I never thought I'd say that I'm willing to pay more than $7.50 for a movie ticket. Usually that's my threshold because once you add popcorn and drinks, going to a movie can be a little pricey for a family of four. But I'm gonna make an exception every now and then for the new AMC Esplanade 14, opening for business on Sept. 7. I'm told tickets run $6-$15, depending on day of the week, movie time and experience (Fork & Screen or Cinema Suites). Do check the theater's web site for updates on pricing.
I'm already dreaming of date night on those comfy leather recliner chairs that are in the Cinema Suites auditoriums, aimed at the over-21 crowd. Martini and appetizer for me, please. Food and bar prices, we found, are fairly comparable to those you find at a casual restaurant bar.
Cinema Suites seats I'm told go for $9-$15, depending on time. The higher-priced seats compared to typical movie prices of $5-10 at most theaters is well worth the comfort for me. I mostly love that there won't be kids running up and down the aisles or crying. Is that bad for a mom to say? The only negative, really, is being too comfy. I can see us falling asleep, especially if we eat too much.
There's also the Fork & Screen, where you can order dinner with your movie. Seats are comfy, too, but not as luxurious as Cinema Suites. This is aimed at 18 and older, but kids are welcome with an adult.
I don't see this dine-in theater as a regular experience for us, mostly because of a 30-minute drive for us versus the typical 10-20 minutes for the other theaters that we frequent. We also don't typically do dinner and a movie because of the combined expense, easily $85 or more. But we really felt the experience was worth the additional cost, at least every now and then, when we decide to pair both on the same night.
During our sneak peeks, our service was good. Waiters quickly and quietly took our order. If we needed anything, we had a call button handy. But we didn't have to use it since we were regularly asked if we wanted a refill or extra food when our order came in or cleared away. However, I can see some people not liking this because it may interrupt the movie. Your bill comes about an hour into the movie.
The food was much more reasonably priced than I expected. I guess all those trips to the movie snack counter had me afraid to look. Most dishes were priced $8.99 to $11.99, about the same or slightly more than what you'd find in fast-casual restaurants. Offerings included pizzettas, sandwiches, burgers and quesadillas. There is a kid's menu for 12 and younger. Those run $6.99 and include an entree, drink and chips, fries or fruit cup. You can get more expensive specialty dishes, too. When we went the special menu included lobster ravioli, salmon, calamari and tenderloin tips.
The food wasn't impressive. It wasn't bad, though. Our feeling is to stick to the basics, quesadillas, burgers and sandwiches instead of the higher-end meals. On the first night, I opted for the ravioli, which didn't seem worth $17.99. If it were $8.99, I wouldn't have been disappointed. I also wasn't impressed with the beer-battered buffalo chicken tenders ($11.99), but my daughter liked them. My son enjoyed his burger ($9.49) and my husband liked the country fried steak, potatoes and veggies ($11.99). Word of caution, it is filling. Dessert was yummy. We shared the Citrus Berry Stack ($6.49). Other desserts are priced $5.99 to $6.49. Non-alcoholic beverages, including tea, soft drinks, smoothie and shakes, were $2.49 to $4.99.
Before the movie started, we had an appetizer and drinks in the lobby bar. My sour apple martini was $7.99 and a large Blue Moon beer was $6.99. A sampler with wings, cheese sticks, onion rings and chips was $12.99. We decided that wasn't worth the cost, but the drink prices weren't shocking.
I think either Fork & Screen or Cinema Suites is a nice option for date night when you are short on time (and possibly childcare funds) to do both dinner and a movie or want to splurge on the kids for a good report card. You don't have to go all out, so sharing an appetizer or two and having soft drinks may make it more budget friendly.
Cheers!
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