My Definitive Ranking of the Best Cinemas in the Chicagoland Area That I Have Personally Attended.

I have an upcoming "Ben Kaye's Cultural Questionnaire" with many fun and varied questions, but I got one pair of questions that I felt deserved its own dedicated post;

- name some local theaters you think are overrated, coward
- top five movie theaters in Chicago (chains and indies) for best viewing experience

Other than my personal objection to being called a "coward," I am thrilled to take this challenge on using one of my favorite forms of writing; a list!

Qualifiers

• I'm only including movie theaters that I have personally been to. I'm sorry if your favorite theater isn't here.
• My ranking rubric is based around Location, Comfort, Programming, Aesthetics, and Presentation. If you have any issue with where I have ranked a movie theater, that's between you and the God of Cinema (at this point, it's probably like, a Minion, or something).
• That's really it, but I felt having two bullet points was too few, so here's a third bullet point to help pad things out.

Theaters I've Been to But Haven't Frequented Enough To Have Strong Opinions On Them:
AMC Roosevelt: I saw THE LAST JEDI here back when it was a ShowPlace ICON and had a great time. That's all I got.
Doc Films: Some of the best film programming you'll find in the city, led by a valiant team of determined University of Chicago students and outside programmers. If you can make the journey down to Hyde Park, I fully endorse supporting this team and their work!

Honorable Mention: The New 400

Did we as a moviegoing society forsake the New 400? The cheapo, dingy, lovable movie theater (what used to be the most northern cinema in the city-proper) had terrible screen masking, less-than-stellar sound, and parts of the ceiling were missing. But also, tickets were fantastically affordable, leading to great opportunities for communal moviegoing. The theater has been closed for a few years now, but new ownership has promised (threatened?) to restore the space to a new glory. As ever, there's no such thing as too many movie theaters in a city.

AND NOW, THE LIST!

15. AMC 600 North Michigan 9

I take it back; there is such a thing as too many movie theaters in a city. There's not too much wrong with the AMC Michigan; as with many an AMC theater, it exists up in the heavens via a series of cascading escalators, the seats are standard modern AMC fare, and the layout is hardly offensive. But this theater seems the most unnecessary of the ones in the downtown Chicago area, with a paltry nine screens as opposed to most other AMC locations with screens in the double digits. If you're looking for another downtown AMC, the River East isn't that far away, and has far more going for it as a location (more on that later), and the AMC Newcity (similarly far superior by every metric) isn't too far away either. Far from being the worst Actual Movie Theater on this list, AMC Michigan just feels like the least essential, sadly keeping it all the way down here at Number 15.

14. AMC Dine-In Block 37

In theory, it makes perfect sense to have a movie theater inside of a shopping mall, that seems like the natural order of things (see; another entry further up this list). But the AMC Dine-In Block 37 just Isn't It. I'm not a huge fan of Dine-In movie theaters in general (see; the next entry), especially when there are fine enough dining options in Block 37 in general. We also run into the same Too Many Downtown AMCs we ran into with our previous entry, only this time with the promise of overpriced food! This location gets a slight bump for being connected to a hub where the Red and Blue Lines can literally drop you right off in the building to get the theater, but why even bother?

13. Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville

Oh, Alamo Drafthouse. How far ye have fallen. A few years ago, Alamo would've likely found its way into the Top 10, maybe even the Top 5. For a Dine-In theater, the food is pretty great quality, their Baby Day Screenings were a godsend for me and my wife during our early months of parenting, the previous iteration of its No Talking/No Phones policy was a marvel for fans of the Cinematic Experience, and their programming features a great mix of Blockbusters, Indie Darlings, and Bizarre Oddities from local film programmers (though there is a bizarre dissonance in, say, watching SEVEN SAMURAI and eating a chicken sandwich at the same time).
However, the bizarre new policy where the menus can primarily only be accessed ON YOUR PHONE - alongside the company's frequent attempts at squashing their Front of House unions - all but forces me to drag this Carnival Ride Masquerading as a Movie Theater all the way down to Number 13. My solidarity with everyone working FOH at Alamos across the country; I hope to consider returning to your cinema one day under better working conditions.

12. Regal Cinemas 11 Webster Place

Do you ever go to a movie theater and think "huh, I wish I could perpetually feel like the building I'm in could collapse at any moment"? Well, the Regal Webster is just the place for you! Located right near Pequod's (Chicago's best deep dish pizza place and don't let anyone tell you otherwise), this is the perfect cinema to go and see a movie that looks like a piece of crap, but could still be enjoyable. Suitably, Regal Webster kinda looks like a piece of crap, but you can still have a great time there! I saw M3GAN here! VIOLENT NIGHT! BODIES BODIES BODIES! All movies that one could easily describe as "pretty bad, but still enjoyable!" There are far better options for moviegoing, but you can't deny it gets the job done.

