Autonation IMAX Theatre

I actually really love this Theatre, but there are a few reasons why I have to give it only three stars. First off, let me tell you the great things about it…
The 5 story screen speaks for it self. It the only place anywhere in the area to watch a movie on a screen this ridiculously big. Amazing for action and special effects hames you movies. I’ve gone recently to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Superman v Batman. Both were really great to see on this maxing screen. And the prices are $ 15 per person which is pretty much the cost of a regular movie theatre, so it’s well worth it.
Downside was that I thought Han Solo and Clark Kent shared the same weird pimple in their respective movies, because there is a huge smudge or mark in the middle of the screen, and it is; as you can imagine, immensely distracting.
Also the online ticketing system needs serious work. It makes no sense. You have to buy through a Third party site and can’t even print out the tickets, you have to pick them up at will call. This just seems counter productive to me. They should really look into changing this.
All in all still really cool and the museum next door is a plus if you want to check it out after watching a great movie.

When the theaters for Star Wars: The Force Awakens were announced, I looked to see if any were screening the 70 mm version nearby. Lucky for us, this theater was one of them. I immediately bought tickets online to avoid the charge from calling it in. A few days after they were supposed to be delivered, I still hadn’t received them and started to get worried. Customer service was quick to respond and changed the tickets to will-​call.
The day of, we picked up our tickets and stood in the early arrival waiting line outside before being ushered into the lobby. After two hours of waiting, the doors finally opened to let out people from the previous showing. When they were letting in the priority access customers, a group of teenagers thought they’d be «smart» and snuck in from the regular line while no workers were present. Unfortunately for them, everyone in line saw and ratted them out to the next worker we saw. I thought it was awesome that he actually went back into the theater to find out who they were and kick them out instead of just letting it go.
We’ve also seen Interstellar here, again for the screen. Both were great experiences. The screen really engulfs you and the stadium seating allows for premium viewing from any seat. The seats themselves are comfortable and slightly recline to allow you to take in everything. The only thing that could be improved are the bathrooms… gross. Overall, this is a great theater suitable for all your movie needs.

Saw Star Wars 70 mm 2D on Wednesday at 1:50pm. Paid an extra three dollars to wait in line anyway, wasn’t able to choose my seats, and you can only buy 20oz drinks, no cups! The movie was fantastic but the

This is the IMAX you’re looking for! Remember when IMAX came out, and it was HUGE?! Then all of a sudden your local theater also had IMAX, but it was to the huge screen what your TV is to a regular movie screen? Well, this is the only full-​sized, 5-​story tall IMAX screen in South Florida, and we’re lucky to have it! They can project all IMAX formats, both digital and 70 mm film, 3D and 2D.
Their ticketing system is a bit convoluted… Online via Brown Bag, or at the box office on site. You must purchase priority seating tickets in person. Most popular shows sell out well in advance, and for a sold out show you should arrive 1 – 2 hours in advance. Priority seating shaves that to 30 minutes.

This place is badass. If the Autonation Imax theater is playing a film, I will see it there instead of anywhere else, hands down. The screen is 8 floors tall and 6 wide, and when displaying a full 70 mm film, the quality is hands down so much better, most theaters play movies in 2k or 4k resolution, the 70 mm quality is 16k. Basically that means you get a razor sharp — super high quality immersive experience. Sure its a dollar or two extra compared to your normal bleh theater, and you have to get there early to see a blockbuster, but honestly if you want to see the movie the way its ment to be seen, then you won’t mind.
I’ve seen the new starwars here, along with interstellar and the new james bond spectre, the Everest movie. All of them were amazingly immersive on Imax, and I had no problem shelling out a dollar or two extra. Honestly, if you’re that picky as a customer over one dollar, you probably don’t value the immersive experience that Imax offers, which is okay. You can go see your 6 dollar movie in a screen that resembles the size of an original game boy.
Word of caution, get there early or else you’ll have to sit in the font, which can cause next strain and be too close, although that is the same with most theaters. I don’t mind it too much since it makes it more immersive, although it is a little close for comfort, so don’t be late.

