Webster Place Theaters
1471 W. Webster Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60614
1471 W. Webster Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60614
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 66 comments found
2007 grand re-opening ad posted in the photo section for this cinema.
As of August 10, 2011, the Webster Place is all-digital projection.
That could happen Paul.
Why did Kerasotes bail so quickly?
Their cinemas were way better than AMC’s were.
They just renovated this place too. It was good again! Let’s see if Regal runs it into the ground.
I got this in my email today
“Dear Five Buck Club Member of City North 14 and Webster Place,
I wrote you recently about AMC’s acquisition of the Kerasotes Theatres. In a subsequent transaction, AMC has sold the City North 14 and Webster Place to Regal Cinemas. Regal will take over management of these two locations effective May 25, 2010.
We have been asked by Regal to inform you that they will not be honoring Five Buck Club cards after they assume operation of these locations on May 25, 2010.
Thank you for your patronage.
Sincerely,
Tony Kerasotes"
Saw “Gran Torino” at Webster Place 11 on 01/19/09.
$10.75 each for adults, plus $2.00 for validated, automated parking. (Remember to park in the multi-level lot to qualify for discount. Open air strip mall lot is apparently still not inclusive to the theaters.)
Webster Place 11 was very clean with a uniformed staff. Visibly armed security guard seemed like overkill. But I assume only they know what they might encounter on a regular basis. Carpeting & restrooms were spotless.
Typical high prices for the ever shrinking sized snack items. Potbelly across the street seemed the better value for killing time. Short of staring at the mass of treadmill users in the gym’s window.
Elevator from the parking lot had an obvious recoat of flat black paint, to combat past or ongoing graffiti. Carpet was beat, but it is mid January. Surrounding sidewalks remained unshoveled.
What’s with all the TV show & Coke commercials before the trailers? They even offer advertising opportunities within the same.
It still amazes me how much trash gets left behind, in just two hours time. Hats off to the clean-up staff for their diligence.
I remember seeing “Basic Instinct” at the Webster Place Theatres when it came out. The lines were extremely long. Our goal was to get tickets and go over to Pequods or Flounders until closer to showtime. However the large crowds meant staying there until the next show. Cause they were doing the ropes and head count thing, and not really checking tickets.
There were some protesters on site who were vocally objecting to the film’s depiction of a bisexual female lead played by Sharon Stone, as being prone to violence and a killer.
The heavy press coverage of that distinction likely caused larger crowds to sell out many of the initial showings.
Which in turn caused some of the protestors to essentially be drowned out and basically a non factor to sales, if that was one of their goals.
I’m not sure if Webster had the escalators or not before the remodeling. If so, they were possibly shut off to accomodate the large crowds waiting for the next showings. Because I remember standing for a long period on the stairs. I remember thinking fire code should have an issue with that large of a crowd waiting inside the building, with an already full theatre. And us on the common stairs out.
The last thing I saw recently at Webster Place was “Juno”.
The trick there now is to make sure you park in the correct lot for the theatre, and not the adjacent strip mall lot. Something I did twice, got right, and still don’t know how.
The cost for accidental mall parking was higher than that for the validated theatre parking. A security guard just happened to mention it. The theatre had not. And we again had already secured tickets.
Per Kerasotes' website, they have already abandoned the short-lived reserved seating policy. That didn’t last too long! I guess at the movies people wanna sit where they wanna sit.
Kudos to Kerasotes! This is now a great place to see a show again.
Because of the renovations, the Webster Place has become my favorite place within the City of Chicago to see a movie. The public thinks so too as the place has been crowded, even on weeknights!
Good job Kerasotes! I have a feeling that they will soon overtake AMC-Loews in the Chicagoland Area. Now they need to do some work on the City North 14.
No, I haven’t gotten the chance to go here yet. I was going to see “I Am Legend” here, but ended up seeing it at the Showplace in Schererville, IN because I was nearby shopping with my parents.
I noticed a sign at the Webster Place saying that they are soon going to have reserved seating. How will this work? The rows are already numbered as are the seats, but will every seat now be reserved for every movie?
Cinemark Fan,
Have you gone to the Webster yet? I think you’ll like it. You know, it’s not hard to figure out what people like and if you invest money in your theatres, generally you’ll make money.
I’ve seen them. I might try and stop by sometime next week.
Cinemark Fan,
The ads in the newspapers are proclaiming the newly refurbished Webster Place Theatre.
Cinemark Fan,
What’s interesting is that this place opened up around the same time that the Lincoln Village and the Burnham did. Both were allowed to die, but this place has always done well.
But then again it’s in a busy location.
Take note, Village Theatres!
Cinemark Fan,
It is a much improved place! It shows what a theatre company can do if it INVESTS MONEY in its theatres!
Looking at the showtimes for this Friday, it looks like cinemas 9 thru 11 will reopen, making all 11 screens fully operational.
Paul F.
I was here on Sunday with my girlfriends. You’re right, the changes were more subtle than anything groundbreaking. I like the new seats and the cup holders. The entrance to the ladies' room is no longer on either side of the concession stand (which led to confusion). The ladies' room is much-improved too. The staff seems to be excited about working in this renovated cinema.
I appreciate Keresotas' investment in this theatre and I think it will be around for many years.
Cinemark Fan,
I was here tonight to see DAN IN REAL LIFE. Here’s the what the theatre is like. The box office has been moved to the indoors, upper level, atop the escalators. On the one hand, it means that patrons purchasing tickets will not have to wait outdoors in the cold. On the other hand, it’s in the same area as the concession stands, so that could lead to congestion.
The auditoriums have been re-done into a red/blue scheme. The seats are much improved. They are similar to those found at the 600 North Cinema. Unfortunately, the place was not built for stadium seating, so it will never have that. New carpet has been placed in the main hallway. The hallway has been re-done with nice wall sconces. The entrance to the ladies restroom has been moved to the hallway too.
The concession area has been re-designed for better customer flow, but I’m still curious if it won’t get overcrowded with the box office being there now.
The renovations are nothing groundbreaking, but the Webster Place is now much improved over what it was before.
I looked at the showtimes for this upcoming week, and eight of the eleven screens will be open. I imagine that those are the original screens. I won’t be able to get down here to check it out for a while, so if anyone gets down here before me, please give me the lowdown… and maybe a photo.
BW
There may be even fewer traces of M&R soon. I was at a party Saturday Night and a man who is a Norridge police officer said that plans are definitely afoot to replace the Norridge with a Costco. He said that the Cinemark in Melrose Park took away a lot of business.
He did mention, however, that there may be plans to build a new theatre in the area of the Harlem-Irving Plaza (HIP).
I just thought it was a bit sad in that there are few vestiges of M&R left, except, say, Norridge.
Life’s Too Short,
I think that the Webster was due for a renovation. And if Kerasotes promotes it properly (which they undoubtedly will), people will come back. The Webster Place is an extremely popular place. And there are a few bars, the strip mall, etc., so it’s not like that the place is in the middle of nowhere.
BW,
There was still a good crowd for the movie I was seeing. I didn’t mean to imply that the place was a total masoleum! I think that remaining partially open will keep the WP in the public eye!
Don’t forget, the LaGrange has been renovating for a few years now and it still does well.