Chicago's Best Movie Theatres

There is a perfect movie theatre for everyone in Chicago. While they all carry their respective pros and cons, many of them also tailor to particular tastes, whether you’re a fan of mainstream or independent films.

AMC River East 21 at 322 E. Illinois St. has all the makings of a great movie-going experience. The sound is amazing and comes from all directions.

The stadium seating gives you a plethora of seating options, with very few intolerable viewing arrangements. Even the seats on the very end don’t inhibit your viewing experience all that much. Broken and squeaking chairs are very rare, and there are always seats in the main walkway reserved for handicapped movie-goers.

If you’re there on opening night of a big movie, you will definitely wait in a long line, but the lobby is large enough to keep the lines somewhat comfortable while you wait. Every part of the theatre is handicapped accessible, with both elevators and escalators available to get you where you want to go.

The theatres themselves are reasonably clean. Even on opening nights spilled sodas and popcorn are usually cleaned up or kept to a minimum. This is especially impressive considering that they have just about every category of movie food at their concession stand, from popcorn & ice cream to nachos and hot dogs.

The biggest problem is parking. It can be so frustrating that you’re better off shelling out money for a cab. AMC River East is located, obviously, right by the river and there is virtually no street parking. What little you’ll find is generally permit parking and ticketed ruthlessly.