Thursday Theatre Review: AMC Loews 34th Street 14

Weekly to a new feature here at Movies with Abe, Thursday Theatre Review. As a resident of one of the world’s foremost movie capitals, I’ve been to a number of movie theatres in New York City and have developed preferences. There’s no perfect theatre, but there are a few things that can make or break a movie-going experience. In no particular order, this is a guide to movie theatres in Manhattan.

AMC Loews 34th Street 14

Note: the next few weeks will feature AMC theatres since there are so many of them in the city.

Location: On 34th St right near 8th Avenue, it’s only a minute from Penn Station, making it pretty accessible to a bunch of subway trains (and anyone who would take a train or bus into Penn Station just to come see a movie). It’s a very populated area with plenty of restaurants, amenities, and shops right nearby. It also happens to be one of the only theatres that almost certifiably has a coffee stand right outside (not linked to the theatre or anything, but highly convenient if you want to grab a quick hot beverage to bring into the theatre.

Pricing: Standard tickets are $13 (surcharge for 3-D and IMAX). Like other AMC theatres, all showtimes before noon, seven days a week, are only $6. Pre-purchased discount passes, which are either $6.50 or $8, depending on how new the film is, are also accepted.

Film selection: Pretty good. It tends to be mostly mainstream fare but I’ve done many double and triple features there. Last September, I saw “Whiteout,” “Extract,” and “9” back-to-back, and a year earlier I saw “Body of Lies,” “W,” and “Changeling” all in a row.

Drawbacks: Since it’s not too far from the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square, some films are only playing at one of the theatres, often reducing the possible choices.

Bonus features: IMAX, though I can’t recall ever going to see anything there. Showtimes at this theatre also happen to be very convenient – for a long time, I would go to this theatre every Friday to maximize my potential for triple-features since their showtimes were most accommodating to such endeavors.

Worth the trip? Yeah. It’s pretty easy to get to, and there’s usually a pretty reliable selection of films playing. Plus, get your coffee or hot chocolate right outside!