and see how you will go.