AT&T vs. Broadway vs. AMC vs. Movie Theater

It’s been three months since AMC opened its doors—enough time for the dust to settle, for the competition to react (or fail to), and for the big question to surface: which of these major theater chains actually reigns supreme?

I intentionally left out the smaller indie spots (like KFC, a local forum, or a film archive) because I really want to hear your take on the heavyweight players here in Chicago.

If you feel like it, feel free to break down your choice by category—which is exactly how I’m going to tackle this, plus I'll throw in one extra category of my own:

the theaters: The old-school movie theaters are completely outclassed here. Between their reliance on tiny suburban locations and outdated facilities, they just can't compete. In Chicago, the seating layouts are so poorly designed that, frankly, you're lucky if you aren't stuck staring at the screen from the very front row of the balcony.
The Mall of America has a decent auditorium (the second largest in the US) that feels very similar to Broadway in terms of layout.
AMC and Broadway have the edge here thanks to better overall upkeep. My vote for this category goes to AMC—mostly because of the legroom, the foolproof seat numbering, and the fact that they clearly considered accessibility for shorter people and those with disabilities. Broadway has slightly better headrests, but that isn't enough to win me over.

the lineup AMC is a step ahead of the pack here. Despite the usual tug-of-war between theaters and distributors, they've managed to curate a massive selection that hits all the right notes, and movies tend to stay on their schedule for quite a while. The local theaters and Broadway mostly stick to the blockbusters and rarely venture into "indie" or niche films. As for the Mall of America, with only a handful of titles that don't rotate very often, they can't really hold their own in this department.

the staff My vote goes to AMC for basic human decency. At both Broadway and the local theaters, I've far too often encountered employees having a bad day and being downright rude. So far, I haven't had that experience at AMC.

the website AMC launched a site that allowed for online ticket reservations, which was a total game-changer in the US. The Mall of America had some sort of mobile reservation gimmick, but I've never used it, so I can't really judge. Broadway responded with a redesigned site featuring a better booking interface and more detailed info about their films. The local theater sites are pretty sparse; beyond basic showtimes, there's almost zero information.
The Mall of America actually has the best site—you can find deep dives on upcoming films, great links, and one really helpful trick: a preview of the monthly schedule based on opening dates. Most other places just slap a "COMING SOON" tag on things and leave you hanging 👍 for that.

snacks and drinks Whether we like it or not, concessions have become a huge part of the cinema experience. AMC has introduced so many new options—sweet popcorn, nachos, ice cream, coffee... Broadway has kept up with most of the menu, while everyone else is still stuck in the past with just popcorn and candy bars. When it comes to anything other than Coke or Pepsi, only the Mall of America and AMC offer beer or other drinks at the counter. AMC wins this round, though I have to admit that snacks at any of these places are still way too expensive.

That’s all for now; I might add more later. Now, it's your turn.

Honestly, I’d much rather just head over to an AMC.

Broadway definitely. I’ve officially lost my patience with AMC. My girlfriend and I decided to catch a movie, so I went ahead and booked our tickets online through AMC and headed out. When we pulled up to the garage entrance, the light was green—everything seemed fine. But as we started driving down through the levels, every single floor had a red light. After basically going on a safari through every level of that parking garage, I finally got back outside, only to find the entrance light was green again. That's one strike against them. Eventually, I managed to find parking about 20 minutes away. When I finally reached the concession stand, the line was a mess. I joined the queue at the reservation desk, but the guy working there was incredibly slow. He didn't have any change, an elderly couple started yelling at him because he sold them tickets for the wrong day, and he couldn't even locate my reservation. Meanwhile, the lines at all the other windows completely cleared out, and I almost just gave up and bought standard tickets since they were still available, but I didn't want to lose those good seats I'd reserved. That's two strikes. Finally, after waiting 25 minutes, I grabbed the tickets and headed toward the auditorium. I picked up some cold popcorn and stood by the doors, only to find the employee standing right in front of the entrance refusing to let anyone in. We didn't actually get inside until 15 minutes after the movie was supposed to start. That's three strikes. Now, I will say the theater itself is really nicely designed, which made me temporarily forget all the nonsense that happened before. One point for them. But then came the twenty-minute ego trip. It was just constant bragging about how AMC is the best, the biggest, the prettiest, etc. That's four strikes. When the movie finally started, the guy in the projection booth forgot to turn off the lights, so there was this bright 1m x 2m square glowing on the screen the entire time. Five strikes. To top it all off, the doors weren't shut properly, so you could hear all the noise from the hallway the whole time. Six strikes. To wrap this up: a messy experience at AMC combined with a painfully boring movie like Master and Warrior results in 🙂

Exactly!

AMC sucks!!!!

