The Academy Theater

Went to the Academy Theater for the first time the other day to watch Creed and really enjoyed it. You can’t beat $ 4 for a movie and they serve Flying Pie pizza, treats from the Bipartisan Café, plus many microbrews to choose from along with the usual movie snacks of popcorn and candy. I like how they show old movies too. The theaters are small, so get to your movie a little early so you don’t miss out on getting a good seat.

Cute little theater that shows older films. Tickets are cheap, only $ 4. I came here recently to watch «The Room» (a really good movie, btw!) and here is a summary of my experience:
1) Bathrooms were dirty. The floors were all wet and the toilets had stains all over. Yuck.
2) The walls between each screening room was SUPER thin. The room next to ours was showing The Martian and I could hear the music playing from the movie loud and clear. Also, I could hear all the people waiting in the lobby. It was pretty disturbing throughout my movie :(
3) Pizza can be ordered from next door which is awesome. Didn’t get to try any of it, but it smelled and looked delicious!

$ 4 movies and decent popcorn? This is one of my favorite budget theaters, and I love that they do BOGO tickets on Tuesdays. Free water inside, and everyone is friendly at the concessions stand. Employees here sometimes assist in design work for the theater, and they are cinemaphiles who are easy to have a chat with.
The theaters (seat/​environment-​wise) aren’t the most up to date, but what did you expect? The bathrooms and waiting area are clean, and they bring back runs of great films. Go now to see 2001: A Space Odyssey!

Love this theater! Pretty much the only theater my husband and I go to.
It’s nice you can get pizza, sushi, salad, beer and wine to enjoy while watching the movie.
It’s a bit like stepping back in time. Charming small theaters, comfortable seats.

This place is the best. Ticket prices are amazing, and their selection of older films is on point. Everyone who works there is nice and charming. The food offered is swell; love the beer selection. Comfortable seats top it all off. I’ll be a regular.

Great theater for checking out movies for low costs.
Great for events also. I had a hiccup once with the event staff but management was responsive and helpful in resolving it and my successive experiences have been excellent.

I am a huge fan of local theaters. Why? Cheap tickets, beer, local economy.
The Academy is located in the increasing-​in-​popularity neighborhood of Montavilla at 79^th and SE Stark. They have a few screens showing second-​run movies, a killer tap list, and a great deal on Tuesdays. Two-​for-​Tuesday gets 2 people in for a movie for a whole $ 4…total (as in $ 2 per person). Hell, can you even get a movie that cheap on redbox or netflix or whatever you use these days?
Go check out the neighborhood ahead of time and make a great afternoon/​evening of it.

This movie theater is awesome.
They have very cheap tickets, granted they don’t show new releases.
There is a pizza shop next door that appear to have an agreement with the movie theater so you can buy slices. You can eat and drink while enjoying your movie.
The theater itself isn’t the best quality as the seats are a little run down but the price makes up for it.
Overall i would recommend as a cool little date or just watching a cheap movie with a drink.

My husband and I adore this place! We have dinner nearby, drop off our 2 year old at childcare, grab a beer at the snack bar, and head to an adult movie. It’s half the cost and twice the ambience as getting a sitter and going to a big box theater.
Childcare for 2 – 8 year olds is $ 9.50 for the duration of the movie + tip. Be sure to call ahead (503) 252‑1705 and reserve a spot. Caroline is great with the kiddos, you’ll know they are well cared for so you can relax and enjoy the show!

Love the idea, love the local food and beer, love the neighborhood it’s in… fun for the whole family. I don’t go to the movies often enough.

I really like this theater because 1. It plays second run movies 2.) the selection of movies are wide ranging but interesting and 3.) it’s 21 and over (unless accompanied by parents). So there are obnoxious swarms of teenagers.

Great theater to throw a kids birthday party for $ 200, which includes 12 kids 2 gourmet flying pie pizzas, juice boxes, small popcorn and the movie with reserved seating!
Very kid friendly. As a parent you can enjoy beer, wine, cookies, ice cream, Nathan’s hotdogs!!! Amongst other great snacks! it is definitely worth going to the movies here

Debated on the 5^th star because you can hear battle sounds & rumbling from next door, but so much else great going on here. Fine movies cheap, is very good on its own, they scatter 7 – 8, movies between the 3 small theaters, usually including something older. I love their attachment to the neighborhood – besides the most excellent flying pie pizza, they have sushi from miyamoto and goodies from bi-​partisan. Throw in all the usual movie snacks, plus 8 taps and a wide array of liquids. A great experience.

Two words. Date night. This theater has everything you need to provide your significant other a great night out!
Every Friday they feature a new set of films that were just released only a few months before in the more expensive theaters (*cough*cough* Regal Cinemas). At $ 4 a ticket, it’s a steal! On Tuesdays, they offer a 2 for 1 deal on tickets and on Mondays you can watch two back to back movies for $ 6.
Anytime I visit this location, there’s always a decent crowd. They serve Flying Pie Pizza, have all the necessities (popcorn, soda, and candies), and they provide a clean, but retro movie theater experience.
If you want someone else to take care of your kids for some alone time, they have that here too! They babysit your kids! I’m not sure where necessarily, but they advertise it!
Gosh it’s like heaven here. If you’re ever on Stark, give this theater a go!

