Riverside has lots of great movie theaters; this guide will help you select the one that is right for you and your family. Depending on how much you want to spend and what kinds of movies you want to watch, there is something in this list of movie theaters for everyone.
AMC Tyler Galleria 16
This brand new theater is located in the newly build extension of the Tyler Mall, which means it’s very easily accessible right off the Tyler off ramp on the 91, parking is easy and plentiful, and there are lots of options for getting something to eat before or after the movie. The theater is located right on top of the Elephant Bar and with a Yard House in the same building, there’s every possibility for combining your movie experience with a sophisticated evening on one of these upper scale restaurants.
The theater itself benefits from being brand new, and everything from the majestic staircase entryway to the comfortable and spacious seats is high quality. The lobby is decorated with stills from famous scenes and there’s memorable lines engraved in the stone floor to complete the feeling of entering the world of movies.
Most importantly though, the picture quality and sound is of top quality, again showing that the theater is very new and built with quality in mind. The digital picture is razor sharp and without noise, the sounds is equally impressive, with excellent surround effects and clear sound at all sound levels.
Van Buren Drive In
Few things are more typical Americana than the drive in theater, these affordable bring you own seating venues are declining in numbers, but right off the 91 freeway going down Van Buren you can still take in the classic drive in experience.
With three different screens, the Van Buren drive in offers a good selection of new movies for you to choose from, one of the screens is typically showing at least one kids movie. For the price of admission you get a double header. If you’re going with kids, the movies start late in the evening, especially in the summer, since the movies can’t be played until it gets dark outside, so sitting through both movies will be a late night for the youngest movie lovers.
The screens are naturally huge, and the quality of the picture does suffer from the quality of the backdrop and the unpredictable lighting conditions, the sound is transmitted over short range radio so you can tune in to the movie soundtrack on your car stereo. The quality is acceptable, and if you want to make the experience more unique, you can tune in to the soundtrack from any of the three screens.
In the middle of the grounds, accessible from all three lots is the snack bar. The selection is excellent, and you can get a whole range of fast foods that you would not be allowed to bring in to a regular theater. The food is good, and service is very quick, which is impressive considering the large number of customers that uses the snack bar.
Edwards Ontario Palace Stadium 22 & IMAX
Not really in the city of Riverside, this huge theater is located right by the Ontario Mills, right off the 15 freeway. While not in Riverside, it is the closest IMAX theater the city of Riverside. In addition to the huge IMAX 3D screen, there are three other large screening rooms, and the large amount of screens means the movies keep playing at this theater after they are taken off at most other smaller venues, a great place to check for those movies you just missed at other theaters. This theater also does midnight screenings, and often plays huge releases through the night.
Close by the huge Ontario Mills, there’s no shortage of places to go before or after the show, the Mills have all sorts of shopping and eating options. In addition, the surrounding are is full of places to eat and there’s even a new sports arena newly opened in the area.
The stadium seating is excellent, and the theater itself is beautiful and clean. Tickets are a bit pricey, but you’ll get what you are paying for.
Regency Towngate 8
Located at Fredricks Street in Moreno Vally, this theater is a little outside Riverside, it’s difficult to find if you don’t know the area, the theater is old and worn and the snack bar is expensive. So, why would anyone pick this theater? It’s one of the few discount theaters left in the area, with ticket prices as low as $2 for screening starting before 6 pm, the prices really are unbeatable. Naturally, the movies are not going to be as new as in full priced theaters, but if you don’t need to be the first to see a movie, this is an excellent opportunity to bring the whole family out to the movies and still pay less for admition than the price of the movie on DVD would be.
As mentioned, this theater is starting to show it’s age, it is not as beautiful as many of the other theaters on this list, but where it matters, this venue still delivers the goods. The screens are good size, the seats are very comfortable with lots of leg room, this theater offers the best value for your money. The discounts don’t extend to the snack bar though, where the prices are every bit as outrageous as at the fanciest of movie theaters.
Riverside Plaza Stadium 16
New theater in the heart of the new hot spot in Riverside, the Riverside Plaza. Located very close to downtown Riverside this theater has the benefit of excellent location. Not only is it close to the heart of the city, but the surrounding Plaza provides a great environment, excellent for foot traffic and with many excellent restaurants and shops all within strolling distance.
A fairly new theater, this venue is kept up very well and is a beautiful and very popular destination, lines can be quite long at prime showings so it’s a good idea to show up early when going to this theater. Since the theater is located in the center of the plaza, there’s not a lot of parking space right outside the theater, so make plans to park your car in the plaza parking lots and walk up. The Plaza is one of the more foot traffic friendly shopping areas in Riverside, so that should not be a big problem.
As with most new movie theaters, the picture quality is excellent, very sharp and colorful images, but the real showstopper here is the sound system. The sound is brilliant, powerful without becoming overpowering, and always crystal clear.
This list covers the best theaters you can go to in the Riverside area, some stand out on the merit of the picture and sounds quality, while some make affordability their strongest selling point. No matter what kind of movie experience you are after, you can find it right here in Riverside!