I’m writing this with mixed feelings. The screen and sound is amazing. But there are several pros and numerous cons to this theater.
The pros —
— Immersive entertainment at its best. You will be sucked into the movie. With such a large screen, your eyeballs will be darting around to capture every shot.
— The sound is impressive. I’ve seen only a couple action movies here, and both had that excellent surround sound feel. These speakers were made to make you immerse you in the action
— The staff are pleasant
The cons —
— The ticketing is really the biggest con. You’re going to pay $ 15 for a seat somewhere in the theater. An additional $ 7 if you want to be one of the first 50 people in the theater. That’s $ 22 for one person to score a seat. Most theaters charge less than this to let you pick your specific seat online.
— The seating. I’m guessing 25% of the seats are neck benders.
— No refunds! If you don’t like your seat, don’t plan on getting a refund.
— Because of the cons stated previously, you’ll have to battle for your seat amongst other moviegoers.
— The parking. On top of the high ticket price, you’ll also have to score a spot for your car. We drove around for 20 minutes before finding the garage that charges $ 10. Or you can find a lot near the bars for $ 20! (Part of our parking spot search was interrupted by the nearby train)
I want to love this place. Especially since it is so close to me. I have yet to score a «perfect» seat… even though I arrived an hour and half early! The lack of seat selection severely detracts from what could otherwise be one of the best movie experiences ever.

Don’t go!!! Terrible. I won’t even buy from Autonation that experience was so bad. Bought tickets to Star Wars… two weeks in advance. Got there an hour before. We were people 151 and 152… not their fault. But then they let everyone that saved seats for others jump ahead of us. So we became people 290 and 291. When we finally got in, our options were the front row or the only two seats in row 3. I went down to ask for my money back. They told me I could get it. I got my wife, and we left. When we got to the box office, and they then tell us they won’t give it back. So we go back in, we lost our seats, the movie has started, and we are forced to sit in different rows. It is a scam. The first three rows should not exist, unless you are trying to require beck surgery. If you really want that, go sit in those rows!
I won’t go back and I won’t even buy from Autonation. I am making it my personal goal to get that theatre shut down. They should never have told us they would give us our money back, have us leave our seats, then fail to do so.

Despite its ginormous screen and impressive sound system, a major draw for sci-​fi movie buffs, AutoNation IMAX continues to score low ratings among reviewers due to it’s poor food selection, an antiquated ticketing system, and a lack of reserved seating options.

Great way to watch movies! Huge screen and sound. I recommend buying the priority seating tickets as you get to go inside and pick your seats before the ppl that bought regular tickets. Be there two hours before specially if it a blockbuster movie like Star Wars.
On the downside the concession stand is limited, drinks, popcorn and candies. No hot dogs, nachos or any of the type of food that you find at regular theaters. There is a subway inside; however, it closed at 6 or at least that’s when it closed yesterday while I was there.
Overall a great experience!
Price $ 15.00 for regular seating. Priority seating is $ 20.00 additional per ticket.

Very nice movie place. If you want to go out of the regular theaters. Plus you have the museum attach, good deals when you bundle.

