The Screens at the Continent

The only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars is so as not to mislead those looking for a traditional theater-​going experience. This is not it. Fun, it definitely is. In fact, we are considering joining their membership so we can go more often.
As another reviewer said, it’s only a couple of bucks. Yes, sometimes the film is out of focus. Yes, sometimes it starts early and sometimes late (about 5 – 10 mins either way, so a 20-​min window). Yes, the lights come up and down at odd times. And yes, some think the popcorn «butter» is bad (I don’t). And finally, yes the display candy looks to be about 20 years old (the actual candy sold seems to be reasonably new though).
Overall though, these are all the things that appalled us on visit one, and kept us coming back. It’s entertaining as an experience and a movie is the bonus. This is not a sarcastic review (kind of), but if they improved significantly or changed their style, we would definitely not go as often (in case someone there reads this and feels it was a negative review and anything but sincere).
BONUS: Sometimes they sell $ 5 jewelry in lobby.
Forget Carriage Place! The Screens is a family-​owned gem.

Second run movies… Cheap all the way around really. Showed up a little early sunday afternoon for our movie and no one was behind the counter for over five minutes. Some things were modern and nice and others were run down. It was just a little disjointed experience versus the big chains who employ consistent management and upkeep.
On the plus side, crowds were tiny, price was low and the theater itself was nice — seating, sound, picture all good (not Crosswoods or Easton good, but near Carriage place). But: no previews at all. And the theater was pitch black as we few customers found our seats.
Maybe we chose a very off time…
I’d not be scared to go back but would really only have a reason if the movie was one I could not get elsewhere.

I was really excited when the movie theater was re-​opened at the Continent. I think it’s on the second set of owners now.
I try to get back here once or twice a year to see if my impressions/​experience is any different from the last one. Sometimes it’s better. Sometimes it’s worse.
Saw The Counselor recently on a Sunday night. Hardly anyone was in the lobby and tickets were being sold at the concession stand. The popcorn bin didn’t have enough to fill a small serving and there was some kind of fried item (possibly samosas) in the case. We passed on snacks.
Theaters weren’t numbered (except for a sign indicating where to find #8) but did have printed marquee information to indicate which movie (s) were showing in that theater.
Walked into the theater at 7:15pm to the end credits of the previous movie. The houselights went up. Our showtime was 7:20pm. Several minutes later the commercials started showing. Houselights stayed up. The commercials were skewed to a parallelogram shape and the top of the commercial was in the middle with the bottom at the top. My husband went out and said something to the owners.
Projection was promptly corrected. Masking was only slightly off for the movie (video bled off one side of the screen) and overall projection was slightly out of focus.
Audio was low and tinny. I don’t know if they had to set to stereo instead of dolby 5.1 but something wasn’t right. Lights stayed on for the entire movie.
Upon walking out we saw spilled popcorn in an aisle or two. Some issues can be easily corrected such as giving a few more minutes between shows so the theaters can get a once over. Or having someone start to check/​clean the aisles when the theater is empty of people.
I am a glutton for punishment so I will stop by again in another 6 — 12 months.

Remember those 80’s movies those where you go into the theater where the lights are out and all you can see the whole theater covered in trash? That was my experience tonight. The owners hadn’t bothered to clean the theater I was in all day.
When I tried to buy a ticket but the clerk was too busy watching TV to look at me. They didn’t bother to run any previews so I had to wait until the movie started so I could find my way to a seat. About 30 minutes into the movie the lights came on that let me see the theater covered in popcorn and soda cups. Since there hadn’t been a show ran in that theater in last 4 hours they had plenty of time to clean it up.
The sound was just off. It sounded like they had it set on surround sound but only had a stereo amp. You could tell because as characters moved around the scenes their voices would go in and out when they would be move in the same place on screen.
About 45 minutes into the movie the screen went black. Then a message popped up on the screen that computer was going into power save mode. I almost think they were playing the ‘digital’ movie from a DVD or Bluray player.
The one end of the hall was filled with piles of old posters and cardboard cut-​outs of past movies. A lot of the lite-​up posters were mostly of ‘The Micheal Jackson Experience.’ The lobby was reasonably clean but half the arcade machines were off or broken.
Was it a totally bad experience? No. The seating was actually good and the projector and the screen in my theater was clear and clean. At $ 1 – 2 a show it’s a good value if you catch in there for early showing before it get popcornified.

