Glen Art Theatre

The prices can’t be beat and it’s nice to support an older theater. The seats aren’t very comfortable since you have to sit in them for at least over an hour but otherwise it’s great.

Just an old school theatre. A real mix of movies offered, nice location, always parking close by. Don’t expect a new place. expect a 1970s feel, but once your engaged in your movie the rest fades away.
Fair prices as well.

One of my favorite movie theaters. Affordable & friendly, just might want to bring pillow if your tush gets sore.
Usually has a great variety of movies.

I’m sure we can all agree… a night out at the movies can be quite costly! Two tickets, two drinks, popcorn, candy… whatever. It all adds up. Everyone likes a good ol’ dated movie theater once in a while, right?
$ 5 tickets in the afternoon for a new release?
That’s this place!
I was wandering around downtown Glen Ellyn a few weeks ago after dinner and didn’t even realize there was a movie theater there. I live a few burbs over so this was new to me. A movie I wanted to see was playing there this past weekend so I decided to go check it out. Afternoon movies are $ 5 — that also includes new releases! For a 1:40 movie on a Sunday, we had no trouble finding parking right up close on the street. There was no line, we just paid and went in. We stopped for drinks — I will say concessions are typical movie theater prices, $ 3.50 for a bottle of water.
The place is clean, dated… but clean, and smells clean too. The seats are fine, lots of leg room, though it was pretty cold in there. Typically movie theaters are cold but this one was just COLD, almost uncomfortable but… I survived.
I’d definitely come back here again to check out a flick.

I love this old theater dearly, which is why I’m so sad it’s fallen into such disrepair.
The Glen Art is such a lovely reminder of the past decades, of a more glamorous era when going to the movies was quite an affair. In its day, this theater was so elegant. The interior is still true to the 1920s, when it was built, with some great art-​deco details. They’ve got an old marquee out front (the semi-​circular kind that was usually back-​lit, on which they’d change out the letters to show which movies were playing), which is cute.
The movies change out pretty frequently and the showtimes are a broad selection, so whenever you’re free throughout the day you can still find a showtime to fit your schedule. They show a good variety of foreign, indie, and popular/​current films, which is nice. It’s such a pleasant relief to be able to sit and wait for your show to start without having advertisements pelted at your face. Don’t worry — the previews are still there.
You can’t buy your tickets at the original ticket booth anymore — you have to purchase them at the snacks counter. The tickets are very modestly priced, which I like.
The theaters themselves are so nostalgic! They’re small, without stadium seating, and provide a great ambiance/​atmosphere. It’s such a quaint, vintage trade-​up for the mega-​theaters of today. It’s a shame that this place is in such shambles, though. It really needs a little love and a spruce-​up. The floors are sticky and need refinishing, the seats seem pretty frail and could use some tightening at least, the lighting is horribly dim (even for a movie theater). I might sound like a fuddy-​duddy, but I thought the volume on the previews/​movie was a little too loud — but maybe I just have sensitive ears.
I go here because it’s got movies that aren’t playing anywhere else, the prices are incredibly low, I like the ambiance of being in a historical theater (no matter how run-​down), and I like to support local, private businesses. I wish people wouldn’t avoid this place just because it’s so old and not as kept up as some other theaters — it’s got so much charm to offer, and there’s nothing else like it around.

A small town movie theater that is a throwback to years gone by. It reminds me of a move theater that might show up in the movie Back to the Future or tv show Happy Days. There is an one-​man ticket booth where the patrons can buy their tix outside or inside, the small concession stand and the vintage décor. There are four small theaters which seat 200 each. The seats are questionable as some are warn and not secured to the floor. There are no cup holders like in newer theaters either. The women’s bathroom is small, only 2 stalls, which when a movie lets out is a problem if you drink a lot of soda during a movie. The prices are $ 5 before evening and $ 7 for later movies. The concession stand offers the standard movie fare… popcorn, nachos, pretzels and candy. It was $ 10 for a medium popcorn and soda. I really like the small town feel of this theater and will definitely be back even with the inconvenience of a small bathroom, worn seats and no cup holders. The town of Glen Ellyn has some cute shops and eateries that should be checked out while in town.

I hadn’t been to the Glen in over a year…
The was largely as I remember it but the best news to happen to this theater is the installation of a digital projection system.
The prior reel based projection system they had here previously was often scratchy and hard to sometimes watch.
We saw Chef last week and I was amazed at how improved the picture quality has become.
Postives:
Great selection of small run movies.
Price $ 7 for evenings.
Film projection much improved
Nice prices on snack bar.
Negatives
Theater needs some work
Seats are old and lean back
Lighting is low in theater (my wife’s friend had somebody sit in her lap!!)
We go to IPic to see the big hollywood productions but will definitely be doing more date nights at the Glen.

