The Movie Fan Wins with Three Theater Choices in the Mid-Cities/Texas

As fancy as your home theater system might be, it is still tough to beat the experience of going to the movies. Whether you are on a date, or have some time on your hands, the movies offer an escape in the dark. Capture the magic at the following three theaters in the Dallas/Fort Worth Mid-Cities area.

AMC Grapevine Mills theater complex offers thirty screens varying in size from gigantic to regular. As part of Grapevine Mills Mall, Grapevine, Texas, the theater area has access to retail and discount shopping as well as restaurant and food court choices. You can make a day of it and see multiple movies. Discount pricing is available for shows prior to six p.m., and there is student and senior pricing. Shows start at noontime and run all day.

The theater offers the usual snack choices from popcorn to nachos to pickles. It is a Pepsi brand operation, so your selection of beverage is from the Pepsi family. The décor is fairly garish and you feel a bit wound up as you make your way to the theater. There is plenty of staff and the place is kept clean. The floors do not crunch under your feet as you make your way to your seat, which is stadium seating in all thirty rooms. The seating is a bit of a problem. It is cushy enough, but the seatbacks sit very upright. There is no rocking, no leaning, and slouching is difficult. Do not see a long movie in this theater. Your back and neck will be tired after two hours.

AMC runs the usual amount of advertising and previews. Out of thirty screens, they do show a few off beat movies along with the normal mainstream fare. The quality of sound and projection is what you would expect from a large chain operation. Everything is very professional, and AMC Grapevine Mills does work hard to give you a decent movie experience.

One of the first stadium seating venues, in the Mid-Cities, Tinseltown Grapevine is a stand-alone theater in Grapevine, Texas offering fourteen screens. They feature two large theaters with seventy-five foot screens and excellent Dolby sound systems. The theater is located along Highway 114, and a row of restaurants is nearby. You can have a dining and movie date without going out of your way.

Tinseltown offers a very inexpensive first show of the day price of $5.50. After that, they offer a matinee price until six p.m. along with senior and student discount pricing. There is the usual snack area with Coca-Cola beverages. Tinseltown has an expanded café area offering pizza, hamburgers, and sandwiches at reasonable prices.

During the day, the Tinseltown workers are hustling. Some are cashiers and ticket-takers. Or the snack dispensers are ticket-takers. At times, the clean up in public areas leaves a bit to be desired. However, the plus side to Tinseltown is the seating - comfy wide seats that rock and lean at a very comfortable slant. Widely spaced aisles and stadium seating allow you to enjoy your movie experience. Tinseltown promotes the mainstream first run movies. With good projection and Dolby sound, you will be absorbed into the joy of a good movie.

Rave Motion Pictures are new to the area. Their theater at the North East Mall in Hurst, Texas is a welcome addition to the Mid-Cities. As part of the mall complex, the theater is near retail shopping, food courts, and stand-alone restaurants. Clean and modern in design, the Rave offers a very pleasant movie watching experience. Plenty of help keep the place rolling efficiently. The seats are a comfortable medium between the AMC and Tinseltown.

State of the art projection and sound give very crisp showings, and the Rave does not bombard you with an overabundance of advertisements. The Rave does offer one or two indie features along with the normal commercial load. The North East Mall needed a good quality theater, and the Rave is in position to draw attendance from the Grapevine theaters. The winners are movie-going fans.

AMC Grapevine Mills
Hwy 121 N. at I635
Grapevine Texas 76051
972-724-8000

Cinemark Tinseltown Grapevine
Hwy 114 at Wm.D.Tate
Grapevine Texas 76051
817-481-2201

Rave -NE Mall
1101 Melbourne Rd
Hurst Texas 76053
817-591-8540