Submitted by iced-macchiato t3_11vxflj in springfieldMO
Sure it was kind of run down, but you knew what you were getting when you went. I miss going and seeing movies for cheap. I barely go see movies anymore just because of the price. If I do go, I have to see a Saturday matinee to get cheap tickets.
Everyone raves about Alamo but I have yet to go. I’m not really willing to spend that much every time I go see a movie.
To be honest, I was on the fence about the Alamo when it opened, but I’ve gone several times and I do enjoy it. It feels like a treat. The chairs are huge and comfortable and the food (while very expensive) actually kinda slaps. The reserved seating is nice too. But it’s a once in a very while thing. I, like you, miss the shitty theaters that you go to two or three times a week.
I miss the Palace, but since COVID the Alamo is the only theater I can see a movie at where chucklefucks don't ruin the experience by having full volume conversations or bringing a baby that either screams and cries or runs through the aisles the whole time.
I'll gladly pay more once every couple of months to see a movie in peace and quiet, rather than gambling 15 bucks on the chance that someone won't ruin the experience for me.
I'd also say that moving to an "experience" model is the only way theaters are gonna compete with VOD. It's like 20-25 bucks for me to rent a movie to watch at home where I can control everything, and I'd pay that much for my wife and me to go see something in a theater. If there's nothing more than a big screen to attract people to the theater, people are gonna watch from home more and more. Not to mention the fact that turn-around on films from the theater to streaming is crazy fast now. Puss in Boots is already on Peacock. The Marvel movies are on D+ a month after they're in theaters, and WB's deal with HBOmax means a lot of smaller films end up streaming there before they come to theaters around here.
I think this is absolutely the answer. You don’t have to go to a theater to see a movie, so the theater has to be selling something besides the movie itself to draw you in. Theaters that just show movies and sell popcorn won’t be profitable. I think it’s a bit sad, because that was a really special experience when I was young, but it’s not really much of a pull these days.
> I think it’s a bit sad, because that was a really special experience when I was young, but it’s not really much of a pull these days.
How I feel about arcades for sure. I'm a little more meh on movie theaters.
I’ve honestly had more bad experiences with talkative groups in alamo theaters than amc tbh
Do you put up the card when that happens? There's only been one time I've had an issue, and the attendant talked to them and it wasn't an issue the rest of the movie.
Tickets for alamo are actually pretty cheap
I haven't either. I get why some might like it, but I don't care to have dinner served during a movie and have someone coming in and out the whole time.
Look into it, they make sure to not to disturb. It’s a cool experience.
You don’t have to eat dinner there. Although their good isn’t bad. Also you’ll rarely notice people moving around. They take the peace of the theater very seriously. And if an employee bothers you just a little, it will still be less distracting than the people on their cell phones at a normal theater.
Tuesdays are $7 tickets if you wanted to give it a shot, though there is a small convenience charge with online orders.
I go exclusively to them for their very enforced policies on noise and disruption. The food is good, albeit on the high side but it is a theater. Only thing I've really been disappointed with is the popcorn
I'm a cheap bastard, but I think the Alamo is worth it. It's a nice treat.
Immediately prepandemic they had a movie pass thing at Alamo, up to 1 movie per day for 20/month.
I think I watched probably 15 movies there in that month and I loved it so much.
Most days I just bought a root beer, but occasionally I’d get a boozey milk shake.
Only got to go a couple times after it got really opened back up after the pandemic then I moved away.
Anyways, we have a baby now so we don’t go to the movies at all 🫠
They still have the season pass!
It’s not worth it IMO. Spent almost $50 on some chicken wings and a burger. Could have gone to a restaurant for less than half that, and the food quality was mid. The recliners aren’t worth the fees when if you need to drink while watching a movie that badly, just invite some friends over.
I can’t go anywhere else after the Alamo. Nothing in town compares even slightly.
I'm in the minority here, but I don't care for Alamo. The screens are fine and the audio is actually nice and loud, but it's ruined for me because the seats have these little desk things in them that can't be moved. I'm a big guy and that stupid desk just feels like I'm locked in to a roller coaster or something. I never buy food in a theater either so it's just there with no purpose. Most people don't mind it but it ruins the experience for me
Werhenbuuuuurg… Werhenburg theaaaateeers (Werhenburg, Werhenburg)
Forever in our heads. I hope the marketing geniuses that came up with it are in hell right now
They're in marketing. That is the inevitable endpoint for all of them.
I'm reminded of an old SNL skit with Paul Simon. He makes a deal with the devil to become a star and in the final scene as a little old man he steps onto an elevator and there's the devil. As the doors close The Boxer plays on Muzak in the background and he says 'I'm ready'. "oh Paul," the devil responds with maniacal laughter, "we're already here!".
