A Better Idea for the Movies
I’m slightly ashamed to say this but there was a period of about 2 years where I think I didn’t step foot into a movie theater. Don’t get me wrong, I love movies and it’s pretty lame to not be able to contribute to 50% of the conversations my friends have. But $12 a movie is just too steep unless you’re going movie hopping…and I just don’t have enough of an attention span for that.
I’m not even going to get started about theaters that make you pay way too much to PARK (Yes, I’m talking to you CityWalk AMC)!
Thus, I present to you the LA Decostified pick for best (value) movie theater in LA…
The Academy is a dirt cheap 2nd run theater that had me at “$2 matinee”. It’s not as big and fancy as your standard theater and you may have to wait a few weeks to see the new releases- but your ticket is a fraction of the price and street parking is abundant!
Admission Prices:
Matinee- $2 (6pm and earlier)
Evening- $3 (After 6pm)
Your best value is to go on Wednesday night for the Academy’s “date night” special. $10 gets you 2 movie tickets, 2 sodas, and 2 popcorns! WHAT?! I know, insane. I’m pretty sure if your date is halfway decent they’ll be impressed by your bargain-hunting skills and like you more. If they don’t, you’re probably too good for them so stop selling yourself short…
The Academy isn’t perfect though. And while we love it this post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning a few of the theater’s cons.
-some of the screens are really scratchy
-everything is cash only
-the theaters are pretty small, so you have to get there early for a good spot on a busy night
All that aside, The Academy has more than earned itself LA Decostified’s stamp of approval and it’s A Better Idea than your average LA theater. For more info. including location and show times, visit their handy website.
We know there are some pretty close runner ups in this category, so we encourage you to comment on this post telling everyone about your favorite cheap LA theater! Share the wealth!
I personally am a fan of the $6 before noon movies at AMC theaters. You can still see the movie you want on opening weekend in the nice theater. So no worries about your chair having a broken arm, sticky floor or scratch theater screen. I like the century city AMC. Free 3 hr parking then its only $3 for an additional 2 hrs with theater validation.
http://www.amcentertainment.com/Programs_and_Offers/Programs/A_M_Cinema/
Not as good of a deal, but if you want to go to a nicer theater, you can go to AMC before noon and enjoy a $6 movie.
I love Academy theatres in Pasadena. I love getting cheap food after/before the movie, so many good ethnic places around there.