Muvico Rosemont 18 Theater
9701 Bryn Mawr Avenue,
Rosemont,
IL
60018
9701 Bryn Mawr Avenue,
Rosemont,
IL
60018
11 people
favorited this theater
Theater opened September 14, 2007. It’s really trying to be different! Every auditorium is digital and had art/murals on the walls (it reminded me of the old Coral Theater in Oak Lawn).
What really sets it apart is the Premier VIP area. There are six screens upstairs (it has a separate entrance) with seats almost twice the size of regular theater seats (they’re huge!). When you buy your ticket, you select your seat on a touchscreen (capacity is 60). Premier VIP ticketbuyers see the same film as the ‘regular’ patrons, but it’s in a balcony up above (who has balconies anymore?!) Plus, with the Premier VIP ticket, you get free popcorn (average, unfortunately) and free valet parking (although it’s next to a huge parking garage, so I guess the only time you’d need that would be if they had a big convention in town).
The food menu was expanded (not the typical movie theater fare – flatbread pizza, anyone?), but I don’t know if the ‘regs’ get the same menu. Premier VIPers also can order from Bogart’s restaurant, a sitdown place between the VIP theatres. There’s a bar up there, too. And get this – childcare services are available, also! (They had a lot of staff up there. I mean, a lot!) The men’s room only had one stall, but it included a sink! Which encouraged me to take as long as I wanted in there. Ha! Premier VIP is $15.00 Friday-Saturday-Sunday, $12.50 Monday-Thursday (and includes popcorn and valet parking).
The address is 9701 Bryn Mawr Avenue in Rosemont, but don’t use the mapsites to find it. They give the location as west of the highway, but it’s east. From the north, take River Road to Bryn Mawr and turn right. Past the office building (Hey! I used to work in that building!), turn left and head for the garage. From the south, turn left on Balmoral (where the Rosemont Theatre is), drive past the hotel, then turn right into the parking garage entrance. The theater is on the other side of the garage.
Rosemont is supposed to be bulding an entertainment district ‘Rosemont Walk’, but I didn’t see it. They only have this super-cool theater back behind the office buildings, hotels and parking garages that define this next to O'Hare Airport town.
Crowd was a decent size for a brand new, practically hidden theater. They must be counting on hotel guests. But hey, it’s worth the trip! Saw “Across The Universe” there, which is only playing at a few theaters. Also, you can print tickets at home.
Contributed by
Shawn Evans
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Recent comments (view all 30 comments)
More photos are here.
Well Block 37 fell through in downtown Chicago as well as the Northbrook, Il. in the northern burb. Bank Of America took the property back (Block 37) after the developer went bust. There was also to be a Loews Hotel. The property remains mostly empty and unfinished. Northbrook was also against the theater because of the nearby AMC and the people felt too much traffic and noise. Too bad. The design would have been something. I agree with the thought the Parardise was the inspiration for the design, You can see the bright lights over a mile down the tollway. It reminds me of the Marbro Theater on the west side of Chicago with the brightness of the marquee!
Bobby, I can’t say that I see the similarity with the Chicago Paradise, except perhaps the galloping steed at the top of the facade being reminiscent of those on the Paradise proscenium. Still, for a modern day theatre it looks pretty impressive. Probably about as good as we can expect these days.
Scott, that is exactly what I meant. I didn’t even think about it until I read it in this post. We will never see the likes or anything comimg close to our Paradise or Marbro. For what I see around the country that are passing for movie complexes, this was a very bold & beautiful design and I commend Muvico. Their theaters in Florida are also very very nice but without the big marquee and vertical. This must be a new direction the company is taking. They have a Paradise, Palace and Parisian all with the themes throughout the theater. Impressive lobbys, marble floors and chandeliers, plush carpets and plenty of gilt-everything we love!
Scott, if you do come up I’ll meet you there. In person it is very impressive! I have heard from friends they were disappointed with the auditoriums not really looking like a movie palace. I suppose they thought the exterior was so ornate and colorful that the theaters inside would also be. Well there is a little decoration and the seats are plush. All the money was spent on the facade and the signage and the stunning lobby. I remind them this IS 2011! The era of over the top decorations and cupids and floating clouds are all long gone. But this theater gives you the flavor of that time.
Dean Richards of WGN TV did a piece on the Muvico 18 this morning. The theater has added a bank of seats equipped with “D-Box”. A film activated motion device that rocks the bank of seats along with the action on the screen. Like a flight/driving simulator or interactive space shuttle experience of sorts. The feature is reservation only, and appeared to be limited to a small amount of seats. Special prints of the films encoded to work with the equipment are needed. The upcoming “Pirates” sequel is one that is scheduled. So it’s obviously not limited to planes or cars.
I believe this probably is a form of sennsuround that some of the theaters installed back in the 70’s. I saw “Earthquake” at the Nortown Theatre in Chicago back then and they installed big boom boxes at the sides of the theater when the earth moved, so did the theater. Back in the 60’s, In remember the fad of smellavision.
This was installed in a downtown theater and the seats were wired with sensors to release smells when called for in the movie. Must have been a flop because it never went anywhere.
Similar, but limited to the shaking of that bank of seats only.
I posted over on the United Artists page about experiencing “Earthquake” with Sensurround when it came out. The UA had to hang mesh netting high up towards the ceiling to catch falling plaster shortly after the film opened.
My late father said Smell-O-Vision was tried at the Michael Todd on Dearborn I believe. But that people became ill when the artificial pipe smoke scent was pumped in for one scene.
Your dad was correct. Michael Todd had the system. Also correct people were vomiting in the aisles. Being an usher there sure meant being challenged I would say.
There are 48 D-box seats, and an adult D-box ticket costs $21.50. I guess they tilt, rock, and vibrate according to the action on screen. So now instead of the kid behind you kicking your seat, the theatre itself kicks your seat.