While having the Hollywood nearby is a real treat (especially for 70mm and 35mm), it does have one significant flaw: the auditorium itself.
Now, my only real gripe with the auditorium is that it lacks a balcony. I’m not sure how the seat count compares to other historic theaters around here, but it certainly feels smaller than them. The original balcony was, of course, converted decades ago into two smaller auditoriums which remain in use, so restoring it is likely unfeasible. Though, considering how crowded the main auditorium can be during 70mm/35mm screenings, the balcony is sorely missed.
This is where I saw most movies as a kid (though I did see a few at Tinseltown and Chapel Malls, but at least 90% were at Carefree Circle). I’m kind of surprised that it opened only in 2000, though I really shouldn’t be since it does have a (real) IMAX theater. I’ve been reading about the history of IMAX and understand that movies have been shown in that format only since 2000 (starting with Fantasia 2000.) The only film that I actually saw at the Carefree IMAX was Spiderman 2 (not a true IMAX film), but the sheer size of the screen really impressed my 10-year old self.
Hmmm, 16 screens? That seems incorrect. I recall this place being much larger than that (and indeed, I think I saw a figure of over 30 screens listed somewhere.) Maybe the number of auditoriums was reduced during the renovation a few years ago.
While having the Hollywood nearby is a real treat (especially for 70mm and 35mm), it does have one significant flaw: the auditorium itself.
Now, my only real gripe with the auditorium is that it lacks a balcony. I’m not sure how the seat count compares to other historic theaters around here, but it certainly feels smaller than them. The original balcony was, of course, converted decades ago into two smaller auditoriums which remain in use, so restoring it is likely unfeasible. Though, considering how crowded the main auditorium can be during 70mm/35mm screenings, the balcony is sorely missed.
This is where I saw most movies as a kid (though I did see a few at Tinseltown and Chapel Malls, but at least 90% were at Carefree Circle). I’m kind of surprised that it opened only in 2000, though I really shouldn’t be since it does have a (real) IMAX theater. I’ve been reading about the history of IMAX and understand that movies have been shown in that format only since 2000 (starting with Fantasia 2000.) The only film that I actually saw at the Carefree IMAX was Spiderman 2 (not a true IMAX film), but the sheer size of the screen really impressed my 10-year old self.
Hmmm, 16 screens? That seems incorrect. I recall this place being much larger than that (and indeed, I think I saw a figure of over 30 screens listed somewhere.) Maybe the number of auditoriums was reduced during the renovation a few years ago.