City North 14 Cinema

The City North 14 opened in December 1999. Just six months earlier, it was an empty lot with weeds. Two of the opening attractions were "ANY GIVEN SUNDAY" and "DEUCE BIGALOW, MALE GIGOLO". It's very comfortable and clean, with a very wide lobby. Auditoriums 1, 12, 13, and 14 are the largest.(400-500 seats). Auditorium 7 is really small (101 seats?). Every Tuesday is "Bargain Day"- all seats are $5.00 all day/ evening and you get a free small popcorn.

I must add a correction to my entry. In reviewing entries for the Ford City theatre on both Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour, I was unable to determine exactly when that theatre opened.

A better comparison would have been the Yorktown 18. That theatre also was built around 1998, only a few years before General Cinema was taken over by AMC.

One memory I have of this place occurred during a showing of "Tortilla Soup." The fire alarm went off in the building (and it appears that the projectors shut off automatically if this happens), and we got up and quickly and quietly filed out of the auditorium into the alley. Apparently, all of those fire drills in grade school paid off! After the fire chief pronounced the theatre safe, we were allowed back in and the movie resumed.

This is one of ten theatres that AMC and Loews are selling off as part of their merger, to satisfy antitrust concerns. See this news item for more information and discussion.

I can't imagine AMC voluntarily selling off this place, rather it seems court-ordered. Any word on who might want it (Keresotas, Regal, Cinemark)? This place is too big and too new for someone like Village Theatres to take over.

Per a 2/28/06 article in CRAINS CHICAGO BUSINESS, Keresotas Theatres has abandoned its plan to build atop a new Target store. They cited the cost as being too high. Instead, the chain will try to acquire the City North 14 and the Webster Place from AMC/Loews.

Here is the article

http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=19671

I should say that the Target store will be at the corner of Broadway & Wilson, the site of a former CTA rail yard. The complex was to have been called "Wilson Yards."

Word is Century Theaters is going to acquire it. (This is from pretty high up.)

Ooh, If Century takes over, I'll be here all the time. I'm sure they would put their concessions there. A_projectionst, do you know of any other theater news?

Starting tomorrow, the City North 14 will be part of the Kerasotes theatre chain. Goodbye, AMC. Goodbye, $5.00 Tuesdays and free popcorn. Oh well, at least Village theatres didn't acquire the theatre!

Why would Village be interested? Village only wants hopelessly outmoded locations. What an awesome business plan. Their web site is also sweet.

This theater along with the Webster Place will become a Kerasotes Theater as a result of the merger between AMC-Loews.

They've already taken off the AMC logo, which was visible from the Kennedy Expressway and the Metra UP Northwest Line.

This theatre should be updated. It should be listed as a Kerasotes theatre.

If 'AMC Loews Webster Place 11' & 'AMC City North 14' REALLY ARE open under Keresotes, what are they now Named? I can't seem to locate them, at Yahoo; nor was a general search for their old Names, & "Keresotes" rewarding.
OOPS! I finally found something: Kerasotes City North 14 ... (773) 394-1600 ... District: Bucktown ... 2600 North Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 ... http://www.kerasotes.com.. ; &: Kerasotes Webster Place 11 ... 1471 W. Webster Ave., Chicago, IL 60614 ... 1-773-327-1314. Found on Yelp, & Fandango, respectively. Fandango has Movie info for both Chicago theatres. Or, use their own Website.

Here is the seating capacity for each of the 14 auditoriums at the City North: Auditorium #1-466, #2-260, #3-260, #4-260, #5-260, #6-260, #7-101, #8-213, #9-213, #10-213, #11-213, #12-466, #13-466, #14-466. A grand total of 4,117 seats. Kerasotes is just as good as AMC:the theatre is well run, is mostly clean, and management is friendly and helpful. Last but not least: they kept the $5.00 admission policy on Tuesdays. A nice place to see a movie.

Coincidentally I passed this place today. My only complaint is that I wish they would paint over the area once occupied by the AMC letters. It looks pretty ghetto the way it is.

Here are photos of this theater.

Kerasotes has placed its own logo on the side of the building facing the Kennedy Expressway and the railroad tracks. It now says "Showplace City North 14." I believe that the AMC letters (Ie. the "label scar") have been erased.

I haven't been here for a few years. But the reviews on www.yelp.com have not been positive for this theater. That includes reviews written for both AMC and Kerasotes management. It's a shame that a place less than 10 years old is getting bad reviews. Has anyone been here recently? I'd like comments from my fellow Cinema Treasures fans about this theater.

Catherine- I go to the City North 14 on a fairly regular basis. Overall, my experiences have been good. Exceptions: on Tuesdays (bargain day) with a really popular film, it can be crowded: lots of high school kids...the noise level can go up considerably, and, my pet peeve: people in the row behind me kicking the seats. However, if you go on a Wednesday or Thursday, the place is quite different. No crowds, no noise, no problems. A friend of mine, who likes to see movies on the weekend, says some films sell out in the evening. Two students I know told me not long ago: "The City North... too many gang-bangers". It seems since Kerasotes took over from AMC, the patrons are better behaved. Perhaps that little ad the theatre runs after the trailers has made a difference: "Welcome.......please refrain from talking, kicking seats, and moving around. We are always close by. Disruptive patrons will be asked to leave". Bottom line- I like the place as long as no one is sitting behind me.

I think the Ford City 14 opened in 1988. I know the Mall of America 14 in Bloomington, Mn ( twin cities ) opened in 1992. Ford city was GC'S # in concessions and Mall of America was # 1 in patrons.

The Northbrook 14 and Randhurst 16 both opened in 1996. The Northbrook 14 opened before Randhurst but not by much. It was after that when GC planned on opening more megaplexes nationwide.

I dought that things got better because Kerasotes took over. I have never seen an employee in the theatre at any Kerasotes but have never been to AMC only theatre that were GC but not since AMC took them over. With Kerasotes mob connections I find it hard to believe they would run this one right but not any of their other theatres.

Mob connections?!?! What?!?!

Bigred, The Ford City 14 opened in 1990.

You're both quite wrong. The General Cinemas City North 14 opened December 17, 1999. It featured two party rooms, a game room, and a 980 seat parking garage. There had previously been a Goldblatt's on the site. M&R had previously announced (unrealized) plans for a 16 screen theater at 2950 N. Western.

I've heard that auditoriums #1 and #14 have really huge screens. Is this true? If so, how wide, and side masking or top-bottom?

I've been here before to see the remake of DOTD back in 2004, and I was in #6, which had a pretty average screen.