Movie Theaters in Pensacola

Finding movie theaters in Pensacola is a lot different than it was when I was growing up. When I was a kid, we had basically two theaters downtown. As a teen it was basically your old go to the mall kind of deal. Now it's something else and many of the theaters I went to in my past no longer even exist.

When it comes to finding movie theaters in Pensacola now, there are pretty much only three that you need to know about. The first is the newest. Joining the latest trend toward stuffing as many screens into one building as possible is the Rave 18. Located next to Sam's Fun City amusement park at 6595 North W. Street, the Rave is really the hot spot for watching films in the city. As its name suggests, there are 18 screens, though of course at any given time three or four screens might be dedicated to showing the same movie. The Rave building is impressive; it's always very clean and accommodating. It features multiple concession stands that allow you to quickly buy something during the movie without having to walk all the way across the lobby and stand in line with those who are just coming in. The prices are average, meaning way too expensive, but if you go with the large orders you get unlimited refills. Recent additions include free cherry and vanilla flavorings for your sodas and a flavor bar for your popcorn, featuring sprinkle-on flavors such as jalapeno and cheddar. In addition, the Rave also has a little arcade section featuring a handful of video games and one of those pad-dancing games that either makes you look like Michael Jackson or a complete dork. Not that there's much difference now, I guess. For information and show times call: 850-471-1520.

The Carmike 10 features roughly half the number of screens as the Rave, but is the better choice for those living on the east side of town, located at 161 E 9 Mile Road. While not as trendy as the Rave, the seating is just as comfortable and usually there really are ten different movies playing, whereas at the Rave 18 you may only get the choice of ten different movies as well. The Carmike movie theater also features an arcade section, though just one concession stand, in the lobby. Actually, there are concessions stands on either side of the lobby, but I'm just counting them as one. One great thing about the Carmike theaters is that they feature a bench seat at the end of some aisles, perfect for those with little kids who are prone to falling asleep during the movies, or parents with babies who want to lie down. For more information call: 850-484-7477.

The Silver Screen Theater is located behind University Mall at 7280 Plantation Rd. This is a second-run theater, but then again it's not. By which I mean to say it's so much more than your basic theater showing bad copies of movies you missed the first time around. Here you will sit in comfortably cushioned wheeled chairs while dining on pizza, hot wings, hamburgers and nachos.

In addition to just coming in and watching movies the regular way, you can also reserve one of their four screens for parties. If you're thinking of a birthday party different from the rest, the Silver Screen Pensacola has packages available. Afternoon parties can be booked during regular matinees at a cost of $6.25 per person. For this price, everybody gets to watch the movie, and gets two slices of pizza, unlimited popcorn, unlimited soft drink, a slice of cake, and a scoop of ice cream.

In addition, private parties are also available at 10:00 AM. You can reserve either a regular movie party, or a Playstation 2 party in which attendees can play video games. The private parties cost $200 for up to 30 people with an additional six bucks for each person over the 30 limit. For more information call: 850-476-4545

In addition, the Silver Screen offers Christmas parties, dances, meetings and seminars and even weddings and receptions. Heck, this place has even been known to host the occasional lingerie show.

Like I said, movie theaters in Pensacola have really changed since I was a kid.