You just unlocked a memory I forgot I had.
didn't it get replaced with a church even tho we have one every other block anyways lmfao
Yes, it is the Life360 (formerly Park Crest) Chesterfield campus
Man... I haven't thought about that place in years. Back in the day, when your mom could drop you off and not worry you would be on the 10 o'clock news.
I was ok with waiting until the movies got out of the bigger theaters and just go see them there. I think I snuck into my first R rated movie there... But I don't remember what movie it was sadly.
>Back in the day, when your mom could drop you off and not worry you would be on the 10 o'clock news.
Yep. I'm old enough to remember when we did that at Petite 3 Theater (now Pep Boys) and Fremont Theaters (now Play It Again Sports) directly across the street from it on on E. Battlefield. We paid $1 per movie, and a friend and I would usually go see 2 of them back-to-back. I remember watching Naked Gun 33 1/3 and Backdraft in the same night at Petite.
Lol, you are before my time for sure. I remember seeing the lion king at north town mall, and titanic at the battlefield mall food court.
North Town, Town & Country, Tower Theater (now Alice 95.5 radio station in the Plaza Shopping Center)...
The Battlefield Mall used to have 2 theaters... there was the main Battlefield Mall theater in the food court, and then there was Century 21, which was on the Glenstone-facing side of the mall, where Ethan Allen is now. Both Century 21 and Tower Theater each only had 1 screen.
Are you sure it only had one screen? I remember watching movies at the mall in the 90's a few times, and I swear the theater had like 3 screens? Could be a false memory though.
I thought I remembered Century 21 having two screens, but I Googled it earlier and found stuff saying that it indeed had only one. Wehrenberg Cinema 6 in the food court had 6 screens. And as he mentioned, there were two other theaters near the mall that had three screens: Fremont 3 and Petite 3.
Of all these theaters, the one that I have the fewest memories of is Petite 3.
> Wehrenberg Cinema 6 in the food court had 6 screens
I think this is the one I'm remembering. Definitely near the food court.
I had no idea there were so many different theaters in the mall. What a different time.
I remember having to eat chikfila a few times because it was next to.the theater and we had to rush. Back before people went so nuts over it and it was just mediocre fast food.
My mom took me to my very first movie in a theater at the tower theater. We saw the 90’s “Casper the friendly ghost.”
I can beat that. I saw most of the classic Bond movies at dollar movie marathons at the old Fox theater downtown. Was a treat to go to a play there this winter and see how it was fixed up. I saw empire strikes back at the Tower and once spent all night movie hopping at town and country on n. Kansas before it became the "star trek church" as we used to call it.
Back in the day there were 2 theaters just in the mall, wherenberg (wehrenberg...wehrenberg... ifkyk) and century 21. And then like you said, petite 3 and Fremont too. We had a ton of theaters
The midnight movie at the Fox was awesome, wasn't it?
I think about the Palace all the time. I think I remembering it being like $1.50 on Tuesday nights. I miss it. I miss crappy movie theaters in general.
Yes! I went every Tuesday in college
For people who go to movies frequently, it's cheaper now than it has ever been before. AMC A-List is only $20/month for our area, you can see up to three movies per week including 3D and IMAX, you can book online for free, you can have up to three reservations simultaneously, and you can make all of your reservations through Fandango to collect VIP rewards (essentially $1.25 per ticket in Vudu or Fandango credit). Disney and Sony both have rewards programs that allow you to get some more rewards money back from your tickets to their movies.
If you don't want to go that often and $20/month is more than you want to spend, then Tuesday prices really aren't that bad: $5.00 at B&B, $5.50 at AMC, or $7.00 at Alamo + tax and upcharge for premium formats.
Alamo also has a movie pass type deal.
They do, and they have better projection and a much better selection of movies than Springfield 11. But that program is less generous than A-List. You have to book reservations directly through Alamo on their website, and they don't waive online convenience fees. So you can't collect Fandango rewards, and you're still paying about $2 per ticket on top of the monthly membership fee. Alamo also doesn't include premium formats, so if you want to see something in 3D, that's an additional $2. You can make reservations only 7 days or less in advance, whereas AMC doesn't have a time limitation. It's a more restrictive program than A-List, and when you factor in both the lost rewards and ticket fees, it's really a much more expensive program for someone who is seeing a lot of movies. Since I don't particularly love the Alamo experience, the only major upside of their program is the better selection of movies. However, with A-List you can book everything through Fandango and then use VIP rewards to purchase discount tickets to Alamo screenings of things that aren't playing at Springfield 11. For example, if you used a VIP reward to go catch something at Alamo on a Tuesday, then you would pay only around $4 for that ticket ($2 more than if you had Alamo Season Pass), and you'd get back $1.25 credit towards your next $5 VIP reward. So, the value of Alamo Season Pass is pretty questionable, even for someone who prefers Alamo.
