This is an EXCELLENT venue for a kids birthday party. The popcorn and ice cream are included. There are two nearby pizza places (we picked Olympic) that are used to delivering here. Overall it was a very fun experience. They setup tables in the front for food. We were able to comfortable fit 20 kids plus parents and everyone enjoyed the party. read more

I feel incredibly lucky to live in a community with so many great businesses. This is one of my favorites. Love walking here on a weekend afternoon to see a matinee (at a reasonable ticket price too!). My five year old has also been to a birthday party here where they include ice cream with so many toppings. When this 5 year old was an infant, we went to the baby matinee where they show movies to tired parents who want to feel human. I can remember walking her up and down the aisle while other parents were feeding their babies. read more

A homey old school movie theater with a lovely ice cream and coffee bar. I love going there for movies or even just to grab a late night ice cream and sit with friends. They're close to a bunch of restaurants and other nice places, so you can easily catch a movie and dinner. read more

This theater is super cute and has lots of movie options. I highly suggest checking this theater out. I am an a-list member at amc but always try to come to the capitol theater to see movies as well. The theaters are varied sizes. The theaters upstairs aren't handicap accessible. The AC was broken in some specific showings last time I went but they were so apologetic, offered refunds and return tickets. I got a return ticket but didn't want a refund. There are so many snack options that are affordable and yummy. They have classic theater seats, smaller screens than amc but the quality is still great. The staff are so so welcoming, so friendly and insanely hard working. The theatres are super clean. I heard they offer a baby friendly movie that has lights a little brighter and lets care givers and parents see a movie (not a children's movie) at a good sound volume and it allows babies to be babies. As a nanny, this is absolutely something I will be using in the future with infants I care for. Highly suggest this for any new parent. I think the capitol theater is local treasure that allows people to enjoy movies in a casual, welcoming and clean environment. It's a beautiful building with wonderful staff. read more

Small restored theatre been going for decades, support the small business -- not a chain. They have excellent fresh popped popcorn and homemade ice cream, beer, too. read more

This place is great! The food and the sound quality of the movie. Also keeping its old style. The workers were very kind and understanding so that's a plus. Prices are also reasonable. Overall this is a really great place to chill on a weekend or in general. read more

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Movies before 6pm is $8 which is great since other theaters cost more. You can purchase online (service fee $1 per ticket) or buy tickets when you arrive. Street parking only. Staff were exceptionally nice and patient. It was chaotic during the first showing plus two scheduled birthday parties. They handled the chaotic scene very well. Alcoholic drinks available for purchase. Plenty of sugary snacks for everyone (Richardsons ice cream, candies, etc) I got the kid combo (popcorn, fountain drink and Welch fruit snack) for $7.50. They sell hot dog combos too. Popcorn was super stale though. David, the manager, was super responsive when I inquired about theater rental for upcoming birthday party. $50 deposit given to secure the date and will update review after party read more

Came here for the first time to see one of the films featured in the Arlington International Film Festival. Street parking was easy on a Saturday night. Popcorn is made with real butter and they'll give you lots of it if you ask!! Small quaint theater but had everything we needed. Cute establishment in Arlington!! read more

What an awesome theater for a birthday party! We held an 8th birthday party for my niece at the Capitol Theatre. It's a wonderful and fun idea for late afternoon birthday festivities. The theater supplies unlimited popcorn and an ice cream sundae bar for all the kids as well as a few decorations in the theater. You simply need to bring your own DVD movie of choice and any beverages, cake, etc. We had the theater from 3-6 pm. There is a sound system that you can hook up with your iPod/iphone. My niece had made her own playlist and we had the music playing while her guests arrived. There were some nice lighting effects in the theater and the kids actually started dancing - a little night club for kids! Our movie, Sing, started at 3:30. The staff handed out little bags of popcorn to all the kids. The ice cream sundae bar followed in the front of the theater. The staff was really great with setting up the room beforehand, providing kids with popcorn and setting up the ice cream sundae area. The Capitol Theatre is a great venue for a kids birthday party. read more

