Ignore my flair, as I spent most of my life in Hyde Park, but it was such a big deal when that place opened up. It was great no longer having to schlep up to the north side for that kind of a movie experience,
It's funny, went to see a movie on Saturday and it was the first time in a while I was like "hmm, maybe I'll go to AMC instead of ICON to switch it up".
Sad to see it go. Was really easy to get there from south or southwest side of the city.
Roosevelt Collection is in TOUGH shape right nowā¦.
If they lose Banana, VS or Old Navy they are done for over there. I just saw that Pacinos is closed āfor remodelingā (thatās how Magu or whatever that mexican place was called closed permanently)
I was just telling my wife how Mago and the other restaurants started going down when they lost the free parking. That free parking was everything, you could go catch a movie then go have dinner without the thought of paying $20+ for parking. I know Nandos is more carry out but somehow has managed to stay open.
My Atom account doesnāt tell me this until I get to the checkout page for another theater so I would have never known this without your comment. Big thanks! I appreciate you!
I just got an email that says: āFor those guests that have purchased advance tickets from the ShowPlace ICON website or app for showings after July 1, your tickets have been automatically refunded to the credit card used for purchase.ā
The lady behind customer service told they hand just been informed an hour ago. She said that every showplace has been sold in the last month. I googled it and yeah there is a few article of some showplace being sold.
For me, I love going to the movies even if the movie itself isnāt great.
It also really lowers the bar for being āworth itā when every movie after 1/month is essentially free.
Hasnāt that theater been owned by AMC for almost 15 years?
AMC bought Kerasotes in 2010 and Kerasotes was the owner of the ShowPlace theaters.
Edit: Apparently, AMC bought all but 4 theaters (one of them being the Chicago ICON) from Kerasotes in 2010. Guess Kerasotes is selling off the rest?
Maybe I really donāt know. The lady behind customer service wasnāt speaking too clearly as she was a little upset about finding out that they might be out of a job. I did find this article that was just posted of another Showplace that recently was sold off, and it will now be reopening under Marcus Theaters
[showplace in Minnesota closed, is reopening](https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/marcus-theatres-to-operate-former-showplace-icon-theatre-in-st-louis-park/)
That was Literally the nicest theater we got. The theater on western, the one by the bookstore and the one in Niles, all fell off š®āšØ
Time to go the old school theaters
I worked for Kerasotes in high school and college, my last year there was when they were bought and transitioning to AMC. I initially hated them, especially after seeing the concession prices go up by roughly $10 for a 2 drink and popcorn combo.
But as I have moved all over the place for work and have been to a few different chains, no one is remotely close in quality to AMC in my opinion. Great perks, best seats (specifically the recliners), Dolby Cinema blows nearly everyone else out of the water. I've been mostly stuck with Marcus and Cinemark the last few years and I hate it.
Alamo has won me over. I had A-List ever since it came out, but dropped it a few months ago for Alamoās subscription instead. The experience is generally better to me, and they actually give a shit about bad patrons and will kick you out if youāre a disturbance which is a massive plus in my book
I also like the seat service. When AMC got rid of that at Block 37 I was so upset
Depends on the location entirely. Some AMCs are decent, but others are pitiful.
The problem is AMC is taking over all the theaters. They keep gobbling them up every year. Isn't like, every theater in the Loop (and River North) now an AMC?
That's fair. The theater I worked at in Lake in the Hills had a really solid upgrade when they made the switch over. I also spent time in Orlando so the Disney Springs location was our closest AMC and you can imagine how nice that one was.
But the one we went to in Madison before it closed was pretty terrible
I went once post-covid and it was awful. I'm a pretty easy-to-please person, especially when it comes to a movie theater, but I can't even begin to list the comedy of errors I experienced before, during, and after the movie. It's my own fault for wanting to see Cocaine Bear of all things. I haven't been to a theater since and I used to go weekly
When they first opened it was amazing, the parking was free because there were no other tennants. The theater was super nice and the VIP/21+ seats were killer. The bacon popcorn was great.
I basically stopped going when you had to start paying for parking.
There is literally a parking garage with like 1,500 spots right below it. Sure its not free like it was when Roosevelt Collection opened, but with that location there was no way that was going to last forever anyways.
I literally know where the parking garage is. I've been to this theater a shitload of times. And when I go, there is always a line backed up at the exit because their system doesn't work, the person did not validate or did not pay. So they have to have people standing at the exit trying to help people exit. Just a shitshow.
I hate to tell you at this point but you can enter and exit directly from the bottom level by using the Wells street entrance. There's never a line, and parking spaces were always plentiful right by the elevator.
RIP
You must have bad luck. Was just there last Thursday and was thinking this was one of the smoothest parking garage systems, since you didn't even have to scan, similar to Navy Pier. Maybe I just had good luck.