The small town theater you’ve always wanted!
It’s like stepping back into history here, I love it. Newly remodeled and looking sharp as ever, the Academy Theater is just really special.
$ 4 movies, and Flying Pie pizza, you can’t go wrong. Plenty of beer taps, local and rotating kegs. Great wine options as well. All the usual candy and popcorn options are available, and they even have babysitting.
Take a look around before or after your movie. They have all the old telegrams for the opening of the theater in the 40’s. Some famous names.
Negatives? Parking can be a bit tricky, but there just isn’t anything they can do. It’s street parking only and you had better get there early for the evening shows to find a spot.
I’m a huge fan of this place. If you haven’t tried it but are thinking about it, trust me you’ll be glad you went.

The Academy Theater epitomizes the romanticism of small town America for me… okay, medium-​sized town America. Where I come from, ‘second-​run theater’ usually means ‘look down at your seat before you sit, because you might find vomit, gum, or a big heaping pile of…’ well you get my point. I was not expecting such a well-​kept, clean, and charming interior when I walked through the door. And instead of the normally expected scent of cheap hot dogs and scalding hot butter that you’re instantly hit with at other theaters, your olfactories are gifted with the warm, tangy smell of freshly baked pizza which they sell at the concession counter, along with craft beers and other goodies.
A movie ticket costs four dollars (three for seniors and kids under 12), and they have deals on Mondays (2 movies for $ 6.00). Four bucks for a movie without having to deal with giggling tweens and crying infants? Fuhgeddaboudit. The theaters aren’t that puny either, and the seats are way more comfortable than some of the squeaky vinyl atrocities I’ve experienced at other second-​run movie theaters.
I need to come back for one of their special event screenings… and the beer.

One of the CLEANEST theaters I’ve ever been in, they are reasonable and have a great menu! I would much rather spend money on food/​beverages (ex. pizza, sushi, beer, kombucha, popcorn) if the tickets are nicely priced, here they are!
I love the throwback movies that they do too! All have been great choices recently!
What a fun date night this place makes!

Love this place. I went for the first time and saw the Lego movie here. The theatre is pretty clean and I loved the décor. It was covered in semi-​sarcastic pictures of cats.
They have good beer choices and they’re not very spendy. Good foot choices with options for vegetarians and vegans.

This is one of the best 2^nd run movie houses in Portland. You just can’t beat this place for 4 bucks. In addition to 2^nd run, they even throw in the occasional 35 year old hit, like Stripes with Bill Murray. There were 7 movies playing here so there’s something for everyone. All you have to do is just pick one. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the box office because it was very difficult to communicate with the ticket person. I didn’t really care in the long run though because Academy still deserves 5 stars. The theaters are very clean… NO sticky floors or stray popcorn to contend with. And what better way to top it all off than pizza and beer?
The seats were extra compfy with high backs and cloth cushions, just as good if not better than some of the 1^st run places. And, no squeaks. If you’re not careful you just might fall asleep, even if you’re loving the movie.
So a trip to the Academy would not be complete without mention of the bathrooms. Who cares about the bathrooms? Well, I do. Why? Because it was clean for one thing. I liked the design, the black and white tile and of course, the Art Deco light fixtures. I will spare you any further details about what you actually do in there. You get the picture.
This one comes highly recommended. Since there are lots of restaurant options in the area, it makes for the perfect date night. Check it out.

One of my first days in Portland — almost 5 years ago, I came upon this place and remember being super excited about coming here once I was a real Portlander. I didn’t end up living in SE — so I don’t get here too often, but it’s a great resource in a cool hood showing fab movies at low prices. I would be tempted to go 4.5 if it were an option.
The theaters are small. The one I was in tonight somewhat oddly shaped. There is no «middle», and I tend to sit in the middle of the theater. For $ 4 ($ 2 since my friend had a chinook coupon). The theater is nicely kept, and clean (as are restrooms). early showings on weekdays are a rarity, so I appreictae that they have a couple options before or around 5pm.
Candy and popcorn is very reasonably priced! They even had a fat-​free gummy candy for $ 1.75 — how could I resist? Water is plentiful in big plastic cups you may take into the theater. They also serve a bunch of food — or a bunch of pizza food at any rate, from the pizza place next door (flying pie?). Can’t really speak to that since I dont remember how the pizza is when I tried it years ago).
I don’t adore the seats, but they’re comfortable enough. You kind of have to look up to watch the film. The temperature in the theater was cozy and perfect. The staff is just fine. I know they have 2-​for-​one films on Tuesdays and two films for the price of one on Mondays — superb! So glad, the Academy got their second chance to stick around!