Reading Cinemas Gaslamp

I haven’t had the best experiences at this theatre, from lack of cleanliness, lack of other customers (i.e. can be empty on occasions) and just an overall atmosphere. If it wasn’t walking distance from here I would prefer AMC Theatres, or Edwards Cinemas. I complained to the theatre about recent bad experiences and they did respond to correct it, so I will give it 3 stars for that.

I can walk here and it’s never crowded. Otherwise not much reason to go here. With all the upgrades to theaters this one is what we refer to as a ghetto theater. Never the less, my first two points means I’ll be back.

This is where I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Think it was 5:00 show because it was late afternoon but still had to pay street parking. Sticky dirty floors. Uncomfortable seating. Didn’t enjoy my popcorn either (yes, I’m kinda snobby about $ 8 theatre popcorn). Can’t remember but I think they make you add your own butter (oil) on top and just hope it drips down. Or was that at AMC?
Didn’t have any problems with the staff. Walking distance to pubs and restaurants. Place just needs remodeling in the screening rooms. I actually like the old-​school décor in the lobby. I’d give another star if they had better butter.

This place is a dirty dump with two rude employees. It’s too bad because it could be charming and the theaters are comfortable (which is the only reason why it gets a second star). Another positive was there was plenty of availability for The Force Awakens. Please clean everything, I hope we didn’t get bed bugs.

I’ve seen some bad reviews for this place in Unilocal,but I thought the place was clean, comfy seats, large screens with good sound.
Also lots of show times and looked like 10+ screens which hopefully minimizes crowded theaters.
I will say the popcorn was not the greatest. I think microwave popcorn tastes much better and ¹⁄₁₀ the price.

Beautiful old fashioned theater. Perfectly located in the Gaslamp District. If you’re looking to kill some time, see a movie here! The location makes it perfect for grabbing drinks or food afterwards.

Like the atmosphere of the theater, there is a nice look to it. The picture is crisp the sound is sufficient. Gotta keep it real tho semi flat soda and cold popcorn. Aside from the concessions I dig this theater, they tend to show the type of movies I’m interested.

I don’t know why people are so down on this theater. It looks old because it was designed that way! It’s a beautiful 20s Art Deco style architecture that blends in perfectly to historic Gaslamp District, tearing down and rebuilding isn’t better. I don’t understand people who think that. They must be extremely devoid of appreciating art and beauty. This building is a work of art, inside and out.
I do agree the escalator should be fixed. And, they could upgrade the sound. It also gets really annoying when obvious tourists come in and literally have talked through the entire movie until I have to yell at them. That’s more of a douchebag thing, than a tourist thing. But, I’ve never had any other issue there. The staff is great, and I’ve never had an issue with their popcorn or drinks.
I’ll go to Horton theater if I have to, but that’s the place that looks really old, 80s pastels. Weird. Plus, what’s up with that Hong Kong height escalator?

So I read the Unilocal reviews and almost didn’t come to this theatre but decided to give it a try. We saw American Ultra on a Sunday afternoon and loved the experience.
Yes the escalator was closed off but they do have an elevator if you don’t want to take the stairs. We opted to take the stairs — why not burn a couple extra calories? Just as the others reviews stated, the bathrooms were very clean and smelled really good, like the environmentally friendly products my building uses. The theatre was stadium seating and the seats were very comfortable.
Don’t let the other reviews stop you from coming to this cool theatre. I have back and neck issues from previous injuries and found the seats to be very comfortable. After talking to the staff (who were very friendly) the theatre opened in 1997 and was designed to have an old world feel to it.
I can’t complain about the parking issue as I live 7 blocks away and walk but don’t blame this place for the downtown parking problem. Even Horton Plaza only validates for 2 hours.
Overall — great movie experience and will definitely come back.

Classic movie theater in the heart of Gaslamp district. We stopped by here to watch a film after grabbing some shakes at Ghiradelli’s and shopping around. A great way to spend the late afternoon, it was pretty empty and we enjoyed the film. The price is right, the young staff attentive enough, and I love movies so all around a nice way to spend time with someone and a box of popcorn.

Can I say, wow! Is this theater really downtown in the Gaslamp district??? Let’s start by saying, why were there 7 employees hanging at the concession area with «Old» popcorn just chillin for the next victim to eat!!! P. s. They should serve more than popcorn, hotdogs! Secondly, can the employees who work there please quit because upon walking in the theater, I swear, the movie theater had invisible moviegoers sitting there (omg); from the look of things there was tons of garbage and soda containers everywhere! Seriously, who is the manager of this facility?
Note to self: come for the comfy seats (only)
Note to everyone: Go somewhere else and enjoy the ambience outside… Do not come here., I repeat, do not come here

It was an interesting experience being the only people watching the movie. Literally, no one else was there with us. i don’t know how this place stays in business. They need to do something with place, like put something else here.

This theater has one foot in the grave and the other foot on a banana peel.
Overpriced crappy food, a broken down escalator and a haunted house type vibe — I’m actually surprised no tweakers have taken up residence here yet.

You people don’t even know.
I went to this theatre on a fluke. I had an early morning free and I was told that the new Mad Max was my kind of movie. So I went to their first showing and it happened to be the 3D version. I haven’t seen a 3D film in over ten years because in NYC 3D films are $ 20-​$ 25. Here in San Diego? $ 11!!!
So I buy my ticket and go to the concession to get a coffee. The attendant is not only smoking hot but really friendly! That’s rare nowadays. Seriously, this girl was beautiful I had to do a double take and I’m not even into chicks anymore.
So I go to grab a seat and I’m the only person there. For the whole movie! I got to see the new Mad Max in 3D in a great theatre by myself. I’m the kid who grew up loving the smell of gasoline and this film was all about that.
At one point in the film I screamed, «FUCK YEAH!!!» Why? Because Joe Immortal got his face torn off in a diesel fueled chase scene in 3D and I was alone in the theatre and could roar to my guttural heart’s delight without bothering anyone.
I’m a grown ass man and this was the best film experience I’ve ever had. FUCK YEAH!