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Such a gorgeous old brick building Theatre! And huge! And you can order your tickets ahead!! We saw Barbie here with friends a couple weekends ago and it was hilarious- especially to be among the young Cambridge set- the younger guys were practically on the floor laughing at Ken, every time he was on screen. The discussion in the 'Ladies' room after the film wasn't too shabby either! Ah, these precious old cinemas in our major cities, we must enjoy them as they are vanishing... read more

We just had our daughters 10th Birthday Party at the Capitol Theater in Arlington to see Taylor Swift Era's Tour with 25 of her her friends. From working with the manager Dave via email through the execution of the party everything was seamless and EASY!!! I don't think anyone can say that about hosting a party of 25, 10 year olds!! The theater was perfect for our needs, the showing was upstairs in theater 4 and we were able to invite guests upstairs for a pre-party to get snacks, drinks, and treats for the party ahead of the show time. All the staff at the theater was extremely accomodating to make this the BEST Birthday my daughter has ever had! Thank you to Dave & Staff! read more

I'm going to have to give Capitol theater only 3 stars now because they currently don't show movies during the week. Not everyone wants to go to the movies on more crowded weekends. I tend to like to go later in the evening and go to the movies during the week when I don't have to deal with loud kids/families and teenagers talking in the theater during the movie. I always used to like going on a weekday around 7 pm and there'd be only a couple people in the theater. I get why they removed weekday movies, but they need to have a couple days a week (non weekend days) when they allow people to see movies. The food, staff, and everything else is great. Especially the all you can eat free refills on the large popcorn bucket and large soda. A Steal for around $10. read more

We had our kids' birthday party at Capitol Theatre, and it was great! Dave J (manager) was very helpful and responsive in the planning of the party. Eric (co-manager) helped us the day of, and he was very prompt and handled all the little things without a sweat. While leaving, these guys are so good that even when one of our daughters mistakenly let go of her balloons, Eric (who was coming out to give us a ballon we had left behind) managed to snag it in mid flight with an acrobatic attempt before we lost it to the sky :) They allow you to choose whichever movie you like (which is nice for choosy kids) and for the more popular ones (like Encanto), they have the DVD onsite. Overall, it was a great experience and I highly recommend having a kids birthday party at Capitol Theatre due to the management. read more

I came here at 4:45pm on a Saturday to watch a movie with friends. At this particular time, they were selling 7 dollar tickets which is a wonderful deal! It's not your most glammed up theater. It's on the oldish and plainish kind. But the seats are comfortable and it's quite spacious. The staff was friendly and the bathrooms were clean! read more

Stopped by for a cold pick-me-up (ice cream) on the home from Encore. The only . The customer service is awesome and Apple pie and pumpkin ice cream was good so overall was a good experience. read more

Capitol Theatre - Cinema Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

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To be honest, I'm a sucker for old movie theaters. A beautifully maintained marquee and theaters that actually look like theaters make my heart swoon. But it's also important to keep your cinema relevant with the technology advances over the years. Otherwise, your ability to play big blockbuster hits will be greatly diminished. Fortunately, Capitol Theatre has done a great job at bringing its film-goers the best of both worlds. Located in Arlington isn't ideal, but it's not too far from Cambridge and fairly easy to get to being right on Mass Ave. As you arrive, you are greeted with that fabulous marquee. When you walk in, the ceilings are low and the theater itself has that delight feeling of having seen many movies pass through its screens. But it also has a wide range of food (ice cream and pizza included), as well as beer. For my first experience, I saw Star Wars. Not only do I not enjoy going to formula theaters, but Capitol Theatre (and Somerville Theatre) offer great matinee deals before 5pm - $7/ticket! Not everyday you can say you saw Star Wars on opening weekend for less than $10. But how was the experience? Being screened in theater 1, which I can only guess is their biggest room, I was not disappointed. It was a beautiful room and the picture and sound were both great. Depending on where you were sitting, you might have gotten a slightly awkward view but that's a bit to be expected for an older theater. Plus, you could most likely avoid this scenario when it's not a full house. While they did a great job managing the crowd (had a queue out front that was let in once the previous group was out), I still wish they (and more theaters in the Boston area) had reserved seating. Such an easy concept but makes a huge difference. Nonetheless, I had really my enjoyable first time around at Capitol Theatre and look forward to checking it out again soon. Between it and Somerville Theatre, you can check out most new movies, and for that I'm very glad. read more

