There is something super nostalgic about a movie theater in the mall.
This is the newest theater in my area and it gives us a reason to come to the mall. Let's face it, shopping malls are a dying breed. But I'm not entirely ready to let them go. So it's a treat to come to Great Northern for a movie and stop into some of my favorite stores beforehand. There is also something very "Dawn of the Dead" about being released into an empty shopping mall after a movie. You enter the movie theater surrounded by noise and action and emerge into a silent, empty world. I love it.
The theater is impeccability clean and well managed. When I was purchasing my concessions the staff (I'm assuming a manager) was wearing a suit and was highly professional. This theater offers a small (in comparison with other theaters) selection of "food" including non-theater food (chicken tenders, pretzel bites). I don't ever buy any of that stuff but I was impressed to see they were offering "healthy snacks" now. They also serve alcohol (wine and beer) and Edy's frozen yogurt! That's more my style.
The theater itself is separated into a high and low levels, with lots of handicap accessible spaces, which are clearly marked. I sat in the lower level due to the theater being very full, and didn't have to crane my neck at all. I would have preferred to sit up high but I was still able to enjoy the film. Again, the theater was very clean. I didn't see any popcorn on the floor nor was there any sticky patches to walk through. They are really doing a great job keeping things clean. The one thing I can say is that this continues to be a nostalgic experience... because the theater offers regular old theater seats. Yes, they slightly recline, but nothing like the full lazy-boy style chairs so many other theaters offer now. I'm okay with this actually, but it is worth noting.