Pros: Location is very convenient if you’re already downtown, plenty of open seats and tiered seating provides a good view, cheap matinée prices.
Cons: definitely older and not well-​maintained. Escalator was broken this week, and based on another review, may have been broken for months. Confusion about the ticket line vs. the concession line because tickets are now sold at the snack bar.
I will go back for convenience, but I’d rather pay $ 1 – 2 more for a nice theater like AMC La Jolla for certain movies.

If you’re a regular movie goer I strongly suggest Reading Cinemas. They offer decent prices and there are never ridiculous lines to deal with. I believe their ticket prices are at least a dollar cheaper than Horton plaza theaters. There are plenty of screens as well so showtimes are quite often, even on a weekday.
I love the layout of the these theaters. It’s got a slightly old time ball room vibe to it. There are two beautiful stair cases that wind around the sides of the glass walls to get to the second floor of theaters. Each floor has a snack area if that matters to anyone. The theaters have been clean every time I come here.
The only reason they didn’t get 5 stars is because they are located in an area that offers little to no parking, and the closest parking structure is paid parking (first 2 hours free).

Came in tonight to see American sniper.
Loved the stadium seating-​I love to sit in the far back, nobody bothers you and you don’t have to deal with irritating people chatting or eating their popcorn loud, lol.
Was pretty clean and the popcorn was delicious–
Nothing to complain about except Parking which is always a pain in the butt anywhere in Downtown SD

It’s been a while since I’ve been to this theater. Those rare instances where we actually go out to see a movie, we’re usually going to the theater in Horton. Not sure why, I guess it just always works out that way.
I was a bit underwhelmed by this place. It certainly wasn’t as sparkly and shiny as I remember it, but again, the theater was new the last time I was here. It’s decidedly *not* new right now, and it shows.
They only had one ticket window open the night we went, which would have been fine, had it not been for the large, rather lost group of teenagers in front of us. Seems they wanted to see a movie, but couldn’t quite figure out how to go about paying for it. That poor girl working the window looked frazzled to no end, having to answer the same questions over and over again, and having to say things like, «I’m sorry, I really don’t know *why* your card was declined, I’m just seeing that it was.»
At any rate, the movie we were there to see was in Theater 1, and it wasn’t open when we got there. There was a small group of people hanging out, waiting to get in, and it kind of crowded the concessions stand. Not that big a deal, given that we weren’t buying, but I could see the confusion mounting there.
Got a huge kick out of the fact that they had closed off the escalator to the second floor with a sign that said «Broken, please use elevator.» How do escalators break, exactly? Don’t they just become stairs, at that point?
Anyway, the theater was kind of dingy, but I do like the way the seats are laid out. Short people like me always appreciate when they have a bit of a leg-​up on the tall people around them, and the elevated seating structure is kind of nice. I’d honestly forgotten about that part of the theater.
Honestly, it was the thing I liked best. It was enough for me to give it two stars.
Want to hear something that truly skeeved me out? Once the movie finished, I walked out of there with a brand new bug bite on my right ankle and one on my tooshie. Gross.

In SD for work and wanted to catch a flick to burn some time before dinner and unwind so I gave this joint a whirl. It’s dated. Old school. A flashback to 1989.
In terms of service, not too shabby. The folks working the front were very nice and did a solid job.
Décor? Whack. Vibe? 1989.
The seats in the theaters are very, very uncomfortable. ZERO leg room and the chairs do not recline. I had to snort two Advil after to mitigate the pain in my knees and back. Hurtin’ for certain.
Popcorn and soda — $ 13 buckaroos. WTF! Hard to pay Arclight Theatre prices when you’re in a subpar theatre with bums panhandling out front.
That said, the pcorn went down smooth.
Bathrooms — clean enough.
At the end of the day I burned a couple of hours, ate popcorn and had aching knees for about $ 22 bones. The theatre served its purpose I suppose as I walked there from my hotel and accomplished my mission.
Would I recommend it? If you’re downtown and don’t want to drive to a better spot — it’s the best option.
BOOM!

Movie night!
My wife and I came out to watch the «neighbors»
Damn funny movie. And relatable. !
They about forgot to turn off the lights when the movie started. One of the 5 people in the seats got up and asked them to turn the lights off.
My only complaint was my pretzel. It must of been old because it was hard as a rock.
That sucks. The lights I can understand, but u got to have ur pretzels on point. GeeeeeZ

I came here to watch a movie called «Delivery» on a Saturday night. I love the décor of this place the inside and outside of this San Diego movie theater has character. It looks 100 years old like a historical site. Yet it is very well taken care of and clean. However there are often homeless people hanging around the exterior. But it is on 5^th Ave and G Street, a very busy intersection until 2am, so there is little reason to feel unsafe.
I really like how after a certain time in the evening you have to buy your movie tickets at the concessions counter. Two birds, one stone! Great. My girlfriend and I got a bottomless large sized popcorn and Coke for $ 12.50. That’s reasonable. I believe I our tickets were $ 11 each with student ID.
There were only 3 people total in the screening theater I was in, including my date. Every time I come here, it’s pretty barren. On the one hand I like the experience of a crowded movie theater because I feel like I’m at the place to be and sharing in pop culture. On the other hand sometimes I think it’s great to have a theater pretty much to yourself. Less hassle.
Parking is not readily available hear, but you can park at Horton Plaza mall 3 blocks away or you can park in one of the many other pay parking lots.
I recommend this theater.