There's nothing like going to a small theater with tons of charm, and one that also serves beer/wine. Always appreciated. The tickets are $7 for movies before 6pm which is also nice! Staff are capable and attentive- seats and theater are clean. read more

Came for a Friday $8 matinee of Fantastic Beasts during opening weekend because all the other large theaters (AMC, Loews) were sold out. I was pleasantly surprised by the decor of the building and its comfortable seating. It was cozy, friendly, and nostalgic; it reminded me why patronage of independent-run theaters is so important. I would definitely recommend people to this underrated theater. It's relatively clean, serves fantastic ice cream/popcorn, and provides a great bargain for matinees. read more

love it! have been many times, nice people, good prices, i think they may still be cash only not sure, i pd cash. old fashioned vibes, they dont have a parking lot, but there is parking to be found in the neighborhood and it is safe to walk. no sold out shows reasonable snack prices. read more

This is our favorite local theater! They've recently reopened and we rented a private room to celebrate my 12 year old's birthday! Figuring out how to celebrate special occasions has been tough during the pandemic. Going to the Capitol Theatre was "amazing" in the words of my son. We've been to birthday parties at the theater before, which were always held in their smaller party room. This time we got theater #2 all to ourselves!! When you rent a private room you can bring any DVD or Blu Ray movie, and you can bring your own food. My son wanted to see a Michael Bay Transformers movie to enjoy all the big special effects on a big screen and louder than we could ever watch a movie at home! He had a blast. A.J. was supremely professional, helpful and welcoming. I highly recommend the Capitol Theatre anytime, but their private room experience is wonderful. read more

Fantastic old fashioned theater that carries a mix of current releases and classic films for all ages. The snacks includes staples like popcorn, candy, and nachos at reasonable prices. Tickets here are cheaper than the big chains, but you must walk up and buy them so its first come, first serve so stop by earlier or they may sell out hot new movies. read more

Beware of throwing parties here. It's a very cute location and I am a big fan of supporting small/local business, but I threw two parties here in a short amount of time, spending a fair amount of $ in the process, and had a terrible experience toward the end of the most party. This most recent event was a children's party and the "customer service" I received, in particular from management, was pretty horrendous. I reached out to management to address my concerns and was basically chastised after a half-hearted apology. Suffice it to say, I will not be hosting another party here. read more

I'm a big fan of the Capital Theater. It's certainly a throwback to an earlier time. Older building and smaller theaters without the modern thrills most new theaters have. This equates to better prices, nicer employees, and a more pleasurable experience. An adult prime time ticket for Rouge One set me back $10 last night. That same ticket would have been $12 at showcase cinemas. Two large candies, two slushies, a jumbo popcorn (free refill), and jumbo drink set me back only $22. I have a feeling that same order at Showcase Cinemas would force me to take out a second mortgage on my home. The Capital also rents out their theaters for birthday parties and events. I rented a theater several times for kids birthday parties in the past. The cost was very reasonable and the staff extremely helpful during the parties. As an added bonus this venue serves beer and wine. The craft beer selection is decent and won't break the bank. You can't go wrong with the Capital Theater! read more

Four stars after tonite. Theater 1 has no handicap seating, or so I was told my a young boy working there! "Priority" seating is for "anyone". Really??? So someone with crutches has to stumble down 15 stairs to a seat OR have a heated discussion with those people sitting in that section that requires no stairs, has 4 seats on a little alcove, and fits a wheelchair (such as tonite, 2 people, point-blank asked if they required that seating,and responded "nope" and flipped their hair back (mother and tween daughter by the way). Educate your help and/or hire mature adults please. By the way, this was tonite, 6pm showing of Toy Story 4. read more

