Rustic Theatre

A great movie house and a landmark in Idyllwild for decades. Wonderful staff and very reasonable prices.

Excellent movie venue; needs to appeal to a more sophisticated movie audience rather than the under 25’s and kids with the typical Hollywood special effects explosions, sex and violence. A rare movie does sneak its way through such as Philomena and the Jersey Boys.

The Rustic is one of my favorite tabs of «the Idyllwild experience.» The theater is warm and cozy in the best way; there’s a terrific, reasonable snack bar in the lobby, as well as seating, games and checkerboards available while you wait. Though the heating and air-​conditioning keep the theater itself very comfortable in summer and winter, the management has seen fit to retain a delightful, popular holdover from draftier winter days: light blankets to snuggle up in while you watch the movie. Ticket prices, while not as low as they once were, are still a bargain ($ 9 for adults, $ 7 for kids under 12 and over 60). Movies are always first run, usually pretty evenly divided between PG-​13 action/​adventure («The Avengers») and more adult-​themed offerings («The Help»). Offerings usually change weekly, though unusually popular fare might hang around for two. There are matinees as well as evening shows on weekends. Never crowded, always fun. We love taking our kids or going for a date night.

Well what can I say…
This place is great…
We went last week on a mid week day and there was only one person working Nd she handled up stairs down and DVDs she did it with a smile and still had time to talk to people and answer everyone… everyone got there tickets and food before she started the movie to make sure everyone got it…
She explained that she was short handed and paused the movie…
Once everyone was happy with there soda and popcorn the movie started…
There was a tall teenager with her, her son maybe??? He jumped behind and helped with popcorn and soda and with a smile and was a big help…
The men’s bathroom was leaking and this boy ran over and cleaned it up and as I watched him come back he washed his hands…
Our 4 year old son could t make it to the end of the movie and the teenager said to my son lets play a game and before I knew it my son was playing a game and the lady in the lobby said please go back and watch the movie, came out and my son was chilling out in the lobby watching a cartoon with the teenager…
Everyone is happy and goes beyond there duties …
We will be back for the summer…
Awesome place and staff…
Love it

What a sweet little rustic theatre! It’s the only place in this small mountain town to catch a movie.
You don’t have to worry about technology not being up to date. We saw the latest X-​men flick which was full of action and cool effects and didn’t feel like the small theatre lacked a bit.
The wooden beams and creaky old seats actually added quite a bit of charm.
They also offer dvd’s for rent. It’s a one stop movie shop for the town of Idyllwild.

I LOVED my theater experience at the Rustic. It was spacious, with beamed ceilings and plush seats. The huge single screen was like theaters I remember as a kid. It’s hard to feel the movie magic in a mall multi-​plex, crammed into a narrow theater where you can hear sound from the movie playing next-​door. But this place gave me that larger-​than-​life feeling — I think this setting would add to any movie we saw there. The owner was great, and chatted with us about indie-​film-​making and the Idyllwild Film Festival in January.
On top of the lovely cinematic experience, they show first-​run films, and full-​price tickets are less than a matinée at a multi-​plex! Popcorn, candy and drinks were also less than the price of a car! Is it my birthday??? This is our new Friday night dinner-​and-​a-​movie date!

The movie theater aspect is great it is a way bigger theater than I was thinking when I walked in. Cute atmosphere. I do think they should have a uniform since at one point the «employee of the month» was reaching to grab something and I almost got a eye full. We came in on a Friday night for a movie and the improv show. The improv show was a little over priced for that it actually was, But still fairly funny. I do think they should do an intermission or make is shorter cause I began to feel like it would never end. But over all it was a nice place I really liked that they have blankets to use in case you get cold.

Great little theater in Idyllwild with first run movies. Also you can rent movies from here too.

This theater was built in 1954 and the moment you walk in, you would feel like you live in that era, hence the name Rustic Theater. But don’t let that fool you because the screen and the sound system have been upgraded. It won’t rival the newest theaters but good enough to watch a movie. They do play current movies and the admission is inexpensive.

Very quaint movie theatre. We saw the new Oz movie last night & had a great experience. Great old time feel in the theatre & only a few families in there so we had our pick of seats. Super friendly staff that are willing to answer your questions. I will be back next time we are in town.

Have lived in this mountain for 14 yrs now and i love it but when it comes to this theater I have a lot of issues first of all the guy they have working there is very rude, last night my husband & I really wanted to go to the movies & enjoy it with all the trimmings but we were very turned off by the fact that mr. Personality was very sick & sneezing all over with out any regard to his surroundings… my husband & I thought? Really him touching our food, not…
I wish the owner would hire someone friendlier to greet his patrons, and maybe he would not have such a bad turn out, last night we saw lawless & there were only 3 people including us. I give one star for the movie only.