I gave up on the Screens at the Continent at least a year ago and was shocked to see a groupon being offered for it just this week. The groupon does not explain that this a a dollar theater with very little amenities — it would never cost what they state is the retail amount!
I really wanted this theater to be a success — i love movies and with the rising prices at the chain theaters i was hoping this family could make a go of it — but every time we went the service got worse and worse — late starting movies, no lights on theaters when you entered, messes in the theaters that were not cleaned up, dirty bathrooms etc. These are not extras being asked for these are the basics of a movie theater!

Though i believe there is much improvement to be made… i still believe in the continent… i almost want to buy it to fix it… i have so many memories rapped up in the continent that it saddens me to see it in such disrepair

Groupon did me wrong… We came here to use the monetary value on our expired groupons here ($ 18 worth). We got: two tickets to Identity Thief, a pretzel with cheese, popcorn, and two drinks. For a cheap movie theater, my expectations were low.
The good:
–Family owned. How sweet is that? The only reason I’m giving them two instead of one star
–Cheap movie tickets
–Cheap-​ish concessions
–Nice comfy seats
The bad:
–Terrible movie schedule look up.
–Home-​made butter dispenser that splashes butter all over you and ruins your shirt
–Small screens
–Really bad sound quality, especially the base, it sounded blown out.
–Somewhat questionable area
Overall, not recommended. Columbus has a great cheap movie theater in town with wonderful facilities and concessions.

I come here because it’s cheap and conveniently located. My family and I have been coming for years, especially in the summer — it’s a little nippy in the winter time.
As I said I come for the cheap prices — $ 2 movies and I think $ 1 days on Wednesdays. The concessions are slightly cheaper than regular theaters. My family of four can come out spending less than $ 40 and seeing a good second rate movie — winning!
I’ve seen this place slowly go down hill, the owners have changed at least twice in the last couple of years. The current owners are very friendly, it’s family owned. Often times you will see a small child behind the counter. I’ve wondered how this place stays open, I now know. There have been times when it would be packed with people (all Indian ethnicity), the owners host holiday events and special movie showings.
If you just want to see a cheap movie, this is your place. If you want a theatre experience with plush seats and a variety of snacks, go elsewhere. As for the theater itself, it’s seen better days. It could use a bit of sprucing up. It’s not dirty, dirty but that butter machine is a little gunky, also watch it, it sprays. I ruined a perfectly good tee shirt with butter spray! Restrooms are decent. Also, take a sweater, I think they cut cost by turning the heat down real low.
One thing that used to drive me crazy, calling for the movie listings. The person’s accent was so heavy and he was speaking so fast that I would have to hang up and call over and over. It kind of became a family game, I’d put it on speaker phone and we’d try and guess what movies are showing. I go online now.
I give this 2 stars because I have experienced better, actually I could drive about 5 miles for a slightly better experience but than that would cost more in gas and it wouldn’t be as cheap. So yes, I’ll be back, again and again.
If you want to save some money at a decent place, here you go.

For about the past three or four years I have gone to see a movie at the Screens at the rate of about once a month. I usually go during the week. They essentially have no staff. I think they have hired one guy part time to do odd jobs, aside from that, it’s the Mrs. at the concession/​ticket stand and the husband working the projectors. But that’s okay because the place is devoid of patrons. A couple of the seven theaters are dark simply because no one has bought a ticket for the showing.
It costs a couple of lowly bucks, but you kind of get what you pay for. There’s always something amiss. I usually ask for a slice of pizza, but often they are out. Movie blurriness is not uncommon, requiring the patron to go to the concession stand and ask for a refocus. The other evening the movie’s aspect ratio was incorrect for the film being shown. Everything was annoyingly stretched horizontally. I guess it’s what you should expect for two measly bucks.
But I’ll tell you, aside from all these shortcomings, it’s an interesting place in its own unique way. It’s a slightly out-​of-​kilter business that charges accordingly. I guess I’ll rate it accordingly too.

