New York City has been the setting, if not one of the silent characters, of countless films since film was invented. If you decide to live in Manhattan, you may feel like you are starring in your very own movie.
One of the perks of living here is the plethora of movie theaters nearby StuyTown. The variety ranges from multiplexes, to giant IMAX screens, to old-school movie palaces and art house cinemas. Here’s a non-exhaustive sample:
The Multiplexes
AMC Empire 25at 234 West 42nd Street is the place to go because of its large selection of current-run movies and excellent location near Times Square. Nearly all New York City subway lines will take you here (1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, S). Every floor of this multiplex includes restrooms and concession stands.
Regal Union Square Stadium 14 at 850 Broadway features the standards – new release films, plush seating, and concession stands – in a great location.
AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 at 1998 Broadway on the Upper West Side boasts a 600-seat IMAX theater as well as 12 other theaters. It’s a great place the see any big-screen blockbuster.
AMC Loews 34th Street at 312 West 34th Street right near Penn Station.
AMC Loews Kips Bay at 570 Second Avenue is a great place to see a blockbuster new release on one of its 15 screens, including IMAX 3D.
Dine-In Movie Theaters
iPic at 11 Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan is the most upscale of all the dinner-plus-movie venues in New York. It’s located at the South Street Seaport. Reclining seats include a pillow and a blanket.
Nitehawk Cinema at 136 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is the oldest dinner-and-a movie venue in the city. In addition to being able to order from their menu and eat during screenings, you can get drinks at the Nitehawk’s two bars before and after your film-watching. The menu specials change depending on what movies are getting screened. For example, in early February, La La Land inspired the chef to create Chicken on a Stick, barbecue chicken skewers with pineapple-avocado salsa and scallions. The Nitehawk offers a cheeseburger for $15.
Syndicated at 40 Bogart Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a newer dine-in addition to the movie theater scene, is located in a converted warehouse. Their curation of movies tends to skew 1980s and 1990s. You order your food and drink on slips of paper.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 445 Albee Square West in Downtown Brooklyn is the first New York City outpost of a 25th outlet chain based in Austin. Some of the snacks on the menu include baked pretzels, fried pickles, and hot wings.
Art House Cinemas
Metrograph at 7 Ludlow Street in the Lower East Side is a new Manhattan movie theater that specializes in screening archive-quality 35mm prints and new films in state-of-the-art digital projection.
Film Society at Lincoln Center located inside the Walter Reade Theatre at 165 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side. This is a great place to see foreign films, think Milos Forman, as well as independent new releases.
BAM Rose Cinemas at 30 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, is that borough’s answer to Manhattan’s many art house movie theaters. The venue hosts carefully curated film series, foreign and domestic, and events and Q&As with industry insiders.
Film Forum at 209 West Houston Street in Greenwich Village is known for a perfectly curated selection of movies, series organized by theme, and cramped seating.
Cinema Villageat 22 East 12th Street is a longtime West Village staple showing offbeat, foreign, and documentary films.
Movie Palaces
Village East Cinema at 181-189 Second Avenue in the East Village is a unique movie theater, with a main state built in the Moorish Revival style. It was originally a Yiddish theater. Village East is owned by City Cinemas, which also owns The Paris Theatre, The Beekman Theatre, East 86th Street Cinema, and Cinemas 1, 2 & 3.
The Paris Theatre at 4 West 58th Street is as elegant and refined as its name would suggest. This single-screen, 500 plus-seat venue offers a rotating selection of highbrow films.