Remember their "cans" film festival? You would bring in cans of food like corn and stuff and they'd give you a ticket for a movie. We didn't have much money growing up and I'll always remember my mom taking me and my brother there for a special day. Damn dude.
Go to AMC or B&B on Tuesdays and you can go for $5. That's the only time our family can afford to go to the movies.
Alamo is doing matinee pricing on Tuesdays as well.
They always had the BEST Dr. Pepper. It was so dang good. I hate that it is now a church-ruins the vibe of Chesterfield
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I too miss actually living in the moment and not feeling constantly connected to the world through technology…not just me but the rest of the world too. It’s nice to have but it will never be the same.
I miss when there were good movies coming out worth seeing. Tbh I only want to go local now at The Moxie, tickets are only $10 anyways and it’s such a fun experience. They play the fun artsy stuff that I can enjoy and not another reboot, sequel, or rehash of a movie that came out 3 months earlier and you can’t tell which movie is ripping each other off. Movies suck right now tbh, I miss 2019 movies
I’m with you on all those great theaters being gone. I remember seeing the Blues Brothers at the Fremont 3, and so many different episodes of Star Wars silliness at the Battlefield Mall. Sheesh.
Hey you’re missing out on the best option still left in town: the Moxie. I guess it may be still considered “new” because it’s probably only been around for what, 20 years or so? But it’s great. Two theaters, neither are too big, both are comfortable. With beer and wine (so what else do you need?). Interesting movie options that most of the other theaters don’t show.
Moxie is awesome. There's a similar place called bookhouse in joplin. Combination pub and indie theater.
I had my first date at the palace theater. I was too broke to take my girlfriend out so she paid. We saw Mr. Woodcock (with Sean William Scott and billy bob thornton). Married her about 9 years later.
I remember seeing Jurassic park 3 there as a kid, and several other shows where my mom would drop me off to meet friends or let someone else’s parents drop us off. We were always pretty broke so she was able to afford a movie at the palace.
Palace was fine, though it was pretty ghetto.
I'm not mad that the Palace is gone. I'm mad that it got replaced with another damn church.
AMC A-List is the way to go. $23/month for 3 movies per week which includes IMAX and 3D. It also includes service charges for online reservations. Easily pays for itself if you see just a few movies per month.
Moxie only charges like $8 a ticket I think! Jjst saw the new Willam Defoe movie yesterday, it was great. They don’t have a lot of huge movies like palace would but there’s some solid choices playing at almost all times.
Every time I went there it was a bad experience, but I love the Alamo. The one bad thing is nobody can whisper Wehrenberg at the start of the movie. Remember that? Lol.
Whispering Wherenberg was part of the whole experience of Campbell 16 that I miss haha
They were the only theater in town that had giant pickles, I miss them a lot. Many of the early dates with my soon to be husband were at the Palace, lots of good memories there
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Absolutely yes I miss the old days
I'm old/young enough to have experienced the summer movie program where your parents would pay like some super cheap price for a package of movie tickets. They then took you during the week days of the summer to see movies that were usually a few years old at that point. First theatre was the one on Battlefield where Play it Again Sports is now when I was in elementary school and later it moved to the Palace after that closed when my brother was in elementary school.
I ended up going to Springfield 11 now because they have a deal that for $20 a month you can see 3 movies a week and it includes the imax and 3d.
I miss $2 movies, I had a lot of fun cheap dates there
When I was a little girl around 2000 my parents and I lived at chesterfield apartments and my mom and me would walk over and watch movies all the time 😭
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As a late 90s/early 2000s kid I personally loved that the building hadn't been updated and had that 80s aesthetic it was so cool to me as a kid
I've become a cranky old biddy lately. I'm deaf in one ear, so that ruins theaters for me. I won't pay what a ticket costs now'days, and I'm old enough that I fall asleep in those cushy recliners. Why would I buy a ticket to take a nap?!
If I can't get it from the internet, I don't watch it. I have an obscenely large TV right here at home, my movie food outdoes anything Alamo offers, I don't have to put on street clothes or put up with somebody else's noise, and I can bring my dogs! I don't miss going to the theater at all!
tdawg-1551 t1_jcvco7a wrote
I'm with you there. Theaters seem to have gone to a destination "experience" rather than just a place to watch a movie on a big screen with good sound. Can't tell you the last time I went to a theater.
Loved it back in the 90s when I was in college there was the Tower theater and Fremont for $1.00-1.50. Used to go to the late show all the time, sometimes was the only person there.