Majestic Bay Theatres

I enjoyed these theaters. My co=worker and I came in late, but he was nice enough to restart the computer to let us pay for our tickets. The popcorn there is awesome with their butter. I’m not sure what butter they use, but it is awesome! I want to go back for some more. I also really like going here just because it is not packed like AMC or regal theaters so it was a nice break from the crowd.

This movie theater is pretty convenient for patrons who live in the area. Although parking can be a little tricky at times, it’s worth it to see a movie here because it’s reasonably priced and the popcorn is delicious.
The theater also feels less corporate from the rest of the other ones around the area, come check it out for yourself.

The downstairs house is wonderful; big screen, excellent sound, comfortable seats. The upstairs houses make me nervous and I try to avoid them. Only two exits, one of which leads to a fire escape. Sight lines not as good as downstairs; if someone tall sits in front of you neck strain ensues. And I’m very tired of A Trip to the Movies, which they’ve shown ever since they opened, and which previously been a longtime fixture at the Harvard Exit. Those kids are probably grandparents by now. (The exterior shots are of the State Theater in Olympia, but the interiors are definitely not.)

I have seen a variety of films here and would recommend the theater. The prices for concessions are fair and the ticket price is great for the cleanliness of the theater and the location. You do lineup outside before the movie begins as they don’t open the doors until 10−15minutes before the curtain, which can be a slight detractor in the winter. That being said, it’s a great theater central to downtown Ballard.

My friends and I do nearly all of our movie watching at the Majestic Bay Theatres in Ballard, but I’m seriously reconsidering that habit.
When the entire rest of the world started pre-​selling Star Wars tickets back on Oct 19, Majestic Bay posted a link to the new trailer but conspicuously said nothing about whether or when they’d be showing the film or selling tickets, and their website was devoid of information.
When a friend called a couple days later, the person on the phone said that Majestic Bay would start selling Star Wars tickets «mid-​November.» November came and went with no change and no word.
The Star Wars opening is now less than two weeks away. Still no ticket sales at Majestic Bay’s website; still not a peep of information from Majestic Bay in any online presence that I can find.
And that is bad business.

Great old cinema that had been converted to a «mini multiplex». It now has 3 screens. The bones are good though, and when you walk up the stairs you sense the grandeur that it must have had years ago.
Good popcorn!

A local theater is hard to find, in this time of mega-​plexes; but a few awesome ones survive. This is one of them awesome ones. I grew up here in Seattle, and Cinerama, Egyptian, the Guild, were all names of places that conjured yup visualizations of popcorn, soda and a movie. The Majestic should be on that list, if you are keeping track, it was the location of the Bay Theatre up until 1998, when it was torn down, and this new theater was installed in 2000. I remember walking by when I was younger, and wondering what kind of awesomeness was going to be there.
it’s 2015, and to assurance, it’s still the great local theater that my parents took me when I was younger, and still a great place to watch a movie. It’s seating is purpose built for comfort, and viewing angles. It’s slope in the back helps anchors the bowl like shape, giving everyone in the room, a great view. The seats are soft, and plush enough to help you survive any showing of Lord of the Rings, or what I saw, which was «The Martian».
What makes this theater great, is the proximity to all the local eats, and a great neighborhood to back it up. If you want to make it a nice date night out, then this should be one of your top options.

The good: friendly staff; great location; cool ambiance; local, neighborly crowd.
The bad: seats are NOT comfy; tons of loud teenagers; oversold showings; stuffy/​HOT; could be cleaner.
The story: went on a Saturday night. We expected a crowd, but we purchased our tickets ahead of time so weren’t too worried when we were running only 10 minutes early. Most theaters ‘sell out’ at about 85% capacity… not so here. The only seats in the house were about 6 in the very front row. I’ve sat in plenty of front rows… usually it’s not great, but it’s not terrible. Here, it’s terrible! Seats are MAYBE 10 feet from the screen. I got nauseated in about 3 minutes trying to keep up with the huge screen right in front of my face.
We swapped for another movie and ended up having an OK evening.
We may or may not be back. Sundance and Cinerama let you choose your seats for the same price, so you don’t end up in front-​row seats and don’t have to get there 40 minutes early to have a pleasant experience. If Majestic Bay would let you pick your seat when you buy, I’d like it a lot more.

A throw back icon in Ballard. This is a key part of the old Ballard vine that stands out amidst the condo overtake and cookie cutter bars. The big screen is worth going to see just for an old time feel of movie going experience. Not a fan of the Elttaes video at the start. Love 3^rd floor pig.

A well crafted movie house. Lush velvet curtains adorn each one of the three screens. The seats are comfortable and the aisle allows for plenty of legroom to stretch your legs. The sounds system is excellent and it will rock your seat. An excellent concession stand will encounter you in the main lobby. The prices are fair and the butter for the popcorn is also real. I have found the staff to be friendly and helpful. Great restrooms and an elevator for accessibility.

Very, VERY happy with this experience!
It’s as unique as the neighborhood in which it resides. Majestic Bay has definitely been on my list of places to check out, and having a rainy day with the kiddo gave me a perfect excuse to hit it up.
We and to see Inside Out, one of the newest Pixar productions. It was super cute!
The theaters are smallish, so make sure to get there in plenty of time to get a good seat.
With online ordering and a free popcorn if you sign up for the newsletter, there’s tons of perks for the first time visitor!
I think it would be really fun to do a birthday party screening here for little Lucille some day!
Its really cool to have a place that isn’t too pricey and has a frequently rotating selection. There’s no particular Dolby or any huge stadium seating, but I’d trade those any day when going out with my little one. For those bigger blockbuster budgeted actions films, I may look for a larger place, but would my be disappointed here ether.
Check it out!

