Sky Cinemas — Attraction in Santa Fe

Disappointing Experience

My boyfriend and I were looking forward to seeing Superman at Violet Crown. As locals, we’ve always appreciated that it offers dinner, drinks, and a movie all in one place — it’s been our go-to for a fun and relaxing night out. Unfortunately, our recent visit was anything but.

We had trouble finding parking near the theater due to multiple events in the Railyard. After circling for a long time, we arrived late, flustered, and rushing to make it in time for the movie.

When we got to the counter to order food and drinks, the manager unexpectedly refused to serve us any alcohol. This was confusing, frustrating, and frankly insulting. We hadn’t had anything to drink all day — we’d just come straight from work and were simply trying to unwind. The refusal came without explanation, and we hadn’t even placed an order yet.

When I asked the manager for his name to file a formal complaint, he replied, “I’m not comfortable giving you my name.” That was deeply unprofessional and only added to the frustration. If someone is unwilling to stand behind their decisions, they probably shouldn’t be in a leadership role.

Later, the manager claimed he had seen us “trip” as we walked in, and used that as justification for refusing service. It’s worth mentioning that my boyfriend tripped because of a rug near the entrance as we were hurrying because we were already late. The situation was completely misread, and we were treated unfairly without a chance to explain.

We were so upset by the way we were treated that we ended up asking for a refund and leaving without seeing the movie. What should’ve been a special night out became a frustrating, disappointing experience.

We’ve supported Violet Crown since it opened, and it’s upsetting to now feel uneasy about returning to a place we once loved. We genuinely expected better — especially as longtime locals and...

We've been trying a lot of movie theaters lately after getting MoviePass. After our recent visit, I have to say Violet Crown in Santa Fe is a new favorite. While we're not fans of reserved seats in general, Violet Crown does it fairly well, disallowing leaving gaps in the rows, at least when using the kiosk, which is nice for us since we look for side-by-side seats. Had no issues using MoviePass, unlike some theaters in New Mexico which try to decline the card.

We didn't get food, since many of the items weren't well suited for eating in one's seat. I did go for a beer, which was happily very reasonably priced at $6 for a pint for the La Cumbre Elevated IPA. There are plenty more beers to choose from at a range of price points and sizes based on ABV. We will probably try the food in the cafe next time around.

In the theater itself, we enjoyed the size of the screen relative to the space, it seemed big for the space and was a curved screen, yielding good views even from my left aisle seat. However, something a little strange was the row of seats on the back wall just behind the back aisle. Getting up during the movie meant blocking the view of those in these seats, since they aren't elevated from the aisle. If you like to get up during the movie to refill a drink, etc., you may want to check the layout of the theater and choose a side accordingly.

Overall, we were very pleased and will be back soon. Extra bonus: there is a public parking garage near the theater (2-3 minutes walk); purchasing your ticket will get your parking validated for 4 hours.

Update: we still enjoy the theater, though the beer selection isn't what it used to be pre-COVID. Beers are still reasonably priced with most coming in at $6 for a 16 oz and $8 for 22 ounces. MoviePass is of course long gone but we still enjoy coming here and glad they survived the last...

I have a lot of mixed feeling about this place. They have a great beer selection, the staff is generally friendly, and the food is pretty good. While they do not have a parking lot they validate your parking at the Rail Yard Garage for 4 hours. For the price of the ticket, the seats leave a lot to be desired as far as comfort goes. There is no waiter service in the theater, which I found surprising given their menu and my experience at theaters I have been to with a similar format. Basically that means you run the risk of some flashing lighting (from the pickup beeper going off) and some movement during the first twenty minutes of a movie, but that can happen anywhere. Comparing this to the best theater, it is basically a 3 star theater the serves food and alcohol which would make it four/five stars, however if you have a temporary NM ID (remember to keep your voided ID with you, those two documents only work together), they will not serve you, despite the MVD, the AGD, and the NMRA all providing guidelines allowing such a thing. According to the manager, it is a company policy to refuse official government IDs in such a form. So with a temporary license, you are better off at home in a comfortable seat and your own drinks, or at a theater that at least has recliners.

-------update------

I have since been in contact with the general manager who provided some insight into this policy and I was impressed with his response. I think Violet Crown is a great establishment, but I don't agree with this hard line, zero tolerance policy. Nothing has changed my previous review, but I was impressed with the GM and I encourage anyone with an issue to contact him as he provided a very thoughtful response to...