The Tampa Theatre is hands down one of the best places to watch a movie. Forget the giant chain…read moretheaters. This place has something they just can't replicate. The building is absolutely beautiful and has almost 100 years of history. You can feel it the second you walk inside. Every room has a presence to it. The atmosphere is unlike anything else. It always feels full, even when it isn't. You're never really by yourself...;) The concessions are great, the staff is always friendly, and I love that they haven't tried to modernize away all the character. The little noises, the old floors, the way the building seems to settle around you during the movie just reminds you this place has seen generations of people come and go. I definitely will be back. I have a feeling something there is looking forward to seeing me again.

A Cinematic Masterpiece Before the Movie Even Begins…read more If you are looking for an unforgettable night out, the historic Tampa Theatre is an absolute must-visit. Calling it just a "movie theater" feels like a massive understatement - it is a breathtaking time capsule and a true architectural marvel that elevates the simple act of watching a film into a grand event. From the moment you step through the doors, you are transported into a spectacular, 1920s Mediterranean courtyard. The attention to detail inside the auditorium is stunning, offering an experience that modern multiplexes simply cannot replicate. Here is what makes it so incredibly special: * The Atmospheric Ceiling: You sit under a remarkably realistic night sky, complete with 99 twinkling stars and gently drifting clouds, making you feel like you are outdoors on a perfect evening. * The Architecture: The eclectic, opulent blend of Moorish, Spanish, and Byzantine details - surrounded by gargoyles, statues, and ornate balconies - gives the space a magical, almost surreal charm. * The Mighty Wurlitzer: Arriving early is a requirement! Hearing the historic theatre organ played live before the screenings perfectly captures the golden age of cinema. The programming is just as thoughtfully curated as the decor. Whether you are catching a brilliant independent film, a beloved cult classic, a documentary, or a live event, the venue makes every single screening feel momentous. Grab some popcorn, take in the gorgeous scenery, and enjoy the show. The Tampa Theatre is a meticulously preserved local treasure and truly one of the greatest places to spend an evening!

We found this drive-in after googling drive-in's near us - this location is about an hour from us,…read morebut worth the drive for sure. We grew up with a drive-in in our town and we loved it as kids, so we wanted to take our kids, this was their first drive-in movie experience and it didn't disappoint. Toy Story 5 was playing, they recommend showing up an hour early on their website, we arrived at 8pm and found a spot easily, but it's definitely a good idea to show up early because it was already packed with cars when we showed up. You also need a radio, preferably battery operated, so you can tune into the station (I believe it was 89.3) and listen to the movie - unless you want to leave your car running the entire time and use your car radio. We decided to sit in the back of my husband's truck, which was a vibe - just make sure you check the weather so you don't end up getting rained on and also recommend bringing some bug spray because there are lots of mosquitos that will pester you if you don't have something to keep them away. We will be back for a family movie night, this is such a fun family experience - I wish there were more drive-ins around still but they're few and far between unfortunately.

We have been going to the Ruskin Family Drive-In since we moved to the area in 2018. We absolutely…read morelove coming here. From the amazing owners, delicious snacks, ability to bring our friendly pups, to watching new (and sometimes classic) moves from the comfort of our SUV or pick up truck bed. They typically play two movies and admission is currently $7 a person. Much cheaper thsn other theaters. They make a lot of the snacks from scratch using high quality ingredients. Pizzas and grilled cheese are made upon order and never disappoint. We have also enjoyed the popcorn, nachos, and hotdogs. The chili is also homemade. Since they don't make much profit on the movies, they charge $5 for a snack voucher to use in concession. We always spend more than that, so we welcomed the change. Snacks are all very reasonably priced and so is admission. The owners are some of the kindest people I know. We used to take our elderly lab here and before he passed we took him to say goodbye and enjoy one last movie. They even came out to give him extra love since he was a regular with us and his fur sister. Ruskin Family Drive-In is a family owned business that will make you feel like one of the family. I enjoy coming here more than a typical movie theater for all these reasons and more. We will be regulars here forever! Check out the movie and stsrt times in their website or Facebook. Please check it out and support a local business and one of the oldest functioning drive ins.

Great night with my guy and the kiddos. How many drive ins are left in FL...we need to make them…read morepopular again :)

This was just amazing. I haven't stopped talking about this experience and already told everyone to…read morego! The prices was good. Can't sit on the top of the car to make sure people behind can see but that was cool. Of course you can sit in your car, bed of the trucks or even have chairs outside! ( def recommend a radio or something so you can connect to the audio and won't have to run the car the whole time ) We went on a cooler night so we were definitely bundled up. Def keep that in mind Movie selection was good!! And also had concession stand and restrooms!