The big theater wasn’t bad. The smaller one smelled like pee. I bought some popcorn to cover the smell, but it was cold and it didn’t work. There was a special person touching themselves and grunting the whole movie. That’s not the theaters fault, but blew the mood. I live down the street so I will probably go back.

«Let’s watch as Russ and Ellen take… A TRIP TO THE MOVIES!»
This theatre rules – comfy comfy seats, amazing sound, and great slope in the floor which allows you to see the screen easily even if you’re sitting behind a basketball team. Plus, they get quality movies (although mostly ones in fairly wide release, not tiny art-​house stuff) and they have no horrid commercials before the previews. Tasty treats at the concession stand too. A welcome reprieve from the megaplex movie theatre sensory assault.
It being Ballard, parking is a pain in the rump.

I lived in Ballard for two years before I ever step foot inside Majestic Bay. And as much as I love to support local and small, the experience here wasn’t stellar.
For starters, not one but two of my primary movie choices were sold out on a weeknight! My friend and I ended up seeing a movie I had already seen (although his first) because we had already parked (what a nightmare it is in that area, too) and were committed.
Once tickets were purchased, we had to wait in a long line out in the cold/​rain until they would let us inside. The concession area inside is way too tiny to accommodate that many people. The room for our film was very large and spacious, which was nice. We didn’t have a hard time finding seats.
Because I’m old and crotchety, I just want comfort and convenience, even if this means I pay more. Next time I’ll be relaxing at a larger theater with more film choices, more amenities, and bigger space.

I am super surprised about some of these reviews regarding the popcorn. When I go there — the theater itself is fine — but the popcorn butter tasted literally rancid. This has been relatively consistent this past year. Just the smell of it makes me want to puke.
It offends me that they dont care enough to clean or fix the problem. and yet charge significantly for it.
Rarely (actually never) am I compelled to leave a bad review, but this place doesnt care about its customers. Im not picky about popcorn — but their popcorn stands out as the worst Ive had. It wasnt until I went to a theater with good popcorn & butter that it really sunk in how poor their food prep practices must be there to consistently turn out such an awful product.

I always wanted to go to this theater but when i finally did i had the rudest service of my life. I have never been treated so poorly in my life. I will never go back even though i live 5 blocks away.

Majestic Bay Theatres has all the charm and style of an old time movie house which is becoming more and more of a rare treat as multiplex chains keep edging independent cinema in to the past. This is truly the perfect theater to be located in the heart of Ballard as it blends into the surrounding neighborhood in every way. So many nearby restaurants and bars also make this a perfect spot for a great night out with family, friends, or that special someone you’ve had your eye on for a while. Parking can be found within a few blocks without too much hassle so no problems getting here by car, taxi, bus, or whatever your preferred method of travel might be (We are supposed to have hover boards soon, right?!).
One thing I noticed right away as I walked through the doors was just how clean and new this place looked which was pretty impressive given how long the theater has been around. The staff is always very friendly from the ticket takers to the concession staff. Snack options include pretty standard fare including popcorn, candy, and assorted beverages. Seating in the theater was comfortable if not a little cramped. While there was just enough leg room, there wasn’t much left for anyone to walk by without having to practically climb over everyone to get by. With this in mind, I highly recommend making a stop at the restrooms shortly before the movie starts so you don’t have to be «that guy» during the movie.

This quaint little place is in Ballard. a great neighborhood place to go for a movie. It’s laid back and the people there are cool. but they still maintain some of the old school charm; the ruffled curtain raises and lowers before/​after the previews and feature presentation and it had a «David Lynch Theatre» feel to it.
Catch a $ 9 show in the afternoon and hardly anyone will be there. just keep in mind that you’re likely to have an older crowd or a young mom crowd that brings their freaking baby to the show. Aggravating.
They do tend to show some of the more relevant films, e.g., the big Hollywood films that everyone wants to see. Since there are only a couple screens and they probably would go under if not for taking the big Hollywood films, this makes sense. Though I do eternally wish this were more of an «art house» theatre. It has the look and feel and location to be one. But I suppose money wouldn’t be made if that were the case.
Still. Great place to see a recent box-​office draw.

This is a good theater. Pretty and old-​timey on the outside, updated (including stadium seating) on the inside. No annoying «first look» previews of disney shows, just some quiet elevator music.
Sound was great, picture was great. Tickets are cheaper here than the big chain movie theaters, too. My one gripe? Popcorn tastes a little weird– kind of sweet? I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it, either.
Lots of great stuff to do around the block before your movie, too.

Let’s face it, going to the movies is expensive. If you’re going to do it, you may as well go to a beautiful theater and capture an experience while you’re at it.
Honestly, being from a small town, Majestic Bay reminds me of being a kid again. Growing up, there was only one theater in town. If you wanted another, the next closest was 15 miles away and they pretty much showed the same movie (just one a week). The next closest theater was 50 miles away. With Majestic Bay, you get a handful of movies. Don’t worry, they show mainstream movies so you won’t miss the latest Marvel action flick or Twilight Saga part whatever.
It’s a small theater but I like the less institutionalized feel to it. Many other reviews have pointed out specifics on the layout so I’ll refrain from doing that. They have limited staff and definitely limited snacks but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.
For me, I think my dollars are best spent on Majestic Bay and I always go there unless I have some sort of money saving deal somewhere else. Also, in the last few years, Majestic Bay has had coupon specials as well and I always buy as many as they will let me.