I pretty much agree with exactly everything Veronica X wrote. Yep, it smells musty but you get tons more leg room than most other theaters. I love the guy sitting in the small ticket booth. You can’t beat $ 5 matinees and their popcorn and pop prices are reasonable. I wish they used really butter on their popcorn though! Today, we snagged a parking spot right out front and walked in to see a matinée of «Chef» for five bucks. I’m surprised that this theater, being in Glen Ellyn hasn’t been renovated. Lots of potential I think. We’ll go back. I love the old retro theaters. This one is not in the same class as Tivoli in Downers Grove or Pickwick in Park Ridge but I still like it. I think it’s a bit quaint that they still have the seats I sat in when I was in 2^nd grade and weny to movies with my parents. The non-​cup holder thing is a bit annoying but I’m AOK with what too. It’s very worn but charming in its own way. 4 stars seems appropriate. Don’t go here if you want the mega complex experience. It’s not happening here and that is cool to me.

I love this theatre for its selection of non-​mainstream and foreign films, cheap ticket price ($ 5 matinees) and its location in the cute downtown of Glen Ellyn with good dining options around, right by the Metra station too.
It is an old theatre and there is only one person sitting in a booth at the entrance selling tickets. It smells a bit funky inside, some seats are torn and there are no cup holders, but at least you get a lot of leg room with the wide space between rows.
Treat yourself to a different movie here!
P. S. Catch The Lunchbox if you can.

For anyone that has ever stepped foot into Glen Ellyn, one knows that the residents of Glen Ellyn are a little more fortunate than some other suburbs. Hence, it would make logical sense that they would have a beautiful theater, such as York Theater in Elmhurst. WRONG! The place is dirty, the floors are sticky (it felt as though I was in a ghetto theater in Chicago), and even the bathrooms are disturbing. I was disappointed, but I will return for a few reasons. Yes, there are positives! The tickets are only five dollars a person whereas most theaters charge ten dollars a person. Also, the theater changes the movies it shows everyday and adds variety, not just the typical blockbusters that are currently out but also independent and foreign movies, which is hard to find in the suburbs.

I appreciate that this theater shows movies that other places don’t show. We were happy to find The Way, Way Back playing here (excellent movie!). The prices are pretty affordable. We didn’t find the people working very friendly and they didn’t even say goodbye as we walked out. The popcorn tastes very different than most theaters– maybe heartier corn– but I didn’t like it nearly as much as the Classic Cinemas popcorn. The large drink and large popcorn are HUGE– definitely enough to share and to have leftovers. The seats don’t have cup holders and aren’t the most comfortable but like another reviewer said, the back row has a lot of leg room and that was great. It was a pretty good experience but not our favorite.

I’m struggling between putting this in the 3 or 4 star category. I really like supporting little businesses and shops vs. the big companies that make tons of money anyway. So, I will discuss the pros and cons and maybe come to an agreement (with myself) by the end of the review. Or maybe not.
Pros:
1. It’s cheap. We ended up going here over Regal Cantera due to scheduling conflicts and it was the only place nearby that was showing The Way, Way Back. It was $ 7 per person. At Regal Cantera, it’s $ 10.50 and very comparable at other theaters in the area. Therefore, it’s inexpensive.
2. It’s a small-​town feeling theater.
3. There’s plenty of leg room. That’s never the case, even at nice movie theaters like Movico (actually we always get the VIP tickets, so there’s room there). Anyway, I’m 6’4″. So much room!
4. On a Thursday night for a 7:45 pm movie, there were 7 people total in the movie theater.
5. There’s a cute little candy shop a few shops down for extra choices (in case you don’t like the concession choices).
Cons:
1. It’s a little rundown and needs updating. The seats are not comfortable, and depending on where you sit, you may be looking straight up due to non stadium seating.
2. We saw a comedy, and it was fine. However, it would not be the place to go see an action flick or 3D movie (obviously).
Well, I can’t think of any other cons, so I’m going to say 4 stars. It’s definitely worth visiting at least once.

They’re nearly 90 years old but the projection has finally been updated to digital. It’s been a while since I’ve been here and the last time or two before, the film did the classic melt on screen and we got our money back and a free pass… each of us.
Tonight’s show, «The East» should have made it to all of the theaters but glad I got a chance to see it here. It’s a four theatre 200 seat each set up here. I would have liked to have seen the original 1000 seat theatre.
Plenty of leg room in the last row… my favorite spot. Seats could use updating and cup holders.

My BF and I are trying to visit more independent theaters and Glen Art was next on the list. It is located in downtown Glen Ellyn across from the train tracks so parking can be tricky (street). There is a small concession stand with the usual popcorn, soft pretzels, pop, candy, etc. There are only a few screens but they do play current, first run movies.
The theaters themselves are a bit small (no stadium seating) and can be slightly scary if you are in there alone. The picture is clear and the sound is actually quite good. When the trailers first started I thought the sound was going to be terrible since it was such a small space but I was pleasantly surprised.
I’ve only been there once so I can’t comment if the patrons are always like this but there was a group of cackling women who wouldn’t shut up… the whole.entire.movie! Oh, and they weren’t shy about popping the caps off their beer bottles either.

