Scenario: You are a college student in Eugene. You are under 21 (or are over 21, but don’t go to bars) and you are bored. Very bored. You don’t want to your homework that is due tomorrow. What do you do? Where do you go?
How about a movie? The movie chains recognize college students’ limited financial flow and give discounts, making movies more enjoyable and affordable. Side note: Make sure you don’t look too goofy on your student ID — you’ll need it to get the lower ticket price. Eugene has a lot of theaters to choose from, so the Emerald is providing this handy, clippable movie theater guide.
Cinemark 17
2900 Gateway St., Springfield
The newest, and hence the nicest, movie theater in town. As the name suggests, there are 17 screens, which are all a good size — no tiny ones hiding in the corners. Every theater has digital sound to ensure that viewers’ insides are properly jostled after any T-Rex encounters or large space explosions. The seats are super comfortable and are set at a good angle so audience members won’t have to stare at someone’s head instead of Ethan Hawke on the screen. The theater’s location at the Gateway Mall is a little out of the way — Springfield — but it isn’t any farther from the University than the other big theaters. This is the place to go for new movies.
Tickets are $4.50 for matinees and $5.50 in the evening for students. The first show of the day on weekdays is $3.75.
Regal Cinemas –
Cinema World 8
1087 Valley River Way
Once again, the number in the title gives away how many screens the theater has: eight. All theaters have digital sound, but they lack in screen size and seating. The screen size varies, but the worst part is that viewers may not be able to see it at all because of somebody’s large cranium. The seats are on a very low slope and are of only marginal comfort. The theater is located out by the Valley River Center (right by the bus stop) and can’t be missed with its neon pillars. Basically the only reason to go to this theater is to see the one movie it will have that Cinemark doesn’t. It’s 50 cents cheaper, but that money is well worth the Cinemark experience. Tickets cost $4.25 for matinees and $5.00 in the evenings for students.
The Bijou Art Cinemas
492 E. 13th Ave.
This theater is what being in a college town is all about. As an art house, the Bijou gets pretty much every foofy film that one would want to see, although it may take awhile for them to trickle down from Portland. It’s the perfect place for people who have no intention of seeing “American Pie 2.” The theaters aren’t as large as Cinemark or Regal, but the intimate feeling is right for an art film. The sound isn’t going to blow out an eardrum, but it’s fine for the kind of movies the Bijou gets. This place is all about atmosphere. The building is cool. The staff are cool. Even the house cat is cool. The seats are comfy, but in the smaller theater they are on a low slope, so short people have been known to bring phone books. The Bijou is close to campus and keeps up with the insomniac college lifestyle with its late-night movies starting after 11 p.m.
Tickets are $4.00 before 6 p.m. Night shows cost $5.00 Sunday through Wednesday and $6.50 Thursday through Saturday. Late-night admission is $2.00 Sunday through Wednesday and $3.00 Thursday through Saturday.
Movies 12
2080 Gateway St., Springfield
If this is your first time in Eugene, never would you have thought that such a place could exist. This theater shows second-run movies for ONLY $1.50! There is no movie a person won’t get $1.50 worth of entertainment out of. To make things better, on Wednesday movies are just a buck. Because the tickets are so cheap, one can only expect so much out of the establishment. The theaters have plain old stereo surround sound, average screens and average seats. But the place is kinda funky with black-and-white-striped doors and other touches of the 1980s. There is nothing not to love about this theater, and it will see students through many nights of boredom. For a real treat, check out the video arcade for such classics as Ms. Pac-Man, Tron and Millipede.
Tickets are $1.00 for the first show every weekday and all day on Wednesdays. All other shows are $1.50.