We love coming to the drive in. It is such a great experience. Great prices, good concession food,…read moreand a feel-good community experience. We have been back several times since our first visit in February of this year. We've seen popular and new movies such as Goat, Project Hail Mary, and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The screen is updated and clear, as well as the speakers.

We've visited Joy Lan a couple times before this visit and our experiences as a collective have…read morebeen average. You can arrive a half hour before the show starts to pay and get your spot to watch the movie. Tonight we watch Shang Chi and the Ten Rings and our experience specific to tonight... Not the best. In the beginning of the movie there are subtitles which you can't read because on this screen only the top line ever showed. So as long as there's only one line sentences you're good! In addition there aren't any loud speakers or speakers to place on your vehicle like many other drive ins have, so we had a really hard time hearing. I don't know if this movie was shot in dark lighting or if they needed to adjust lighting on the screen, but there seemed to be a glare or it was often hard to see some scenes. There was an idiot with his car lights on which may have posed a problem as well but no one said anything to them. No one walked around to check for things like that like many other theaters do as well. The website indicates if you have difficulty getting your lights to turn off they have covers for your car to use to dim your lights. There's no info about additional speakers though it does say if you have issues you can let them know. Also kind of bummed with the choice of preshow music. We really enjoy attending the theaters that okay the old fashioned tunes and ads! You only get half an hour before hand anyway which also could be extended some. Show up as early as you can within that time frame to get the best pick of parking spots. Also bring big spray or citronella candle or something. Bugs galore! We may try this theater again in the future but will need to probably bring a radio to provide additional speakers.

It had been many years since our last visit to CineBistro. We liked it back then, but somehow never…read moremade it back, and between the pandemic, movie prices, and life in general, it just fell off our radar. Fast forward to now: my wife wanted to see the new movie Disclosure Day, which we both enjoyed, and she decided it would be the perfect excuse for a dinner-and-movie night. So we headed back to CineBistro. I'd recommend arriving about 30 minutes before the movie starts so they have time to take your order and you can hopefully finish eating before the film begins. Prices are on the mid-to-high side, and they do add an 18% gratuity to the bill. That said, you can adjust it if you want to tip more, less, or remove it entirely. For dinner, my wife had the Shrimp Florentine Linguini, it came with sautéed Gulf shrimp, fresh linguini, roasted garlic cream sauce, spinach, marinated tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano, and wild mushrooms. I had the CMX Burger, which is two Angus Beef Patties, White American Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, Pickles, Special Sauce on Potato Roll. The burger also comes with fries. Soft drinks and bottled water are $7, which felt a little steep to me, although soft drinks do come with free refills. You can also just ask for a glass of water. The seats are very comfortable, with small tray tables or fold-out tables so you can eat right at your seat while watching the movie. Food is delivered directly to you, which makes the whole experience convenient and enjoyable. Overall, we were very happy with the food. It was tasty, and we have no complaints there. You really do get what you pay for, and this is a different kind of movie-going experience with good food to go along with it. If the movie is good too, it makes for a great night out. We would definitely come back.

Fun matinee experience. Our tix were $11.50 for a Wednesday before 5:00. Bar area in lobby is…read morepretty. Cocktails are serious. You can order from your seat before the movie starts. I had the espresso martini, even though it wasn't on the cocktail menu. It was very good. We ordered the steak skewer salad, popcorn, peanut M&Ms and the chocolate cake. Popcorn was delicious. Everything was delicious! Tables are swing-out and they are small. Barely fit everything. If you want anything else after the movie starts you go to the bar. Seats are comfy but do not recline. I'd return.

Visiting family and this was the closest movie option. Looks the same as when my kids were growing…read moreup In the area in the early 2000s. Seats in our theater were not comfortable. The movie experience was good, sound and picture quality were good.