Worth about 2 dollars.

It’s a good place but it’s just not in a good area.

Unbelievably rude staff!
If u complain about something, they totally dont care making rude very unprofessional comments. If ur 5 minutes late they wont sell you a ticket unless someone else is already in there as they dont want to pay 4 heating the room apparently. I cant count the number of times one or the other of the employees was so rude it ruined the first ¼th of the movie for me as I could not get their rudeness out of my mind. They seem to have no costumer service skills. This is possibly the worst thing about this theater. At least 7 friends/​family members refuse to go here & insist we go to cinemark-​Bethel as they can’t stand the staff.
Its often freezing in here I mean colder than any theater Ive ever been in. Always have to wear a coat & then still cold. So r the people I go w/​so I know it is not just me. I guess 2 save $
That other person is right – pitch black. Not only do they not show previews they turn the movie off the 2^nd the credits start. Sometimes they instantly shut off all and I mean ALL the lights even the floor lights– before you can grab ur coat (if you love the cold & not wearing it), they shut off all lights including any aisle lights/​side lights. Its a definite safety hazard & u keep hitting things trying to walk in the pitch black. The person w/​me tripped & got hurt-​was in pain all the way home. Complain & they always blame it on some «idiot» I guess the projectionists we hear them arguing with They also did this several times in my presence They also often shut off all lights in the hall even when you are in them so one can barely see to get out of the entire theater in addition to the individual theater. They want you out of there the second the movie ends.
Lights are always on which is very distracting but off the second the movie ends.
Often the movies are out of focus or keep shutting down or you get the half screens w/​the bottom at the top. Sound has been garbled. Once a movie, I went to shut down at least 5 times. Each time it does, one misses parts of the movie as it never starts where it broke down so the movie made no sense. Noone ever offered us any refund-​they hold onto every $ no matter how bad your experience. On top of it they act angry you have the nerve to complain although not on every occasion.
Very filthy bathrooms often full of urine and toilet paper on the floor and feces smeared around at times as others have shared.
Once someone I went with to movie did have their car broken into as this is apparently a high crime area. Other friends will not go as they heard of similar break ins into cars
Popcorn I got was awful, nearly every single piece had a hard seed in it so I had to spit it out. Very stale –possibly the worst popcorn I ever had but maybe it depends on the day. I try to avoid it as I don’t want to hurt my teeth due to the hard kernels in the whole bag. It was good once though. Maybe they save the old popcorn for the bargain day which is the only day I ever see anyone here at night. Someone I was with several times got stale snacks.
If you ask a question or irritate them off by any little thing you unknowingly do to tick off the women w/​a sour face, chip on her shoulder & rotten demeanor, she ignores you & waits on everyone behind you making you late for the movie even though you got there in plenty of time. They only show movies when it pleases them & used to shut the theater down if business was too light, so they could save money even though you drove all the way there. When their very unprofessional behavior started losing them customers they apparently now take the few people they get. if they want to.
I once wrote elsewhere people should support this theater as it seemed family run and had no business I did not want to be left with just one cheap theater but now I am wondering why I care so much about a family who has never valued me or many of their customers to offer even moderate customer service & civility. I go to movies to relax not to get upset.
I go to cinemark the other $ theater. theyre packed every day & have so many theaters & at times they are all nearly full. I wonder why this place has next to no business when the other theater is always hopping. At screens we are often are the one one in there or w/​just a couple people. Now I am getting it in reading reviews & my own experiences. They are losing the clientele they have due to how they run this place which could be so great as it has big theaters & the right price, but it can’t make up for fifth & more importantly atrocious customer service/​treatment.
Either they dont understand the standards of the average American or they are so understaffed they cant keep the place up or they just dont care. The last few times I was here, I was so upset with how a complaint was handled & how I was treated as a customer, I decided evenif they get a whole new staff, I don’t want to go there anymore to help this couple due to how they have treated me from day 1.

This place is definitely something worth checking out — not because it’s some hidden gem, but because there aren’t many places you can get tasty Indian food snackies and movies for $ 2. But, apart from those things, this place is a bit dingy, dirty, and dark. The seating is a bit worn and the screens aren’t up to date, but for 2 bucks, I can’t complain too much. I see others have had issues with the picture being out of focus, but we didn’t have that issue, thankfully. Maybe that depends on who is running their projector that day?