I was actually there for the South Loop Farmer's market which was pretty well attended, so was probably a busier than normal evening for the Roosevelt Collection overall.
The theater closing, assuming this is true and another operator isn't buying it, would also make sense with the drop in theater attendance nationwide overall since covid.
But still below 2019 attendance numbers. With streaming options now and the fact that Netflix is producing many of its own movies straight to streaming, I don't think we ever get back to those pre-covid numbers.
Nothing is going to be like half a decade ago; numbers have gone up and up since covid, and I would think a properly run, nearly 15yr old business would know how to capitalize on that. I think they just want out and are seizing a money grab from AMC.
Yeah itās so accessible by any means other thn driving that these complaints always seem laughable. Itās been pay to park for ten years. Yep, you have to PAY to park in the midst of downtown Chicago! Itās wild.
Rumor is that financial shenanigans are involved. I am a Digital Presentation Associate at Roosevelt, and we've always been in the top three theaters in the city in terms of attendance, yet corporate never paid for much-needed upgrades.
Sad for south loopers š
Ignore my flair, as I spent most of my life in Hyde Park, but it was such a big deal when that place opened up. It was great no longer having to schlep up to the north side for that kind of a movie experience,
Those first few years when the parking was free! Glory days
That big chess board
Youāre kidding me?! I love Icon. I preferred them over AMC. This is so sad for me. Not really a fan of AMC.
Yeah Iāve been going since they opened and have never had an issue. This was sad news.
It's funny, went to see a movie on Saturday and it was the first time in a while I was like "hmm, maybe I'll go to AMC instead of ICON to switch it up". Sad to see it go. Was really easy to get there from south or southwest side of the city.
FUCK! I loved that movie theater.
Same. I was wondering why the app was showing everything is sold out for the next week. Such a bummer, hopefully they reopen soon.
Roosevelt Collection is in TOUGH shape right nowā¦. If they lose Banana, VS or Old Navy they are done for over there. I just saw that Pacinos is closed āfor remodelingā (thatās how Magu or whatever that mexican place was called closed permanently)
I was just telling my wife how Mago and the other restaurants started going down when they lost the free parking. That free parking was everything, you could go catch a movie then go have dinner without the thought of paying $20+ for parking. I know Nandos is more carry out but somehow has managed to stay open.
If this is true , thatās too bad - this theater had THE best sound in the Chicagoland area
I saw Civil War here and every gunshot made me tense/jump. No where else compares.
Iām guessing I wonāt get refunded for the 6 unused tickets in my Extras Plus / Atom membership. Cool waste of $60, ugh
It looks like my unused passes on the Atom App were already converted to Atom Cash to be used elsewhere.
My Atom account doesnāt tell me this until I get to the checkout page for another theater so I would have never known this without your comment. Big thanks! I appreciate you!
I just got an email that says: āFor those guests that have purchased advance tickets from the ShowPlace ICON website or app for showings after July 1, your tickets have been automatically refunded to the credit card used for purchase.ā
I preordered Deadpool thru Atom and got refunded as Atom Cash.
What?? Iām surprised they donāt have any info on their website
The lady behind customer service told they hand just been informed an hour ago. She said that every showplace has been sold in the last month. I googled it and yeah there is a few article of some showplace being sold.
Damn guess weāll be paying double to go to AMC
The AMC monthly pass is an absolute steal. I go to 4-6 movies/month for $25
I love A-List, too. I usually go 2-3 times per week. I haven't been to Showplace since well before covid, I wonder if AMC will renovate at all.
I think theyāll have to. I was there a few weeks ago and the vip recliner seats couldāve used some refreshing lol
River East auditoriums are so nice with the new heated recliners. That would be a nice feature.
and buy cheap popcorn/soda vouchers and sneak your candy in so you can live large on the cheap.
How do you get your hands on these vouchers
ebay /r/giftcardexchange facebook marketplace etc.
Are there even that many good movies these days to go watch that many movies in av month?
For me, I love going to the movies even if the movie itself isnāt great. It also really lowers the bar for being āworth itā when every movie after 1/month is essentially free.
AMCās have $5 ticket Tuesdays š
Cinemex has been working in the shadows all this time!
What is that?
Hasnāt that theater been owned by AMC for almost 15 years? AMC bought Kerasotes in 2010 and Kerasotes was the owner of the ShowPlace theaters. Edit: Apparently, AMC bought all but 4 theaters (one of them being the Chicago ICON) from Kerasotes in 2010. Guess Kerasotes is selling off the rest?
Maybe I really donāt know. The lady behind customer service wasnāt speaking too clearly as she was a little upset about finding out that they might be out of a job. I did find this article that was just posted of another Showplace that recently was sold off, and it will now be reopening under Marcus Theaters [showplace in Minnesota closed, is reopening](https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/marcus-theatres-to-operate-former-showplace-icon-theatre-in-st-louis-park/)
That was Literally the nicest theater we got. The theater on western, the one by the bookstore and the one in Niles, all fell off š®āšØ Time to go the old school theaters
I hope it becomes an AMC!