The Avengers drew me back, with $6 matinee prices and a screening on the big, bad Auditorium 1 (full proscenium, y'all!) A whole new world, and at 20-25% less than what AMC Loews is charging these days. Brilliant screen, no crowds (subsequently, no ringing phones), cushioned reclinable seats and RealD 3D for a mere $3 more. Still did not see anyone at the concession stand, and for this being the second time, I'm starting to wonder about the popcorn's back story. Had its face rubbed in the dirt as a kid, sprouted tall early and got picked on, internal temps started to rise and it couldn't take the pressure... Yeah, I've seen that story before. And now your actions have gone and created a ghost town. Where the hell was I? Cleaner picture, decent sound and fairly ample parking on Mass Ave make the Capitol a short lister for anyone looking to get cinematic north of the river. read more

I've only been here on Mondays for the baby friendly matinee, and I gotta say: I like what I've seen. They put up a sign that tells everyone if they want the cheap tickets, they need to be able to listen to an orchestrated infant crying session that will inevitably ruin the movie (if you're not a parent yourself). I've watched people demand refunds, walk out, and throw temper tantrums... They're adults, mind you. Grown ups. Anywhoosie, it's $5 for the first matinee on Mondays, and there's plenty of room to space out from other mommas. Popcorn is cheap and salty, and the sodas are pretty cheap too. It's worth $5 for me to force myself to shower and wash my kid, make an appearance in public, and watch movies like Mama Mia so that I can relate with all the knocked up teens in Gloucester. read more

Capitol Theater gets an extra star just because they show Bollywood movies. I came here to see Jodhaa Akbar, and Capitol is a little out of the way from my usual Brighton haunts. The theater itself is very old, and really not conducive to watching subtitled movies. The seats are not tiered enough to be able to read the subtitles over the person in front of you's head. For Akbar, every seat was full from young children, or sweet old Indian couples, to young arty types. Akbar was an epic film of the same type was Troy or Alexander, and had wonderful music, but the surround sound of Capitol was not up to the task of transporting me to 15th century India. I will come back to Capitol because they are the only theater that shows Bollywood movies, but that won't be by choice. read more

Oh Capitol Theatre, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1. You are beautiful. Like breathtakingly, goshdarn beautiful. 2. You were built in 1925 and you haven't aged a bit. 3. You serve beer. 4. You serve wine. 5. You have a banging selection of concessions. 6. You have double features...last night I saw Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. 7. You play weird, oldl school movies that I forgot about. 8. Your staff is awesome and friendly. Seriously, this place rocks. I plan on going back non-stop. read more

I just reviewed the somerville theater. Which I love. Which lead me to the best theater ever. The Capital theater. I grew up in Arlington. The Capital was a free for all. Free movies, free popcorn, free illegal adult beverages. You just had to know the right 17 year old to get the hook up. Now I love it for the memories. There is the blue theater, the big main theater (sit in the handicap section where there is a balcony! if possible) and the two crap theaters with extreme stadium seating upstairs. The Capital is a place I would take out of towners just to show off. As if it was a memorial of Abe Lincoln. You can sometimes go to a movie and be the only ones in the theater. Midweek. Bad movie. Loud friendly voices. Fun. I have heard the popcorn might have like...rat droppings...? but I still eat it because I choose not to be brought down by rumors. I also heard that the place is haunted. Which could be true. It feels true. It's certainly unfinished and old fashioned and generally 5 stars. Enjoy! read more

Charming local theater + super close to my house + Avatar in i-max + yummy popcorn + friendly staff = Very happy movie experience. The prices are great. It's an independently owned establishment and I think they own the Davis Sq. theater too which is also awesome! The seats were comfy; the legroom was a little lacking but the old charming walls and decor make up for it. It makes me want to go see movies out more! Great dinner & movie spot. No beer unlike the Somerville location so -1 star otherwise I dig it! read more

