Empire Theatres

see
*** CLOSED ***
Damn shame. A nice location for those along the North York subway line, notably towards the Finch end. Great to walk there, catch a movie, and walk home. Rarely were there any major films here. Cineplex seems to have a lock on the block busters. AMC in Toronto also seems to be paring back.

I’m glad we have this theater as it is close to where I live. I love having the choice between Empire and Cineplex at the Sheppard Centre.
Love the New York Fries and Yogurt food options. Love how I can just buy tickets on my mobile and even choose seats for Empire. Absolutely convenience. The only thing that really bugs me is when the movies finish, there is a mass exodus to the underground parking through two sets of elevators which can mean potentially long line ups.
There were times when, after a movie, I stayed to play some of the video games with my bf. One time, we were so lucky as to find 30 free gold tokens for the video games!!!
Don’t forget to get your parking ticket validated.
³⁄₃₀

This is a nice cinema, situated right above North York Centre subway. You take a steep and somewhat frightening escalator high above the Loblaws below – not for those with a fear of heights, though there is an elevator as well. It’s a three-​storey drop to the fruit and vegetables below.
The last time I was there, for Rise of the Planet of hte Apes, they couldn’t get the projector going and they cancelled the show; they didn’t bother to turn off the loud and annoying ads as they made the announcement, so everyone in the back couldn’t hear and had to figure it out for themselves. The theatre offered everyone the option of seeing the movie at a later time or getting a pass to any movie in the future. I asked when the pass expires – one year – and demanded a refund instead. A loud fellow behind me in the refund line demanded a pass each for him and his wife and a full refund as well, which made sense to me. He said he planned to write to head office about his treatment but wouldn’t if they received a pass and a refund. The staff member (the manager? not sure) said people couldn’t «double dip» on a refund. Of course they should have immediately given us a free pass in addition to a refund! Most of us had paid for the subway or parking to get there and had already bought concessions (I had a $ 5 pop). Plus, there was nothing else to see for an hour and a half. Eventually the manager gave in to this couple, and because everyone else was watching the mêlée, we also got passes, as we should have from the beginning.
Other negatives: the box office continued to sell tickets to the cancelled film after it had been cancelled. The movie times on the board above the box office didn’t match the times the films actually started. The staff couldn’t tell me which movie was playing in each theatre, or at what time. And, as for any theatre, the food is outrageously expensive and I only add this as a negative in this review because the overall experience was so gruesome.
I’ll go back eventually, but I don’t get to see many movies anymore, and I’ll go just about anywhere else first.

I love going to the movies, but not at the price that they wanted me to pay for it.
I watched Avatar in 3D here, and i know that 3D movies are more expensive because of those geeky glasses, but I had no idea that it was going to be that much more.
I mean $ 20 for a movie is a little bit much unless you are giving me a copy of the DVD as I walk out.
After spending that much on tickets, I didn’t want to spend anything on pop corn because I felt like I was getting ripped off enough on the tickets.
I haven’t gone back since and prefer to go to other locations where prices are more reasonable.

So it seems like the last time I was here was in the summer of last year, and things do change.
For starters, you can get your tickets AT the Concessions stand (to the left, not the big one to the right). It makes sense. The theatre saves the cost of one more person standing at the main ticket area, and the customer only has to line up once!
I don’t know if this was the procedure only for the slow weeknights, and they ramp up on the busy times.
The popcorn is different tasting here. and they layer the butter. nom nom nom. so bad for me.
The folks here are really nice and conversational. They seem older, more mature, and not the kids that work here as a part time job. Super nice.
The theatre itself isn’t huge, but nor is it small, and still has stadium seating.
Parking underground is free for 3 hours or less, $ 1 for 3 – 4 hours. More than four hours you pay regular price. That’s awesome. The entrance is one street south of Empress. You have to go around the whole building to get to it (if you’re going southbound) or come up going Northbound.
And I am agreeing with myself that you’re more likely to be surrounded by university kids here than high school kids loitering in the mall. ahem… starts with a Y rhymes with Kale.