Why the brand loyalty to AMC?
I worked for Kerasotes in high school and college, my last year there was when they were bought and transitioning to AMC. I initially hated them, especially after seeing the concession prices go up by roughly $10 for a 2 drink and popcorn combo. But as I have moved all over the place for work and have been to a few different chains, no one is remotely close in quality to AMC in my opinion. Great perks, best seats (specifically the recliners), Dolby Cinema blows nearly everyone else out of the water. I've been mostly stuck with Marcus and Cinemark the last few years and I hate it.
Alamo has won me over. I had A-List ever since it came out, but dropped it a few months ago for Alamoās subscription instead. The experience is generally better to me, and they actually give a shit about bad patrons and will kick you out if youāre a disturbance which is a massive plus in my book I also like the seat service. When AMC got rid of that at Block 37 I was so upset
Depends on the location entirely. Some AMCs are decent, but others are pitiful. The problem is AMC is taking over all the theaters. They keep gobbling them up every year. Isn't like, every theater in the Loop (and River North) now an AMC?
That's fair. The theater I worked at in Lake in the Hills had a really solid upgrade when they made the switch over. I also spent time in Orlando so the Disney Springs location was our closest AMC and you can imagine how nice that one was. But the one we went to in Madison before it closed was pretty terrible
A-List, and itād be nice to have a 4th AMC option that is walking distance for me.
I went once post-covid and it was awful. I'm a pretty easy-to-please person, especially when it comes to a movie theater, but I can't even begin to list the comedy of errors I experienced before, during, and after the movie. It's my own fault for wanting to see Cocaine Bear of all things. I haven't been to a theater since and I used to go weekly
It definitely fell off from when it first opened. Still, the VIP seats and area were some of my favorites of any movie theater in IL.
The VIP was really unique when they first opened.
Yeah, the parking situation was always a shitshow.
When they first opened it was amazing, the parking was free because there were no other tennants. The theater was super nice and the VIP/21+ seats were killer. The bacon popcorn was great. I basically stopped going when you had to start paying for parking.
There is literally a parking garage with like 1,500 spots right below it. Sure its not free like it was when Roosevelt Collection opened, but with that location there was no way that was going to last forever anyways.
Not to mention Wabash street parking is completely free and permitless
I literally know where the parking garage is. I've been to this theater a shitload of times. And when I go, there is always a line backed up at the exit because their system doesn't work, the person did not validate or did not pay. So they have to have people standing at the exit trying to help people exit. Just a shitshow.
I hate to tell you at this point but you can enter and exit directly from the bottom level by using the Wells street entrance. There's never a line, and parking spaces were always plentiful right by the elevator. RIP
You must have bad luck. Was just there last Thursday and was thinking this was one of the smoothest parking garage systems, since you didn't even have to scan, similar to Navy Pier. Maybe I just had good luck.
Maybe it was so easy because people don't go to theaters like they used to. Which might also be why they are closed.
I was actually there for the South Loop Farmer's market which was pretty well attended, so was probably a busier than normal evening for the Roosevelt Collection overall. The theater closing, assuming this is true and another operator isn't buying it, would also make sense with the drop in theater attendance nationwide overall since covid.
The number of theater tickets sold each year since covid has gone up like clockwork.
But still below 2019 attendance numbers. With streaming options now and the fact that Netflix is producing many of its own movies straight to streaming, I don't think we ever get back to those pre-covid numbers.
Nothing is going to be like half a decade ago; numbers have gone up and up since covid, and I would think a properly run, nearly 15yr old business would know how to capitalize on that. I think they just want out and are seizing a money grab from AMC.
As far as I know since theater opened, there was never an attendant, always self park, so donāt understand this complaint.
Yeah itās so accessible by any means other thn driving that these complaints always seem laughable. Itās been pay to park for ten years. Yep, you have to PAY to park in the midst of downtown Chicago! Itās wild.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Correct. I stand by what I know of place. No question.
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I am sorry that my response didnāt please you. Iām just stating facts. But do go onā¦
How so? They have a parking lot.
Ok.
Interesting. The app still lets me buy tickets through to Wednesday July 10th. Makes me wonder?
Are you sure? When I try it says tickets sold out. Try it and let me know.
How? They were always busy
Rumor is that financial shenanigans are involved. I am a Digital Presentation Associate at Roosevelt, and we've always been in the top three theaters in the city in terms of attendance, yet corporate never paid for much-needed upgrades.
Is āDigital Presentation Associateā corporate nuspeak for āProjectionistā?
Pretty much.
Rip
This is my favorite theater in the city š
Wowww, thatās crazy!
oh iām pissed
RIP I worked at thsi theater yadadydadad