Don't go there. It's the worst. People are literally spitting on your popcorn, and they're drugging you in the theaters with... something.🙂

Ugh, seriously... I am NEVER stepping foot in an AMC again. What a total disaster.
Get this... so I went to see Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. I had seen the first two movies at the Broadway theater over in Chicago, and honestly, it was awesome. But, well... naturally, this was my very first time ever going to an AMC, and since they were showing LOTR—which I absolutely adore—I was expecting it to be incredible. Instead, I was 100% disappointed. First off, I was freezing because the AC was cranked up way too high. Second, there was this obnoxious intermission right in the middle of the movie. Just when you’re finally getting sucked into the story, they hit pause. Like, hello? And third, the absolute worst part: I'm sitting there watching the movie, and suddenly, out of nowhere, they just blast the lights on! Of course, everyone in the theater lost their minds. Nobody could focus on the film anymore because we were all distracted by those damn lights. People were even yelling, "Turn the lights off! Turn them off!!" It stayed like that for about 20 minutes until some guy finally showed up because a woman went to find him. Once he came back and killed the lights, things settled down, but whatever... I have nothing good to say. They completely ruined the experience for me and everyone else in the room. And that's why...never again at AMC!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 :2up: 😠

Donna Nelson23 .... let me guess...
you work in the public relations department at AMC, specifically in the "misleading the public, trashing the competition, and denying everything we do wrong" division...

😛 😉

Hmm, I definitely didn't just vote for Broadway out of pure sentimentality in that poll. I really tried to be objective here—if I'd had some terrible experiences at AMC, I would've mentioned them—but since I haven't (I've only been there maybe three or four times since they opened), I just wrote down my actual impressions. Tell me, though—what is it about AMC that you don't like? (Assuming you even have an issue with it.)

I honestly think they should start a fan club.

For me, there's really no better place to catch a movie than an AMC

I’m finding myself increasingly irritated by these whole "Americanized" coffee shop vibes popping up everywhere. Every time I step into one of these places, the entire atmosphere feels staged and completely unnatural. (Honestly, it’s just bad energy.) When I see staff members walking around with those forced, plastic smiles—the kind they wear just so they don't get docked on their paychecks—I get this creeping sensation that the horror movie started before I even sat down to watch the actual film. It feels like everyone there, except for the people actually running the projectors, is just part of some weird performance. Even the quality at the local movie theaters has slipped below acceptable standards lately. If I had to give credit anywhere, I suppose AMC gets a pass because their seating and layout are decent. But look, I go to the theater to watch a movie—that’s the entire point—and I try my best to tune out everything else. The one thing I would personally ban? All those snacks in crinkly, noisy packaging. That constant rustling is enough to drive me absolutely insane!

There’s just nothing quite like a local movie theater👍
They have so much soul. Man, I really miss places like the Apollo, seeing a great character on screen, or even just being near the Appalachian Mountains... It was an entire experience. You’d go into the theater, the guy would check your ticket, and then he’d head into the projection booth and shout, "Hey boys, let me know if you want me to rewind this for you!"🙏

My friend and I are heading to Broadway this Wednesday to catch $6.75 because hitting up two movies back-to-back has become our absolute tradition. Honestly, I only ever bother going to AMC if there’s a specific film they aren't showing at Broadway. The only real perk of AMC is the free parking garage, but really, everything else is either the same or just worse. Oh, and don't even get me started on the drinks—AMC doesn't even carry Sprite, just that mediocre 7Up. 🙄 Plus, ever since they opened, they've been advertising those preview screenings, yet they still haven't actually started them.

I went to an AMC once and it was actually pretty good! 👍

Douglas Edwards2 said:Gabal .... let me guess...
you work over at Regal Cinemas in the "misleading the public, trashing the competition, and denying every single one of our flaws" department...

😛 😉

More and more ... honestly, quite possible....🙄

John Doe said:The guy just stands there by the doors, refusing to let anyone into the theater. We didn't even get inside until 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. That’s a point deducted from them.

Wait, they actually delayed the screening by 15 minutes?😕

I’ve only been to a Regal Cinemas once, so I probably don't have enough data points to make an objective call on who runs the best show, but my experience was fine.
That said, I am curious—are all their auditoriums roughly the same size? The one I sat in felt pretty cramped. I was catching City of God, so I figured maybe they reserve the smaller rooms for films that aren't massive blockbusters. Or is every screen there basically identical?

Hicks said:Old-school Cinemas are the absolute best👍
They actually have soul...

Totally agree! Old-school Cinemas win every time. I’ve been to the Mall of America, Broadway, and even Regal Cinemas, but they just don't hit the same as the classics... too crowded and just way too much going on. Those older spots always feel so cozy and local. I used to love hanging out at Central Park, and this past Saturday I was at Europa—honestly, besides Chicago, that's my favorite spot in the whole city...👍 for those old-school Cinemas.

