Empirical Theater at OMSI

Best theater in Portland. No exceptions.
l almost didn’t write a review because I want to keep it a secret all for myself.
This is the biggest IMAX screen in Oregon for the same price or cheaper than normal tickets anywhere else ($ 7-​$ 8.50). It’s never too crowded as the space is enormous. The seating is cliff-​like, your feet are on the same level as the heads in front of you, which means no bad seats in the house! But sit toward the back middle if you can.
They have tons of educational movies, but also a good variety of first run movies as well.
I saw Big Hero Six, Cinderella, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. I really wanted to see Interstellar on such a massive screen, but didn’t get the chance.
GO. But don’t tell toooo many people about it or it will get stampeded.

I saw Jurassic Park at this theater as part of their movie-​and-​a-​lecture series, and had a really great time! I’m spoiled by Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse, but the Empirical Theater is a nice facsimile.
I love that you can go through the café and get popcorn, pizza, beer and wine, and candy to take into the theater with you. The focaccia pizza is decent, and I also love that they offer healthier options as well.
The screen is beautiful, but the seats on the lower levels require craning your neck a little much, hence the docked star. It may just be the limitations of the space, but I feel like you don’t have a good seat if you’re in the bottom third of the theater. Best seats are higher.

I have to admit I was a bit annoyed when I learned the OMNIMAX was gone, until I saw Flight of the Butterflies this afternoon. Wow! Up to the top row is the nosebleed section, but perfect seats. It was amazing. I stuck my hand out a couple of times to try and grab a butterfly. I don’t know how they do it but you have to see it. Plan to go back next week and see Jerusalem. I’m told OMSI is the first to move to this system in the country. Well done!

We went and watched Gravity at the Empirical Theater and I can’t imagine seeing that movie any other way. The screen is huge and for a movie so stunning it was perfect. The price was also great. $ 7 a ticket made this an inexpensive date night. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for other great films to see here.

Am super-​impressed with the new Empirical Theater.
We saw «Gravity» there in 3-​D, which I had already seen once at the biggest 3-​D theater I could find in town (Bridgeport IMAX)… and it was even better at the new OMSI Theater. Better sound, great picture, and seating that puts you right in the middle of the image. Also, the 3-​D glasses were higher-​quality & more comfortable than what we had at Bridgeport.
A note for first-​timers… you do want to walk up a few rows to get higher on the screen in a theater like this. The first couple of rows are rarely filled b/​c they are too close for most movies.
Thanks to OMSI for the upgrade!

«Old school charm with future school toys», that’s the feeling you get from the Empirical Theater. I was pleasantly surprised that $ 7 would let me see a 3D, GIANT screen, Dolby Atmos movie. It’s one more great addition to a place that helps define Portland.

I had a chance to visit the Empirical Theater at OMSI this opening weekend. Overall, the theater is excellent. A great place to see a «big screen» type of movie.
The’ve totally renovated what was the OMNIMAX theater previously. It looks like they will be playing new-​release movies as well now – where previously it was mostly science-​related shows.
It’s likely the best place to see a big-​screen movie in Oregon. The screen is HUGE. The sound is excellent. I don’t think any other theaters are using the new Dolby Atmos system, which has speakers in the ceiling and floor below you (think rain drops dropping from above you and splattering at your feet).
Sit as far back as you can. Sitting close with a screen this big can make it challenging. We sat somewhere in the middle and I still found myself having to turn my head to capture everything that was happening.
Overall, a great room, though still room for improvement in the lobby-​ish area.