Charlotte, NC Movie Theaters

Charlotte, NC is primarily a large banking city that continues to grow. Charlotte has many restaurants, live theatre, art, science, museums, professional sporting teams and venues, horse racing and other cultural avenues. There are new shopping centers and activities opening up continually. One of the newest additions to Charlotte is the Epicentre which is full of cultural venues and entertainment. Culture is a big part of the city of Charlotte and part of that culture is movie theaters. While there are many big chain theaters, I would like to share with you the more unique theaters.

The newest movie theater in Charlotte is located at the Epicentre, 210 E. Trade Street. The Epicentre Theater only has five screens but has many new and unique features that most of the other theaters do not have. Located adjacent to the theater is a new upscale named Mez. A patron of the movie theater can order food at Mez to take into the movie or they can order anything from Mez’s appetizer menu or drink menu to be served in the theater. Entrees are generally in the range of $12-18. So not only can you enjoy a meal and alcoholic beverage while watching the latest blockbuster movie, but Epicentre theater also has a policy of prohibiting patrons under the age of 21 to enter the theater after 7pm. Adult tickets are $9 with the option of upgrading to VIP for $12. VIP patrons can order their tickets up to a week in advance for the VIP balcony section and can even choose their seat. Epicentre does not currently offer a senior citizen discount. The theater does not show and pre-show advertising and has stadium seating. The seats are wide and have trays with cup holders. The Epicentre is still very new and extremely popular so last minute movie goers often find that the tickets are sold out in advance. I recommend paying the extra $3 for VIP seating so that you can order your tickets way in advance and choose your seat ahead of time.

Another theater option in the uptown Charlotte area is the IMAX Dome Theatre at Discovery Place, 301 N Tryon Street. This theater shows 3D features and special 3D versions of new releases. There is only one screen and the seating is very steep stadium style. The screen itself is three stories high and 80 feet wide. Because of the 3D and IMAX formats, I recommend sitting as close to the center as possible and the higher up the better. IMAX ticket prices are as follows: IMAX full length features are $11 for adults (ages 14-59) and children and seniors are $9. IMAX Discovery films are $8 for adults and $7 for children and seniors. Members of Discovery Place receive a $1 discount on each ticket purchased. The theater offers the basic concession foods. I also recommend getting your concessions before the movie because the seating is very steep and not easy to navigate with your hands full. You can order tickets in advance and group tickets are available by calling (704)372-6261 x300.

There is only one “dollar” movie theater that I personally know of in the Charlotte area. The Cinemark Movies 10 is located in Matthews, 9508 Northeast Court, just off Independence Blvd. There are ten screens and regular seating. This theater shows movies that have been out for a few months and are no longer playing at the larger theaters. This theater is very diligent about age restrictions and also has a policy of no children under age 6 will be admitted to R-rated films after 6pm. Patrons under the age of 17 are not allowed in the theater on Friday or Saturday nights after 6pm unless accompanied by their legal parent. Ticket prices are as follows: matinees (before 6pm) are $2 and evening (after 6pm) movies are $2.25. Seniors can pay $1 all day on Mondays and Tuesdays. Also on Mondays, tickets are .50 each for groups of at least three people. This theater has a concession stand.

The Ballantyne Village Theatre is in on the third floor of an unusual building with a round tower, 14815 John J Delaney Drive. This theater has five screens and features foreign, art and independent films. I do not recommend waiting until last minute on the weekend to buy your tickets because they are often sold out. The theater has a gourmet concession stand and also a wine and beer bar. Ticket prices are as follows: matinees (before 6pm) are $7.25 and evenings (after 6pm) are $9.25. Seniors (over 55) are $6.50 all day. There is a student discount only on evening showings for $7.75.

Although it shows new releases, not many people know about Carolina Cinemas Crownpoint Stadium 12, 9630 Monroe Road, because it is tucked away off the road. This is an older theater but does feature stadium seating. They have a concession stand and there are twelve screens.

There are many theaters that you would expect in a large city like Regal and AMC. I personally like a change every now and then and like to go to the more unique and out of the way theaters. Also teenagers tend to hang around outside the larger chain theaters and are usually somewhat noisy. As Charlotte continues to grow, I hope that the smaller theaters stick around.