11. Regal City North Stadium 14 (Regal Western)

On aesthetics alone, the Regal Western is a Top 5 theater in Chicago. You walk right into the building and POW, you're like "Yep! This is a movie theater! I'm here!" The Regal Western also gets points for being the only Chicago movie theater that has a 4DX space, and is the only theater in the city-proper with an "IMAX" screen. Throw in a big ole arcade and the vibes hit peak nostalgia rather quickly. My major qualms are mainly that the screen masking and presentation can often be so-so -which just seems to be a Regal standard at this point - and it can be a bit of a schlep to get to in comparison to other theaters on this list. Even so, if this is your local cinema, you could do a hell of a lot worse, no question!

10. The Davis Theater

If there's any theater on this list that has the potential to jump up this list exponentially, it's undoubtedly the Davis. Located on gorgeous N. Lincoln Ave in Lincoln Square, the Davis has heaps going for it; great location, classic cinema facade, a cocktail bar attached to the space, three screens! The Davis has also been really amping up their repertory screenings and outre programming in general (most notably, they're frequent hosts to the madcap programming of the Oscarbate Film Collective, whose screenings are certainly not to be missed), alongside their new video rental space located in the adjoining bar. My biggest points away from the Davis have to do with the funky layouts of their screening rooms, not to mention their main space, Theater 1, and its absolute horrific sound. Every time I've seen a film in Theater 1, it's been an auditory nightmare, and that's not nothing! Let's hope they can fix this, and the Davis may well become one of the North Side's premiere independent movie theaters.

9. AMC Village Crossing 18

If there were any theaters I would give the moniker of "hidden gem" to, it would be Skokie's very own AMC Village Crossing. With 18 screens, this AMC is often able to show films that might not otherwise be seen at your local AMC, especially for folks not looking to trek to AMC River East. Other positives include the inclusion of Dolby Cinema and "IMAX" screens, the spacious parking lot, its proximity to a heap of restaurants and retail outlets, plus it's the only AMC on this list that's ground level! No escalators required! My biggest ding against AMC Village Crossing is the bizarre layout of its concessions counter, the centralized location bifurcating the screening hallways, forcing you to horseshoe yourself through your food-and-drink selection, eventually getting completely lost when trying to gain your bearings and figure out how the hell to get to your screen. Besides this directional nonsense, I love AMC Village Crossing 18. It is my friend and I'm grateful for it.

8. AMC Evanston 12

Like many an AMC, the AMC Evanston rests within the skeleton of a previous cinema franchise, in this case, the Evanston Cinemark 16 (a movie theater that I once worked at before The Pandemic Happened). There are scant remnants of that previous tenant's former glory, and the building has seen quite a bit of renovation over the past few years. For starters, four screens were demolished and replaced by an adjoining SkyZone (it provides ample entertainment for my toddler, so I can't complain too much), and much of the Cinemark's gorgeously garish aesthetics have been removed for the more traditional, identity-less AMC branding. Perhaps this one is getting an unfair advantage due to it literally being five minutes from my house, but AMC Evanston - located in gorgeous, scenic, downtown Evanston, surrounded by great restaurants, right next to the purple line, and still in pristine condition, for now - checks so many boxes on what makes the moviegoing experience ideal, I really can't rank it any lower than this. Supposedly, a few more screens are going to be demolished to make room for a new apartment complex, but for now, I'm honored to have this as my go-to cinema.

7. AMC River East 21

This is the one. The downtown Chicago AMC to rule them all. If you're looking to see a mainstream film in the heart of downtown Chicago (or some Bollywood Cinema, they're great for that too), this is your spot, no question. We've got TWENTY ONE SCREENS, fancy heated seats, a Dolby Cinema screen, and SO MANY FUCKING ESCALATORS, all in the heart of downtown Chicago (and by "heart," I mean "River North, but you know what I mean"). While not the highest-ranking AMC on this list (just you wait...), this location feels the most comparable to the AMC you might find in Times Square. This is hands down the most "AMC" of the AMCs in our city.

