Gem Theatre — Attraction in Kannapolis

I want to say first that before leaving this review I tried calling the theatre a couple of times to express my disappointment, but their voicemail box was full, so I'm just going to do this.

This theatre used to offer an excellent family-friendly experience. Great accessibility, amazing prices for admission and concessions (it still has these), and perhaps most importantly: an audio system that wasn't overwhelming for children with sensory challenges.

Where my 9-year-old son is on the autism spectrum, overly intense sounds register as pain. This has made movie outings few and far between with him over the years, but we've always seen the Gem as a safe option. Until yesterday at least.

"Moana 2" is one of the few movies he's been excited enough about to brave the theater. We brought his noise-suppressing headphones just in case, not even really expecting to need them the way he needs them at the bowling alley or Chuck E. Cheese. Unfortunately, due to the "upgrades" the Gem has made over the past year, even with his headphones, my son couldn't make it past the opening seconds of the movie.

He and his mom tried waiting out the absurdly loud previews in the hallway before returning at the start of the movie proper, and I'm thankful they did. Even as someone who prefers the AMC experience for myself, one of those preview's opening beats caused me to leap in my seat.

The theater itself is so nice. Its historical atmosphere, its seating, definitely its prices (I bought way more concessions prior to taking our seats than I would ever think to get at AMC) -- but it's absolutely unnecessarily loud now to the point of no longer offering an enjoyable, or even bearable, experience.

I don't know if anyone else left, but I did hear other children telling their parents it was too loud. I kind of hope for their nerves' sake that they did take their leave.

I don't expect the world to change to accommodate my son's sensitivity, but I can't imagine anyone present in that theater yesterday would actually find that intensity preferable to the way the sound used to be. Maybe one kid's sensitivity isn't enough to consider, but maybe there's enough of our families for the Gem to at least think about this sort of thing going forward (please think about it).

At the very least, if you're a parent of a kid who requires similar considerations, be aware of our experience before heading over there.

Sincerely, Disappointed dad of a...

I remember coming to this theater when I was young (we saw the animated Aladdin when it came out) and it broke my heart when it closed. This is once again a staple of the area and for a good reason.

This building is beautiful from the sculptures on the walls to the curtains on the sides of the screen. I always felt like a Hollywood movie star walking in the upstairs ladies room when I was young. It still has that vintage vibe that can’t be replicated. They do have ADA accessible bathrooms on the side hallway downstairs for those who worry about mobility.

My favorite part though is watching the movie from the balcony. While this landmark doesn’t have the recliner seating or IMAX screen that many crave, you get the feeling of nostalgia instead. Mobility needs are met by having some rows with open space at the end, in the downstairs area of the auditorium, to accommodate wheelchairs.

If that doesn’t sell you on the Gem Theater, just know that you’ll pay half the price of those other movie theaters around.

The only down side is that they have just one screen so whatever movie they are playing that week is the only option you have. Sometimes you wait a few weeks for your preferred selection to come out. Still, my family always get excited when we make plans to...

This is where my dad saw his first movie when he was a boy. It's where I saw mine ( The little mermaid). And it is where my son saw his first movie (The incredibles 2). To say that this place is a local gem, pun intended, is and understatement. The movies here are half the price that they are anywhere else. The movie screen is not IMAX but there is upstairs seating. This theater is old and it's not going to have alot of the technology that new theaters have. I think even the seats are the same ones I sat in decades ago and I like that. Change is usually a good thing but the Gem theater is a great example of how staying old and gorgeous can set you apart from the overpriced theaters in malls that surround this place. You wont see to many R rated films here either as the one movie screen here is family focused. You wont be taking a second mortgage to pay for concessions either so feel free to get the extra popcorn and the box of milkduds. During the week they even have 1 dollar second run movies. These are great if you have young ones and you want to introduce them to going to the movies. This place is timeless and I know it will be here for...