A Movie Fan's Guide to Theaters in Delaware: Five Local Theaters Reviewed

What's your favorite movie genre? Chances are, you'll find a theater in Delaware that caters to your movie tastes. Even though theater attendance has been on the wane for a variety of reasons (ticket price, excessive pre-movie advertisement, and poor customer service are tops on the list), owners have found creative ways to draw patrons in. From Digital 3D to niche films, from alcoholic beverages to stroller and cry-friendly "Mommy Movies," there is something for everyone. Here are five of the most well known movie theaters in the Northern Delaware area.

Name: Regal Brandywine Town Center 16
Features: Stadium Seating, 3D, large game area, concession stand with small cafe, Fandango ticket pickup, wheelchair accessible, listening devices available
Ticket Price: $10.50 adult
Discounts: $7.50 for child and senior, $8.00 matinee. Age Policy: Child tickets: children 11 years and under. Senior tickets: adults 60 years and older. Discounts unavailable for some show times.
Number of Screens: 16
Hours: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Location: 3300 Brandywine Parkway Wilmington, DE 19803 (302) 479-0753
Website: No
Online Ticketing:Yes
Of Note: Add $3.50 to all prices for 3D movies. Brandywine also holds showings of special interest films like Dr. Laura LIVE!, Metropolitan Opera, and This American Life Live! (these are current as of April 2009) that are not available for online ticketing.

Name: Regal Peoples Plaza Cinema Stadium 17
Features: Stadium Seating, 3D, game area, concession stand, Fandango ticket pickup, wheelchair accessible, listening devices available
Ticket Price: $10.50 adult
Discounts: $7.50 for child and senior, $8.00 matinee.
Number of Screens: 17
Hours: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Location: 1100 Peoples Plaza Newark, DE 19702 (302) 834-8515
Web site: No
Online Ticketing:Yes
Of Note: Add $3.50 to all prices for 3D movies. It's a Regal cinema, which is your standard chain experience. Delaware residents usually default to People's Plaza or Brandywine for movies, and it's no wonder - 17 screens is nothing to sneeze at. Also, every year People's Plaza hosts the After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For.

Name: Theater N at Nemours
Features: Independent Film, Documentary, High-Definition, Surround Sound, Foreign, Music, Beer and Wine, Digital Projection
Ticket Price: $7.00 adults
Discounts: $5 for students and seniors 62 and over
Number of Screens: 1
Hours: it varies, but generally Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: 1007 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 (302) 576-2135
Web site:Yes
Online Ticketing:Yes or over the phone with credit card (302) 571-4699
Of Note: Theater N is a renovated 1935 building that shows first-run independent cinema in digital form. A discussion club called the "Icebox Talk" meets regularly after films. Local special guests are invited and free refreshments are provided. Discount parking in nearby garages with ticket stub. Special event series are original and highly entertaining, such as "Metal Night at N" with a double feature of high definition music concert footage from Iron Maiden and Megadeth, or "High Def Hitch" with re-mastered, high definition Hitchcock films. Opera fans should be glad to know that there are monthly screenings of such favorites as Eugene Onegin, The Barber of Seville, and Rigoletto. The Theater is also available to rent for special events. Cheap concessions are available! And drum roll please - Theater N now has a liquor license, the only theater in Delaware to do so, so you can now have beer, wine, and hard lemonade.

Name: Ritz Theaters
Features: Digital, Independent
Ticket Price: varies; from $6.00 to $9.00
Discounts: Students $6.75, seniors $6.00
Number of Screens: 12 screens in 3 downtown Philadelphia locations
Hours: 11:00 AM to 12:00 AM
Location: Ritz at the Bourse at 400 Ranstead Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 Phone: (215) 925-7900; Ritz East at 125 South Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 Phone: (215) 925-7900; Ritz Five 214 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 Phone: (215) 925-7900
Web site:Yes
Online Ticketing:Yes
Of Note: Long a staple of independent films in Philadelphia, as of 2007 the three Ritz Theaters are now run by Landmark Theatres, an Independent Cinema chain (say what?). I'm not quite sure what this means for the Ritz experience, as I haven't been to a show since the change in ownership. Hopefully it means nothing more than increased availability of films and digital projection.

Name: Newark Cinema Center 3 F&G
Features: Small, Reasonably Priced, Concessions, Cult Films, Telugu Cinema, Film Festivals, Birthday Parties, Wheelchair accessible
Ticket Price: $7.50 adult
Discounts: child and senior $5.50, matinees $5.00, college student (with valid ID) $6.00
Number of Screens: 3
Hours: During school year M-Th 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM; summer, weekends, and holidays 12:30 PM to 11:00 PM
Location: 411 Newark Shopping Center Newark, DE 19711 (302) 737-3720
Web site: Yes
Online Ticketing: No
Of Note: The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays every Saturday night at midnight. F&G has also been known to work with local fan groups who wish to see a particular movie. When the Lord of the Rings movies came out, local game shop Days of Knights coordinated the petition to bring a midnight showing of LOTR to F&G, which was a huge success and drew Tolkien fans from all over. They also host children's birthday parties, the yearly Newark Film Festival, and partner with local East Indian entrepreneur group DelawareCinema to provide entertainment of interest to the Indian community in Delaware. F&G is a great local venue for parents to bring small children - in the summer they tend to show kid's movies at afternoon times. The seating is old and shabby in spots, but you really can't beat the price and their friendly small business attitude.