Review #500. No pressure or anything.
Now, I couldn’t review just any old place for the big 5−0−0. It had to be special. It had to be… worthy. And you know what? This IMAX fits the bill.
I’ve now seen Jurassic World five times. Yes, really. The second time, I knew I wanted to see it in IMAX, with my only experience having been at this theater when I was younger. Well, we went to the Regal Sawgrass IMAX instead, and talk about a letdown! This was not the five-​story screen I had always associated with IMAX… this was just a slightly bigger screen. Ever hear of the term «LIEMAX»? Apparently I’m not the only one who’s been fooled by this, because there is a google map out there on the internets that lists every TRUE IMAX screen as well as the fakers like Sawgrass. Well, this would not do. So naturally I had to see Jurassic World again, this time at the only REAL IMAX screen in town: downtown Fort Lauderdale.
I’d checked out the website, and noticed that many of the Jurassic World showings here were selling out, even on weekdays. Not wanting to run the risk of driving all the way there only to not be able to get in, I purchased my tickets over the phone earlier in the day, even though there was a $ 2 convenience fee. That made the price $ 16 per ticket. And guess what? That was still $ 1 cheaper than the LIEMAX at Sawgrass. Go figure.
The concessions are actually fairly reasonable, when you compare them to regular movie theater prices. Our bottled Pepsi, bottled water, Rice Krispie Treat, and popcorn all added up to about $ 12. Seriously, that’s not bad, all things considered. They even have a kids meal with a mini bottle of water, a tray of popcorn, and a toy. Had I known that, I totally would’ve gotten one for myself, since I don’t eat a ton of popcorn anyway.
We were the first people there, about an hour before the show, since the seating is first-​come, first-​serve. They don’t let anyone in until about 15 minutes before the movie starts, giving them just enough time to clean up the theater in-​between. Since my mom is in a wheelchair, we took the elevator upstairs to take the handicap-​accessible seats at the back of the theater (conveniently for us, these are the best seats anyway, since you can see way more of the screen than if you were in the front). We took our seats, and sure enough, everyone coming in made a beeline for the back. Even though this was a Monday evening showing, the theater was packed.
As for the movie itself… yeah, it was awesome (my seeing it five times tells you I like this film just a little bit). Had I seen it the first time around in IMAX, I would’ve absolutely been spoiled. Jurassic World may not have used 3D to its full potential, but this is one movie that really should be seen in IMAX (…not LIEMAX). The picture quality, audio, and sheer size of this screen made the movie even better than it already was. Think about it this way: with a five-​story screen, we watched dinosaurs that really were fairly true to size ;)
The staff here was very friendly and accommodating. The manager escorted us up the elevator and made sure we were first in to get the handicap seats. Everyone we encountered, from concessions to theater staff, was friendly and personable… Definitely a nicer customer service experience than your traditional movie theater.
Before you pull into the parking garage ($ 6 before 6 pm, $ 12 after 6 pm), look for metered parking in front of the museum/​theater first. There’s parking on both sides of the road, as well as lots just to the east. We saved ourselves a good chunk of money by doing this instead of heading straight for the garage.
And if you haven’t done so yet, go see Jurassic World ;)

The ultimate action movie experience!
Best surround sound! Largest screen you can watch a movie on. Must do IMAX for any ACTION movie.
Insider tip pay for VIP Tix

FULL DISCLOSURE: I probably go to the movies once a year, twice tops. However, if I’m going to go to a theater, guaranteed there is only one way to entice me to go, and that is with a screen so massive and 3D technology so immerse you feel as though you’re in the movie.
Other theaters claim to utilize the same IMAX technology but I’m not entirely sure I believe any of them are on quite the same level as this spot. For me and the movies, bigger is definitely better, and I want the 5-​story screen and 56-​speaker surround sound experience. Be sure to arrive as early as possible for the best seat selection (towards the top and in the center), or you’ll get stuck at the front craning your neck throughout the entire film. They will make everyone move in to accommodate as many viewers as possible, and discourage saving of seats (in fact the exact policy is «Saving of places in the IMAX lobby line or saving of seats inside theater is not permitted» and I have seen it enforced).
Tickets can be purchased in advance (and I believe over the phone for an extra fee), and likely should be for new release films that are in high demand. You can often save a bit of money buying a combo ticket for a show and museum admission, which can be worth it if you haven’t been to the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science. Truthfully, the last time I did this I was a bit disappointed though by how run down the museum seems to have gotten as of late. They’ve also got popcorn, candy and soft drinks for sale in the lobby. Personally, I suggest swinging by the museum gift shop for some Freeze Dried Neapolitan Astronaut Ice Cream… because why not?
Parking for the theater is basically the same as anywhere else in downtown Fort Lauderdale. You can either pony up for the garage across the way (which can be expensive if there is a special event going on in the area), or just find a metered spot nearby. Either way you’re in for an experience, as the IMAX Theater really is worth the hassle.

Great service and excellent picture/​sound quality. If you’re looking for a legit IMAX to catch a blockbuster or science film, definitely come here! With the biggest screen in South Florida, it will not disappoint– it’s towers literally at 5 stories high! If going, I definitely recommend booking a month ahead and with priority seating– the seating isn’t separate it just allows you to pick first before the theme park line comes in.

