Regal Thornton Place — Attraction in Seattle

The Regal Thornton theater is clean, has comfy seats, has decent projection and sound, and often screens movies that you might not find in all suburban multiplexes. The staff is friendly, and the parking situation is good. On the other hand, it has no character (fine), and is expensive compared to some other theaters (less fine) that have more character, better food, serve beer, and one more thing that I’ll get into shortly. I think that the prices are a bit high for what this theater delivers. Nearly $15 tickets at a generic multiplex? It’s a bit much, I think.

But why 2 stars? Surely my description above would warrant 3 or 4?

Well, the real bee in my bonnet here is the advertisements. I think we’ve all come to expect a few trailers before a movie, but it’s completely ludicrous how many ads and announcements they make you watch before the movie begins. I'm not talking about ads before the showtime. I'm talking about ads after the posted showtime. The last time I was here, the movie I was seeing was scheduled for 1:50, but it didn’t start until 2:19 because of the dozen or so 2-3 minute long ads we were made to watch. That’s a half hour of advertisements. Most industries have set a precedent whereby you get fewer ads when you pay for something. This place is kind of expensive, and they show the most ads I’ve ever seen. There are other theaters with more character, better prices, and that don’t essentially make you pay to get aggressively marketed to.

I don’t typically go out of my way to leave negative reviews. I prefer to just give praise to the things I like and leave the things I don’t alone, but when the ads passed the 20 minute mark, it started feeling insulting, and when we got all the way to a half hour, I decided I wanted to say something. Giving the staff, who have no control over such things, an earful over the issue would just be d*ckish, so that's why I'm writing it here. A half hour of ads and announcements? That feels like a middle...

First experience at this theater was absolutely awful. First, the tickets ordered in advance online from the website had issues. After speaking with the manager, they said we would have to buy a new set of tickets. Finally, we were able to go into the theater to see the movie. After the previews, once the movie started, the speaker right next to our seat blew out. At first we were like “is that part of the movie?” but then it became unbearably loud. Other people in the theater including me, went to notify the staff. Still, after 40 minutes into the movie the headache inducing speaker screeching continued. They wouldn’t issue us a refund or any sort of compensation. We were offered to either sit through it or see a different movie altogether. Very disappointed. Won’t be coming back. Edit: To make my experience even more awful, I have now been charged for 2 sets of tickets. Since this transaction went through after, and I didn’t expect a second transaction, I was also charged an overdraft fee. So my worst experience ever at a movie theater has now cost me about $90. Definitely never coming back. The theater still refuses to...

Least favorite theater in my neighborhood. I live in Shoreline and I'll only go if Regal 7 Alderwood in Lynnwood isn't playing what I want to see. It's your typical movie theater. I just don't like that it's 4 stories built up. So your choice is a very long wait for the elevator or go in and upward spiral via stairs or escalator, which can be frustrating if running late and /or never been to this theater before. Also a bit dizzying should you have issues with vertigo or high ceilings. They have reserved stadium seating not the new fancy recliner kinds that I myself like to splurge and treat myself too. They have a parking structure that can also be confusing if you don't attend this shopping area often and I believe it's only 3 hour parking. So just see a movie and leave. No issues with the viewing or customer service itself. Just the layout for me really allows me to rate so low. I believe a concession stand can be found on every other floor. Over priced per usual for movie theatre so that's...