This is a fabulous local movie theater and the seats don't hurt your butt or your back. Hurrah! Though if you're over 6 ft tall you might be a little cramped. Some seats in front offer a way to stretch out. At $8 a show you can't beat the price. The popcorn is usually pretty good (we had one off night) and they have Richardson's ice cream. They even have herbal tea. Oh and a pitcher filled with water if you don't want to pay dough to buy bottled. Good call Meagan H. on the upstairs hand dryer because the downstairs one is useless. Also, note to staff...the downstairs bathroom counter is missing a lot of tile...looked a little shotty. read more

Great little place. REAL popcorn, REAL butter (i.e. not "yellow" or "Butter flavor"). Friendly service. Seating for a tall person like me was even reasonable. Only reason for 4/5 is that the screen was dirty and it was a distraction during scenes that were light backgrounded. Enjoy. read more

I have conflicting feelings for the Capitol. I admire its indie ways, the (relatively) low ticket prices, the decent popcorn and Richardson ice cream. But sometimes I like to be able to hear the movie I'm watching and have it be one that isn't covered in scratches. I don't need digital projection and THX sound, but my 7 dollars should still afford me a film that doesn't look and sound like it's a relic from the kinescope days or been used as a chew toy for a rottweiler -- especially when the movie was only released a couple months ago. I know all those scratches on the film weren't made by the Capitol, even though when they start the projector up, from the sound of things it's like the dudes on staff are wrestling the film into submission. This is all symptomatic of a larger problem at hand: theaters have no shame in their attempts to earn a buck at the detriment of the movie experience. Back in the day, if you talked incessantly, showed up a half hour late or brought a screaming rugrat with you, you wouldn't be allowed to see the movie. Now theaters are allegedly so hard up they won't kick anyone out and will even let them through the door a half hour into the film so they can properly disturb the rest of the folks who showed up on time and are quietly watching the movie. In the case of the Capitol, they'll also charge you their normal price to sit and watch a print of a film that should have been retired weeks ago and subject you to employee Sir Lead Foot thundering up and down the aisle during the film to change reels. The problems facing movie theaters have more to do with how they've let their standards drop than anything else. I'd rather stay home and watch a DVD, not because I'm lazy or don't love the movie theater experience, but because I might have another experience where I have to struggle to hear the movie over the chatty couple down the aisle due to the poor sound quality and a staff that are too afraid to stand up to rude customers. I know the times aren't making it easy for an indie theater like the Capitol, but they should be the classy joint in town, not just the last stop on a film's theatrical run. You can do better, Capitol. read more

I love the fact that the Boston Metro will accommodate a number of these theaters: Somerville, Coolidge, Capitol etc- the yesteryear neighborhood theater. I love this place for a number of reasons: A.) the matinee price is only $6 bills, and with the new sound a screen-you dont feel like you are watching a really big TV anymore. B.) Concessions are reasonable (in movie theater realm) C.) Maintains a feel from a time gone by Reasons I don't like it: the seats in all but the one big theater are really not built for a full sized adult male. All in all- an easy and reasonable place to catch a flick for residents on this side o' the Charles. read more

This is not the fanciest movie theater in the world. Nor does it have the biggest best screens or surround sound. But there is something about this place that keeps you faithful. It's got character and I adore it. The staff is always friendly, the floor is always dirty and in the process of being cleaned. The architecture is cool and the fact that there is an ice cream store linked to the interior is pretty darn awesome. There are great restaurants surrounding it, for people who want dinner and movie, so it's location is even clutch. There are only a handful of screenings going on at a time, but they only play the best movies out at the time and there are always 3-D options. There are often weekend film specials going on with some random old Sci-Fi or fantasy theme that are always a ton of fun to go to. read more

