| rev:text
| - OMG, SOOOO COOL!!! Bottom line: If you're in Charlotte and want to check out a movie, this place is worth a visit! Details below.
We're in Charlotte, staying at the Aloft. I want to see Star Trek and this theatre is located right next to the Aloft hotel in the EpiCentre. Good reviews, sounds good. Must mean it's a clean theatre, right?
Well, imagine our surprise when we walk into the 3rd floor and this restaurant/club. Dark lights, loud electronic music. "Um...where's Star Trek? Yahoo Movies said it's playing here." I ask a random patron. "You have to buy tickets downstairs," he kindly advises.
We head down an escalator to the 2nd floor inside the club/restaurant/movie theatre. The offer a student discount! WIN! $10 for a 3D movie?! YES! And then the ticket seller is nice and energetic (when was the last time you met an energetic movie ticket seller?!) & shows us the seating map on an iPad and says "What seats do you want?"
YOU CAN PICK YOUR SEATS WHEN YOU BUY YOUR TICKETS! You don't have to sit inside the theatre for an hour watching crappy trivia repeat every 5 minutes!!
We buy our tickets, move back to the 3rd floor where the actual theatres are (in addition to the resto/club). The seats inside the theatre are sooo comfortable! And you can order beer, food, and drinks in your chair!
The prices aren't bad for a shmancy movie theatre whose tickets are normal prices! I totally expected $10 beers. We got some $5 Coronas, a bit pricey for a Corona...but man, those seats are so nice and only 2-3 to a column! No awkward "excuse me, excuse me, sorry, excuse me" if you want to use the restroom! Also, $10 3D student price! One time I paid $20 for a 3D movie in downtown Chicago and the theatre was dirty.
The service from the staff is good, the check came at the 45 minute mark and was slightly awkward (esp. as this Star Trek's plot was a bit convoluted. Is Khan good or bad? What is he, oh wait, did he just explain what he is?). The slightly awkward interruption and the weird resto/club/theatre combo are the only two downsides I can think of.
Once the movie is over, you can hear the loud bass from the dance music outside in the club/resto. I liked it, very unique. Overall, at least check it out b/c it is a unique experience and the theatre is nice and clean with really good prices.
|