Whoever said The Screens at the Continent was one of Columbus’s best secrets is a liar.
I should have realized that this was not your average movie theater when I approached the concession stand and found vegetable samosas and other ethnic delights as snack options. To be honest, this kind of turned me on and I was intrigued. The $ 2 ticket prices are also awfully enticing. But unique snacks and low prices can’t make up for poor service and bad film quality.
It all began with a pitch black movie theater. No really. I opened the door to the theater and there were zero lights on. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.
I requested the staff turn on some lights and a movie. The gentleman kindly told me that there were no previews at The Screens — «that’s the good thing» he said. Unfortunately for me I like previews.
The gentleman started the movie and Robert Pattinson’s face was two times the size of the screen. I asked again for the movie to be re-​sized and put into focus. Fifteen minutes later the movie was still much too large and so blurry that it was hurting our eyes… we left. No movie, no veggie samosas and out of $ 4. So unfortunate.

The Continent used to be an upscale area but then the government started giving housing subsidizes to the Somalians who were mostly poor because they came from a war torn country. The government housing made this place lose the upscale feel to it and now the upscale restaurants and such have relocated to Easton and Polaris. With that history out of the way, here is my review on Screens:
Ticket prices are $ 1.50 but on Wed they are only $ 1 and on Fri/​Sat they are $ 2. They also have coupons on their website
for a free movie ticket with the purchase of popcorn. And several other coupons.
This is a great value place but if I had a family I would take them over to the second run theater on Bethel road because it is a safer area. Cinemark Carriage Place Movies 12. 2570 Bethel Road Columbus, OH 43 220

Everything at the Continent seems to be a shell of it’s former glory. In the mid 80’s and early 90’s the place was hugely popular. tons of stores, the french market, street performers on the weekends, a first run movie theater, night clubs and expensive apartments, Very much a destination spot to shop in the city.
Over the years, the Continent has became well… run down to say the least. Most of the tenants are gone a couple bars remain. AND the movie theater is now a second run establishment; The Screens at the Continent.
My girlfriend and I have been going there lately for their «Buck Wild Wednesdays» night. The movies, popcorn and drinks are one dollar. I saw it advertised of their very entertaining website

The place has a weird feel to it, outdated posters… kinda messy but there is a certain kind of charm to it. Some of the rooms look like they seat 500 people, some 200… They have a tendency to leave the lights on the walls on during the movies. Both times we’ve been there The place was nearly empty. One dollar movies and cheap food and nobody there… very weird.
I guess it fits in perfectly at the Continent…

The Screens at the Continent has to be one of the better kept secrets that this town has to offer. Those who have driven I-​71 on a regular business on the north end have undoubtedly passed the old neon sign that reads «The Continent.» But its what The Continent has to offer that makes it a very special place to hang out.
For those who don’t know, The Continent is a combination of Apartment Complex, Restaurants, and Movie Theatre — everything that anyone could ask for all in one place. As I grow old, I think I should like to hang out there, just for the entertainment value alone. But that’s beside the point.
The Screens at The Continent is a older-​type theater, that hasn’t changed much as the time has gone by. It doesn’t have the modern edge of the AMC Theaters you’ll find all around town. But what it doesn’t have there, you’ll find it has in charm and entertainment. What I also love about The Screens at The Continent is the fact that its a second-​run theater. So if you missed that movie you wanted to see on the big screen the first time it was out, you’ll be able to catch it this time around. My next movie that I plan on seeing there? The second run of an American classic: High School Musical 3.
The best part about the theater entirely, is the fact that it has cheap films! That’s right… on Wednesdays, all shows are only a dollar! One dollar! It can’t get a whole lot cheaper than that! For that price, I may go see High School Musical 3 twice! Twice!
This place is a great place for quality, cheap movies that you can’t beat. And with the movie listings online, how can you go wrong? The Screens at the Continental are some of my favorite, and I assure you that you’ll never go wrong by going for a good, cheap family film there!