On a cold Wednesday night in the town of Arlington, MA, I decided to get out of the house after having waited for the snow to fall all day. I excitedly headed to Capitol Theater to watch "A wrinkle In Time." Finding a sweet parking spot made me appreciate going out when everyone else decides to stay in. I hurried inside the theater to shelter from the cold, when an ill-mannered and anxious man demanded that I step outside to get my ticket. I was very confused about such request since I had previously paid for tickets inside. I was especially perplexed since I was the only patron there at that particular moment. I attempted to understand why I was treated with such cold rigidity. But the three discontented men who were now essentially bullying me were not having it. There was no ounce of sympathy for the lone woman who just wanted to watch a movie and pay for the ticket inside since it was freezing outside. Specifically bad-tempered, malicious, and extremely hostile was the man who seemed to run the place. I have never met anyone more miserable and unkind. After a failed appeasement I apologized for judging the man who was rude to me and left holding the tears until I got into my car. Such is an example of what it's like to be a woman in a world full of men who forget that they were made by women. Awful men who have no idea about the intricate emotions and sensitivities that a woman feels. It's quite appalling for someone in a managerial position to be more concerned about applying an ancient rule at the most inappropriate time instead of making the patron feel welcomed and at ease. It's even more flabbergasting for him to be defending the rude employee and accusing the customer of being judgmental. News flash Grumpy Meany! That's exactly the dynamic of customer relations! You provide the service and the customer judges its efficacy. And oh you have failed miserably. Wouldn't it have been nicer if I instead wrote about how gracious and kind you were to take me into your theater and make my night joyful!? It's too bad that you don't have the capacity and the emotional intelligence to be a successful manager. Walking into Capitol Theater was like stepping into "IT" in "A Wrinkle In Time." An evil entity filling the hearts of the three man who worked there. I didn't want to waste any more of my precious time on this matter, but I felt compelled to save anyone who cares to read this from going there. The negativity is palpable, you feel it the second you walk in there. So please don't go there if you're an empath. Plus the seats are very uncomfortable. Apple Cinemas near Alewife has assigned recliner seats! Check that one out instead! May god bless and protect all the gentle souls, and may he help the wicked find the light inside themselves. read more

I used to be a big booster of the Capitol, but their recent, lamentable trend of clogging up just about every screen with multiple screenings of the same goddamned 3-D movie has soured me to the place. Way to sell your soul to the devil, guys. Plus, the sound in about half of the theaters is wonky (dialogue is fine, music is tinny and off), the projectors suffer from a perennial case of low wattage bulbs, and the a/c is generally on the fritz when you need it most. Props, though, for having Richardson's ice cream on the cheap, and for the occasional oddball second run art house refugee that shows up for a week long run before vanishing into the pileup of 3D movies. read more

The first thing I noticed after walking into the theater was that it did not look at all like the big chain movie theaters that have invaded our neighborhoods. As opposed to the big megaplex style movie theaters like AMC and Regal, Capitol Theatre has a very unique feel to it. It's a beautiful theater, and it seemed like at some point, this could have been a concert theatre (before replacing the seats with movie theater seats). It wasn't just four uniform walls; they had wallpaper and designs all across the room. It seems like they incorporated elements of a classical theatre here. The prices are also not terribly expensive. My friends and I went to see "The Hobbit" this past weekend, and it was $12 for a 3D ticket. A glass of wine cost $6, and it decent wine. Yes, they serve wine and beer! Which was a huge bonus. The one thing that was a little weird was that the lobby wasn't big and it was right in front of the door. You had to walk through the throngs of people getting food and drinks in order to get into the theater. It's not a huge deal, though. The theater was clean and it looked well-maintained. read more

I like going to local theatres, but this one really annoys me. Between the loud families/middle-school children, the obnoxious line around the block, and getting yelled at by the manager because the "line didn't go the right way" i was not impressed. It's owned by the same group who owns the Somerville Theatre, and i'm actually just as close to that one so i'll go there for watching the rest of my movies. The only positives is the parking on Mass Ave (it's free on Sunday which is when I go to the movies) and they sell a local brownie that's really good. Otherwise, get me outta here. read more

This place is awesome because: 1. I saw Pretty Woman here in the 90's. 2. They have some 80's classics playing here this summer: 16 candles, pretty in pink, ferris, pee wee, karate kid (with Ralph Macchio), mighty ducks and more. 3. They have that popcorn shaker stuff. 4. They serve beer and they have good popcorn with real butter. read more