The Beacon Cinema — Local services in Seattle

This place is a real gem, and its curation is great. It's always exciting to go in without watching any trailers for a film and be completely consumed by the screen and sound. That being said, the past two times I've been to the beacon, there were entire rows of people talking (not even whispering). I understand the excitement of these films, but it was really off-putting and made watching the film inaccessible. I am not exaggerating when I say that my partner and I couldn't hear half the movie because some very excited movie-goers who had seen the film before had to give commentary the entire time. When my partner asked if they could quiet down a bit, one of the people in the group loudly announced that they "couldn't enjoy the movie anymore", then left and then returned 5 minutes later to talk at the exact same volume. I noticed around 30 minutes into the film, two folks sitting in front of us had left (likely because of the noise) and the people next to us kept looking back at the same row. I nudged my partner at one point and questioned if we should also leave because the movie-watching experience was basically ruined -- but we were too far in to give up. I didn't really want to snitch, and don't want to in the future -- so I hope folks at the beacon encourage good movie watching etiquette to promote accessibility of the space

What a wonderful place to experience cinema in Seattle! I will admit that at first I was a bit worried about parking, and so I elected to take public transit while staying at another location. One needn’t worry - there is ample space in the plaza nearby, and while the side roads are nearby a hill, there should be no issue whatsoever in finding a spot.

The programming is quite adventurous, and the space - while small - has a personal, curated feel to it, with some great zines and music available for sale here. You may not get as many seats here as you would in a larger theatre, but they have ample leg room and are comfortable to sit on when watching a film; plus, you can make your way outside for a brief refresher and some added refreshments without intruding too heavily with other viewers. That speaks volumes when you’re watching something as dense as Lav Diaz’s BATANG WEST SIDE.

A great cinema, one that I’d love to visit again in more...

I've repeatedly endured a long commute here, and have repeatedly spent hours walking around the area to kill time until my movie started. Every time I come, my sacrifices have been rewarded.

Whoever is in charge of selecting which films are given custom trailers, written summaries, and feature presentations deserves a medal of honor. This theater continues to surprise me, and charm me, and every other good verb I could pull from a dictionary.

I'd only ask for more leg room to help others trying to squeeze past my knees (I'm 6'2"), but that inconvenience isn't worth moving shop for. What may actually hurt this business is its proximity to the "bad" side of Columbia City. I wouldn't leave my car parked within a few blocks of this place, and I wouldn't want a date walking by her herself from the north.

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