This place was a really nice surprise! I have been to A LOT of movie theaters in my life. Being a Motion Picture Editors Guild member, many of them have been super fancy-​pants theaters but I can tell you from experience, that there are worthless theaters in Los Angeles.
This place is a theater/​movie rental shop! Perfect. One stop movie shop.
The picture was good, the sound was pretty good. I like that they encourage you to call them if you want to have a private party or screening…
The prices were a bit high for a small theater but I would rather have this place be there than not be there!

Just so unique. The kids loved it. It is a small town theatre… and you can imagine how that is. The staff seem to all be best friends, they look at you like «oh jeez another damn tourist» but that’s kind of part of it’s charm. GO when you’re in Idyllwild if you have kids. they will never forget the experience!

This was kind of cool and kind of bizarre. It’s definitely a «real» full size big screen movie theater with digital sound, which you might not expect in a town this small. It has digital sound, quasi-​stadium seating for probably a few hundred, and was showing first run movies — in our case Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Don’t judge.
It’s also got a video store with DVDs and I think even VHS tapes in the lobby. And pretty cheap tasty popcorn. So it’s like a discount video store /​budget cinema vibe but with a real theater showing current movies. We went on a Monday night and there were probably 20 people there. Also located conveniently across the street from a bar and a couple liquor stores. Hypothetically really good for pregaming for a vampire movie.

You can look at this theater in two ways: either it’s a tiny, quaint place where you can rent DVDS and see a decent movie without having to drive all the way to Palm Springs, or it’s a tiny theater with a tiny screen and tiny seats. If you want a «big screen» experience with huge, reclining seats, a massive snack selection, and a dozen different movies to choose from, you’ll not find it in Idyllwild.
Prices are lower than at a big theater, but I think they’ve gone up since Wendy B. was here. I believe we paid $ 8 each for a 4 pm showing of Men in Black 3. There’s only one screen, and each movie is shown for a week. So the good news is that if you don’t like the current offering, you won’t have to wait long for something different – but the bad news is that if you don’t like the current offering, sorry, that’s the only option.
There are basic movie snacks available – candy, popcorn, sodas. The popcorn wasn’t the best I’d ever had. The seats reminded me somewhat of seats on a plane, narrow and just comfortable enough to get you though the movie. The screen hangs over a stage, so even though it’s a small theater, I still felt like I was sitting far from the screen.
However, the place is cute, and it’s a fun experience. I actually felt a sense of community with the other people in the theater, and that’s something I’ve rarely felt while living in California. The picture quality was good, the movie was silly, and the other theater-​goers were actually nice. That’s worth my 8 bucks any day.

Wow… have a little less of a personality why dont you. Guy at the counter was super rude. I guess i dont get why you would be rude to customers that keep you in business. You must have a very sad life. The only reason its a two star is the movie.

Had a great time on my birthday at th Rustic Theatre. I noticed the comment about the heating and the new owners have added central heat and a/​c to the entire theatre. Today is is snowing and the theatre was 74 degrees nice and comfy. Good job to the new owners on keeping the small town theatre alive and prospering. I was given a loyal customer rewards card good at the Rustic Theatre, Pine Cove Market & Gas and the Red Kettle down the street.
. I suggest highly that you check it out!
Thanks to the Rustic for my birthday treat!!!

The Rustic is a throw back in time. This is a tiny, neighborhood theater probably of 1960’s vintage, showing only one movie. For the low price of $ 5 each, you get a movie that is a recent release. We saw The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The seats are comfy. The popcorn is strategically placed by the entry and, well, the smell will drive you nuts. Once you see the movie, you have to wait until Friday for something new. Hey. Folks, this is Idyllwild. You have to discard your city-​folk ways, slow down, breathe deeply, and hold hands during the movie. Enjoy it for what it is.

My mom and I really wanted to relax in our cabin with a DVD but quickly discovered that it was not worth dealing with the rudeness dished to us at the Rustic Theater. The guy at the counter was cranky and the only kindness we saw was from a sweet little cat that tried to leave as my mom opened the door. The guy yelled at my mom «Don’t let the f… ing cat out.» I can’t believe someone would treat customers like that and expect to stay in business. We got out of there as fast as we could… unbelievable!

I love this place! It’s like going to a friend’s house to watch a movie. The sound system is good and the movies are first rate. Everyone is friendly and we all visit before and after the movie. If you get a little chilly, they provide you with afghans to warm to up.