6. Landmark Century Centre Cinema

From a branding perspective, the Landmark Theatres franchise is a winner. Primarily, they're able to get away with carrying something of an arthouse sheen while still programing the latest Marvel slop in their theaters, alongside being one of the only places to see Netflix Originals in a theatrical setting. The Century Centre, their primary Chicago location, is located in what might charitably call a shopping mall but is realistically an Island for Misfit Retail Stores. The building contains an Aveda Institute, an axe-throwing place, a game night place, and a Hertz lot, alongside a few other storefronts I'm sure I'm rightfully forgetting. After riding up a series of gorgeously cascading escalators, you have arrived at a land of comfy lounges, "healthier" snack options, and even more winding hallways to navigate to arrive at tour screening destination. The Landmark Century is also a great host for the Chicago Latino Film Festival, and the Reeling Film Festival, adding even more artistic sheen onto a venue that sits squarely at the midpoint between arthouse and mainstream.

5. FACETS

Wander back into the raked screening room, sink into the too-deep seats, and let FACETS provide you with a true independent theater experience. For those who missed the first run of that Cool New Indie Film that played at the Music Box or the Siskel, FACETS has got you covered, providing one of the only second-run experiences for underground film in the city. FACETS is also great at providing (limited) viewing for more outre independent films, a wonderful home for the indie films that are even "too" indie for the larger arthouse spaces in the city. Alongside their stellar collection of physical media available to rent, they've got a super cute lounge area, and tons of extra programming including Film Camps and Family Screenings. FACETS undeniably puts the "independent" in "independent cinema."

4. Landmark at the Glen

I have seen one film at the Landmark at the Glen (Richard Linklater's BLUE MOON) and that experience was, inexplicably, enough to place this charming-as-all-heck theater at Number Four. Located in Glenview's absolutely delightful shopping complex The Glen (are all Landmarks located in shopping centers? is that their thing?), Landmark at the Glen already scores major points for quaint aesthetics, and then you walk inside and
LOOK AT THIS BIZARRELY MASSIVE LOBBY.
IT'S SO BIG.
WHAT.
Unlike the nauseating confusion of AMC Village Crossing's labyrinthine concessions stand, Landmark at the Glen has the opposite problem of just So Much Space And Nothing To Do. It's not too hard getting around, but there's almost a Backrooms-adjacent feeling to the emptiness you find yourself in. No matter though! The Glenview Landmark carries all of the positives of the Chicago location, alongside much better film presentation, and the lack of Monstrous Escalators to traverse. For those willing to make the trek out here, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

3. AMC Newcity 14

AMC Newcity has quite a few things going for it; having built itself within the carcass of the dearly departed Arclight Cinema, the theater seating and aesthetics are top notch, the curved screening rooms and massive screens being carried over to great affect. They've got a wonderfully massive lobby and bar area, and my favorite feature, the leftover clock board that - in theory! - should display upcoming showtimes but, as of the last time I was there, Doesn't. What a marvel. Located down the street from the North/Clybourn Red Line, embedded in the Newcity Shopping Complex (grab some Nando's before your film to improve things exponentially), AMC Newcity is cozy, accessible, and as top-notch a Chicago-proper AMC one can find. It's also the new home of the Chicago International Film Festival, so the artistic bona fides absolutely cement this AMC as the place to be, so sayeth Nicole Kidman.

2. Gene Siskel Film Center

The Gene Siskel Film Center is the platonic ideal of an arthouse movie theater, full stop. Their programming is eclectic, worldly, and inspired. Their two screens are both comfortable and intimate, buoyed by a spacious lobby and great concession stand commandeered by local SAIC students. They've got international films, independent films, repertory screenings, a wide variety of film festivals (Black Harvest Film Festival, Festival of Films from Iran, Chicago Palestine Film Festival, Chicago European Union Film Festival, the list goes on!), it's a movie lover's dream, and then some. The downtown location - while potentially far away for some - provides a nice opposing force to the AMC River East. You can head to the Loop for a joyous blockbuster near the lake, or you can head to the Siskel and get your brain activated by something new and invigorating. It feels essential that in the heart of the city, a shining home for independent film exists, and may it continue to do so for generations.

1. Music Box Theatre

Yes I know it's the obvious choice, but was there ever any doubt? Chicago's premier independent movie theater has everything going for it; stellar film programming (rep screenings, indie screenings, the latest 70mm boondoggle), stunning design aesthetics, a massive 700+ seat main theater, the inimitable Dennis Scott on the organ pre-show, and so much more! With an added third screen opening soon as of this writing, the Music Box remains, in this humble writer's opinion, the best place to watch a movie theater in the city of Chicago. If you've somehow never been there, I am envious that you get to experience this wonderful space anew. With the Music Box, Chicago's status as the movie lover's city is as strong as can be.