John Doe said:AMC is definitely the better choice. I’ve really lost my patience with Regal Cinemas. My girlfriend and I decided to catch a movie, so I went ahead and reserved our seats online at Regal Cinemas and headed over. When we pulled up to the garage, the light was green—great start. But as soon as you descend into the garage, every single level is stuck on red. After doing a total safari through every floor searching for a spot, I finally get out, and the entrance light is back to green. That's one strike against them. I eventually managed to park about 20 minutes away. When I reached the concession stand, there was a massive line. I joined the queue for ticket pickups, but the guy behind the counter was impossibly slow; he didn't have any change, an elderly couple starts yelling because he sold them tickets for the wrong day, and he can't find our reservation. Meanwhile, the lines at all the other counters have vanished, so I almost just bought standard tickets since they were still available, but I didn't want to lose those prime reserved seats I worked for. Strike two. After about 25 minutes of waiting, I finally grab the tickets and head toward the theater. On the way, I grab some popcorn, only to find the staff member standing right in front of the doors refusing to let anyone in. We didn't actually get inside until 15 minutes after the movie was supposed to start. Strike three. Now, the theater itself is nicely decorated, which briefly made me forget the frustration. Strike one in their favor. But then comes the 20-minute ego trip where they brag about how Regal Cinemas is the best, the biggest, the prettiest, and has the best everything. Strike four. Finally, the film begins, but the projectionist forgot to turn off the lights in the booth, so a bright 1m x 2m square of light was glowing on the screen the entire time. Strike five. To top it off, the doors weren't even shut properly, so you could hear all the noise from the hallway. Strike six. To wrap this up: the experience at Regal Cinemas, combined with a painfully boring movie like Master and Warrior, results in 🙂

It was basically everything mentioned above, plus a nightmare of a parking situation. The screening was scheduled for 4:50 PM, but because those greedy bastards don't want to provide free parking, they run 20 minutes of ads and propaganda just to push the actual start time to 5:10 PM. The intermission isn't even that bad, but the tickets are outrageously expensive (for blockbusters that are already going to make a fortune regardless), and there’s zero legroom—I'm 6'3", so it was brutal. Once the movie ends, you head to the garage only to find it packed because those money-grubbing vultures couldn't be bothered to add another level. When we finally make it to the cashier—who supposedly accepts cash—they refuse to take our paper bills. They send us running around to different bars trying to get change, but nobody has any (we had already checked the main counter, and they don't deal with that stuff). We even tried going to the casino to order coffee just so we could try to break a bill. We asked the guy if he had any small change, and he said yes. We get our coffee, but the change they give us is just a bunch of paper scraps. After a few frustrating attempts, we have to return the coffee and head back to the cashier. After being ripped off and arguing with the absolute trash at the "Criterion Collection" stand, they barely deign to give us our coins... and it was already an hour or an hour and a half after the movie ended (and I'm an old man, I don't have all night). We get to the local diner and ask who we need to talk to so we can tear them a new one 😠 (the guy at the diner just laughs), and he tells us it's Sunday and nobody is working. We walk past what they call an "elite restaurant" that serves breakfast for $30!—honestly, they are delusional. We were honestly close to just ripping the door off the hinges and leaving. We finally pay for the parking (after being there for over 5 hours!) and get the hell away from that "Criterion Collection" dump.

As for those greedy owners of the "Criterion Collection," I hope their kids grow up in misery and nothing good ever comes of them... 😠 😠 😠😠 😠

Next time they see me, I’m showing up with a baseball bat and some grenades...

🎉🎉🎉 Cinema 🎉🎉🎉

little wonder said:I agree—the independent cinemas are the absolute best. I’ve been to the A1 gallery, Broadway, and even Cinestar, but they just don't compare to these older spots; between the crowds and a million other things, it's just different. There's always this cozy, local vibe at the indie theaters. I used to love going to Central Park, and this past Saturday I was at Europa, which—alongside Chicago—is my favorite cinema in CHI... 👍 when it comes to those indie houses.

I have to agree—there was such a sense of intimacy in those smaller indie halls. I remember once at Uranium, I actually got a hand-written ticket—there were only five of us in the theater, and the old guy tearing the tickets told us exactly where to sit because he knew it would be warmer there (and honestly, the room was freezing). Sadly, all those charming little theaters have been sold off 👎.

Reading all these complaints about the nonsense happening at Cinestar makes me think they're going to lose a massive chunk of their audience; so many people seem genuinely fed up with the various ways they mess things up. So far, 🙏majlikojikucaudrvo: I haven't had any bad experiences, and I really hope it stays that way.

Random side note: my absolute favorite spot is the hall at the local film archive. Every single seat has the names of movie stars and directors etched into it, yet the average turnout for regular screenings is maybe eight people. You basically check beforehand to see if there are even five people showing up, otherwise, the film won't even run. The theater is located in the open university, and the tickets are torn by a janitor in a blue booth who seems to be the caretaker for the whole place too. The seats are incredibly uncomfortable—they dig into you after ten minutes—and if you shift even slightly, the squeaking echoes through the entire room. They only have one projector, so the movies require a mandatory intermission just to change the reel... It's my favorite cinema, and watching a film there is an indescribable joy.

The poll is heating up! Even though AMC Theatres had a solid lead early on, the competition is catching up fast. Here’s how things stand right now:

A1 Gallery - 2 votes
AMC Theatres - 9 votes
Broadway - 9 votes
cinematographer - 8 votes