This theater is a wreck, but I hope it never gets torn down. $ 5 for a matinée, quaint, charming, and easy to navigate. There are two things I can’t stand about most theaters: first is that they hold a small city’s worth of people, second is high cost. This theater wont waste too much of your time with previews and ads either. I don’t know what they would do with the money.
Also, it’s stinky and sticky-​floored, and without valet parking or a bar. Weeds out the amateurs.

The Glen Art theatre is an old time movie house located in downtown Glen Ellyn. When I say old time, I mean nearly a century old and still in operation. There’s a certain charm of walking down a dimly lit hallway into a theater that might have less than 200 seats, many of them seemingly remaining from the Coolidge administration.
First let me go over the pluses of this theater. It definitely has a nostalgic charm that can’t be found at many other cinemas. It’s dark, the seats are old, there’s even a small little ticket booth. I can’t think of a better venue to watch a black and white movie, the fact that it’s so dark, the theater is so small and generally empty creates a feeling of isolation that would be perfect for old time suspense and horror moves. This is also an art theater so they play movies that can otherwise only be found in movie theaters the city. So for many indie flicks, the Glen Art is the only venue in the suburbs.
Now, let’s go over the downsides. If you’re wanting a clean theater look elsewhere, the seats are shot. There’s lots of junk all over the floor of the auditorium. The projection is often muddy with lines through the screen, the speakers make very frequent buzzing, hissing and scratching sounds. To say the theater isn’t up to par with your average megaplex in terms of picture quality and sound would be a huge understatement.
The Glen Art theater is definitely worth visiting if not just for the experience of walking through such an old theater that is still in operation. If you’re a fan of independent films you’ll eventually find yourself here as their unique selection of movies gives it a near monopoly on certain films in the suburbs.

Let me start by saying I wholeheartedly agree that this is the optimum set-​up for a theater:
I don’t like going to the movies because my urge to kill will most likely reach the red zone. Seems as if no one has any sort of movie going etiquette anymore. I normally go to Hollywood Blvd/​Palms because my Dr.‘s instructions specifically state: «When around a-​holes, consume no less than 3 – 5 alcoholic beverages»
I appreciate this Theater for 3 reasons:
1. Prices are reasonable
2. They show foreign and independent films.
3. The individual theaters themselves are small. This means less a-​holes quarantined in one area.
There is a downside to the old school charm in that it’s. obviously, old. Stinky, uncomfortable, etc. When we went to see Safety Not Guaranteed there was a glitch in the film reel. We sat in the dark for 20 minutes listening to divorcees crack unfunny jokes about the predicament we were all in. In a horror movie this is where the killing would start… and I almost wished it was because I would’ve volunteered to go first. After that there was no more problems, the movie was good and I didn’t have to stab someone.
I would go here again.

So the coolest part is that there really is a guy selling tickets in the little ticket booth! Nostalgia!
We came here because I needed to see a movie that was not main stream released and was too lazy to haul ass to the North side. Glen Art is in the middle of the Glen Elyn downtown. Cute, plenty of street parking available, at least when we went.
Popcorn and concession prices not obscene.
Movie theater was small but again, this was not a big release movie, no it was not crowded. The screen has definitely seen better days. Floors were not cleaned between shows. Yuck.

Did you know this was the theater in the movie Lucas? They were going to watch a movie and Lucas and his friend confront the bully but are saved by a young Charlie Sheen! I loved that movie.
Anyway. I like the Glen Art Theatre. I agree with many of the other reviewers that say that this theater is showing its age. It’s shabby, it’s worn, but this one of the few places in the Western Burbs that will show foreign/​independent movies.
The theater rooms are small and the seating is «weird” – the aisles are uneven is the best way I can explain it. In winter, it gets too hot, so much that I’ve fallen asleep during the movie (can’t help it if I got too warm and toasty – I’m sure it had nothing to do with the movie).
But independent movie theaters are now a dying breed, it’s nice to see the Glen still around. It needs renovation, but it makes dinner and a movie in downtown Glen Ellyn pretty easy.

I love that this theater plays art movies that are difficult to find outside of the city. Moving from the city to the suburbs, we were worried we might pine for city culture (i.e. foreign/​independent films, theater, fine dining), but the Glen Art Theatre is just one of the many places we’ve discovered that have made us fall in love with suburbia.
That being said, the theater is in need of some updates — the seats are rather uncomfortable, and the carpet a bit shabby. I was a bit distracted during a recent movie by a constant ticking noise that seemed to come from the projection room. Still, I very happily overlook these things for the opportunity of seeing some truly amazing films at a low price!