I split my time between this location, as well as the Riverview location near my house depending on…read moremovie availability. Both are convenient. I enjoy that this location has a lot of variety, places to go beforehand, and good food/drink options While I usually enjoy this location, there is definitely a need for the whole place to have a refresh since things are getting a bit dated (seats squeak, seat covers old in places, screens/lighting need updating, carpets etc) Generally I've found the cinema to be mostly clean, but there are times when the restrooms are in need of a little attention. I also think turning every screen into reclining seats would be a good and comfortable move

I visited AMC veterans on a Sunday to see the Odyssey at 2 o'clock. I went with my husband and we…read morepurchased our tickets in advance. I hadn't been back to the movies in a while, the Odyssey was a great one to see in theaters, though it was very long. The IMAX there was great, the seating was comfortable and purchasing tickets online and then providing them at the entry was super simple. I didn't eat anything because I'm not really a movie food kind of person but I really did enjoy seeing a movie on the big screen again! Ample bathrooms, for all of the females trying to run out of the theater after a three hour movie to use the bathroom is a huge plus!

Before seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I'd never tried ScreenX, so I was curious to see if it…read morelived up to the hype. The movie itself was a great time, and while the extra side screens definitely make for a unique experience, it felt a little gimmicky to me and didn't really add much to the film overall. Still, I'm glad I tried it at least once. The theater itself was really nice. Everything was clean, the recliners were comfortable, and one thing I wish more theaters would copy is the self serve drink station. Being able to grab your own refills without standing in the concession line every time was a surprisingly nice perk. The only downside for me is the location. It took me almost an hour to get here, so it's probably not a theater I'll make the trip back to regularly. If you're nearby though, it's definitely a solid place to catch a movie, especially if you've been wanting to check out ScreenX for yourself.

Great old style drive-in with the option to use the old style window speaker or tune into FM radio…read morestation. They have a good consession stand with reasonable prices. We had a really good time. These are few and far between but make for an excellent family outing.

I don't write reviews. Not because I don't have anything to say about a place, but because other…read morepeople usually have already said it. In this case though, I'm making an exception because everyone in the Tampa Bay area needs to know about this gem. It's on the second floor of the parking garage at University Mall. Which means you need to navigate around what is left of the mall. There's a separate entrance so you don't have to set foot in the mall itself. The decor is Pee Wee's playhouse and is just as delightful as you would think it would be. They are the top of the game when it comes to special appearances (Kevin Smith was there for two nights, John Waters, Lydia Lunch, Amy Goodman and Todd Solondz have all done Q&As there, just to name a few. Will Oldham has one coming up in September before his performance on the other side of the bay) They show the blockbusters you can see everywhere, but they mix it in with indie films and documentaries that you would have to be in NYC or LA to see otherwise. They also specialize on showing movies on FILM. If you love watching actual film, this is the place that is showing the love! The ticket prices are cheap. The seats are comfortable. The staff is absolutely amazing. The food is far better (and affordable!) than it has any right to be at a movie theater, and they bring it to your seat. There are a TON of vegan options! Which is pretty rare when it comes to going to the movies. It's not just my favorite local movie theater; it's become one of my favorite places in the Tampa Bay region.

This theater space has Gone Through It over the last 10-20 years. Like most malls, University has…read moremade loads of changes and is practically a ghost town while transitions happen and the theater often suffered. But Sun-Ray moving in definitely pushed it in the right direction. Now there are a few other ''dine-in" restaurants in the Tampa area and they're great, sure, but I don't want to donate plasma to be able to afford a movie and a meal. No worries about that at Sun-Ray! The food is insanely reasonably priced. No, the options aren't "heirloom tomato and burrata on a wagyu burger", but there are some really fun options and a LOT of vegetarian and vegan friendly choices. And the popcorn, man, I'd skip the movie and just come in to buy some popcorn. They have a make-your-own popcorn station for goodness sake. While one of those big chain theaters is charging you $3 for a sampler size of popcorn seasoning you can get at Walmart, Sun-Ray has an entire bar of seasonings, add ons, butters, oils... You can also load your popcorn in yourself so you can even layer the flavorings. It's ALSO super reasonably priced with one free refill included! They do also have cocktails and mocktails to enjoy your movie with a bit of fun, and they do specials to add to the bigger movies. As for inside the theater, I read a few people complain that the seats don't recline. I'm honestly okay with that because, you know...eating. And the chairs are super plush, the kind you just sink in and nestle into. I love that a lot. The spacing was pretty comfortable, lots of room for guests and servers to walk in front of you. I also really liked that instead of Big Corporation Showings before the trailers start, they were showing fun videos and local ads. To be entirely honest, I'm not likely to go back to those big name theaters very often now. I'm hooked. (And not just for the popcorn but honestly, mostly the popcorn)