This is the best movie screen in SoFla, and the only «true» IMAX theatre (ignore AMC’s claims to the contrary — they are puny in comparison).
For a time, this location was not showing blockbuster Hollywood films (possibly due to a distribution dispute with nearby Sunrise theatres), but thankfully they have a new digital projector and are once again showing real movies (saw Avengers and Tomorrowland here so far in 2015, Intrrstellar before that, and looking forward to the new Star Wars in December — this is THE place to see THAT one!!). The crappy thing is that even with advance tix, I know I’ll need to be here 3 hours early to get a good seat for that one (meanwhile I’m in line now a mere 20 minutes early for Tomorrowland and I’m practically the only one in line).
Screen is like 10 stories high or something ridiculous. Don’t sit in the front rows for 3D is my only tip — ouch on the eyeballs!

Fan of the big screen and the quality of theater overall!
Not so much of the concession stand and the complicated parking when events are held around the theater at night.
Great service from the guys that work there during late hours.
Wish the little subway station that they have there would work late hours as well to get better quality food.

Went here to see Interstella and it was pretty cool, seat a comfortable and it was cheaper then down in Miami
Will come back

My God, I was here when they opened and nothing has changed. They blather about their wonderful new 32,000 watt sound system that is all muffeled and their new seats. Gosh, I hope so, but they are still the worst outside of a Pleasure Dome or a low budget art house. And the Museum; plastic replicas? They rip you off by putting a surcharge on their own ticket booth tickets and unless you are dead center top forgetaboutit and go to Cinemark for a big screen, good clear sound and comfortable seats or Regals has wonderful IMAX now and they serve alcohol and upgraded nibbles with NO line. This AutoNation IMAX line thingy is soooo oudda date and speaking of dates waiting in a very long Q to sit down is not very romantic. Yuck!

This was the worst experience I’ve ever had in a movie theatre!
WORST PART: no seats reservation! If you’re in to see a good, in demand movie, like I went for Interstellar, sold out, be prepared to arrive at least 1 hour ahead to get your place in line if you want a decent seat! Because it’s on a «first come first served» basis!!! We went 30 min ahead and the best seats we could get were the first 3 seats on a row end at mid level. We could see properly only half of the screen, although it is curved!
SECOND WORST: picture quality; I was expecting to be blown away by the overly advertised IMAX 70 mm picture quality of the movie. It was the most blurred movie I’ve seen in an theater in a long while, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the movie quality!
SEATS COMFORT: average at best!
SOUND: average at best!
SCREEN: yeah, it’s huge, but what good if the rest sucks?
Advise: there are way better options out there!

Do not go to this horrible place.
I’ve never been to a theater anywhere with a «no refunds, no reason» policy. You would think that if a vendor couldn’t provide the service they sold you, they would refund you. But general manager Theresa Waldron refused to refund us, even though there were no acceptable seats available. You pay the jacked up ticket price in a theater like this for the «IMAX Experience», but beware because Theresa Waldron’s idea of the IMAX experience is for you to sit three feet from the screen looking straight up, while your wife sits in the back of the theater because there are no longer two seats available in which you can sit with your spouse.
When I asked to speak with her, she tried to escort me away from the line so that she could continue to sell tickets to unknowing customers who would be put through the same horrible experience. I refused to move, which is when she got nasty. I’ve never seen such inept and downright offensive behavior from management in any theater. You can go to any budget AMC, Cobb, Movieco and if you change your mind at the last minute you can get your money back quite easily. You can go to more expensive premium theaters with bar service like iPic and Cinebistro and get your money back or at the very least get a credit for a future movie, but Theresa Waldron thinks that the horrible service provided at Autonation IMAX is so superior that she can refuse refunds and not provide customers the theater experience they are paying good money for.
I was so offended by her behavior and attitude that I told her that I would be filing a chargeback on my credit card, since I did not receive what I had paid for. She looked at me with a smirk and told me they would be disputing it. Unbelievable. As I walked out, stunned, she continued to yell at me and my wife, as additional customers made more non-​refundable purchases. Whoever hired this woman should have their head examined.
Don’t ever give these idiots your credit card. They’ll screw you.