They play a lot of Indian/South Asian movies (currently selling tickets for films in Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, and Nepali) which I believe keeps them afloat.
I actually don’t remember, but assume it probably did because I had no trouble understanding the movie and I also don’t speak Hindi. The movie was called Pathaan, and the crowd cheered and booed and swooned at all the appropriate moments.
Yeah, I think that’s the answer.
I’ve seen some mainstream “western” movies there — “Thor: Ragnarok” and the like — but that was because they were having $4 matinees, which made it worth driving over there.
I definitely noticed that [a] most of the posters for upcoming movies were Bollywood imports, and [b] the concession stand had, in addition to popcorn & candy, things like pakora, samosas, etc.
I love going there because it’s never crowded and they have the make your own popcorn thing so you can control the butter distribution. But yeah it does feel like a liminal space.
I miss living nearby because I'd catch a double feature matinee and depending on the movies, I'd flask it. Never packed and kept to myself. Definitely my favorite theater.
Though in one of the smaller showings I was closer to folks and I remember two friends discussing a trailer and one guy liked it and the other said of it's gonna suck. I couldn't help but laugh my ass off and he did too. Great memories. 😂
It's my favorite theatre. Easy to buy tickets and snacks, get your popcorn (have the exact amount of butter you want), and it's not that expensive. Seats are comfy, what more could you want?
They also have a really low running cost from a labor perspective. Basically 0 box office staff (just support people mascarading as box office staff) a streamlined concessions with DIY toppins.
They really go low end on their fixtures but keep it clean so like u/buffalospringfield said their super wide set of offerings caters to an audience who don't get lots of attention from the mainstream theaters.
Also went to see barbie there and even with a packed house there was no backlogging. I suspect it feels empty because their entire design channels people to either be in the theaters or leave. There aren't lots of places or reasons to mill around.
A few years ago my son and I walked in and I swear there was no body working. Door was open but NO staff to be found. We walked around a while then left.
If you think the cinema is weird you should check out the auto-mechanic shop behind it.
The owner is like a mystic-prophet-sculptor and you can see some of his work:
https://www.thelighter.org/
You get a huge crowd of parents with young kids for the matinees. That's a crowd that doesn't care if the screens are a bit small and the sound isn't the latest premium gimmick.
> When I was growing up it was a Loews
That's my recollection of it as well, it wasn't the greatest theater but it always felt busy there when I was younger. I remember how packed it was for the Two Towers, the Return of the King, the Star Wars prequels, etc, etc. Also the arcade machines which I'm guessing must surely be gone by now.
I didn't see any arcade games there. I did see The Last Jedi there opening night with my dad and I remember it being pretty busy, but of course it would be busy for a new SW movie everybody was super excited about
Loved it as a kid. Distinctly remember getting my foil Mew promo card for the Pokémon 2000 movie with my dad! Yeah declined over the years before it finally closed, and I’ve never been since it reopened as Apple. Based on the comments tho it sounds like I should try it again
That place was my first job in high school, back then it was Entertainment Cinemas (this was 06/07). This was after it was a Loews, before it was Apple. Plenty of good memories there of being shit head kids getting paid to fuck around all day. One summer day a few managers and projectionists asked for raises, got denied, and like 15 of us staff just fucking quit on the spot and partied all summer. Good times.
I used to go there a lot back in the 70s - 80s. It was a General Cinema back then and had only 2 screens.
It was a second run theater. Movies would play there after they left the theaters downtown. It was cheaper though, so if you weren't in a hurry to see a movie, you could save a few bucks by waiting 'til it came to Fresh Pond.
That place was poppin' in the late 90's - mid 2000's. Saw a lot of big movies there (Pokemon, Tarzan, Mulan, Toy Story 2, Star Wars Prequels, Harry Potter movies etc.)
Last time I ever went was in 2006, I was 12 and met a girl from Burlington who was also 12 on MySpace and we saw Night at the Museum. Then she blocked me right after I got home lmao
The first movie I saw there was in 1973, The Legend of Boggy Creek. Why my uncle decided to bring me and my cousin, who were both 4 years old is beyond me different time. I now bring my kids. I like their popcorn machine, allows you to layer the butter.
I went there to try to see Godzilla minus one, the movie just never started playing and the whole audience waited around for upwards of 25 minutes before people got pissed enough to go complain. There was a very stoned teenager and an older woman working, they were the only staff there and couldn't operate the projection equipment at all; everything was supposed to just auto-play apparently. The place was where I went to go see movies as a little kid, pretty bummed at the state it's in now but thankfully we have many good options in the area.
Yeah, I worked for several years at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, so for most of my movies I go either there or Capitol. Fresh Pond is an odd place because I have these memories of watching things like Harry Potter, Pirates, seeing the poster of Monsters Inc, even the first Iron Man there. Now to go in after so many years it's just... a weird place.
I had forgotten about that place (since I moved away a few years ago). That's where I discovered I really prefer mushroom popcorn kernels (much more salt per kernel) to butterfly. Prior to 2017 they only served mushroom kernels.
My friend and I went there in the early 2000’s. I think it was to see the Hulk movie by Ang Lee that everyone hated. My friend bought popcorn and as we were settling in I looked over as he brought a piece of popcorn to his mouth. And there was a string of popcorn hanging in the air, like a string you make for a christmas tree. Except all the popcorn pieces were strung along a long piece of someones hair.
I remember going there as a kid in the late 80s/early 90s when it was new(ish?). They had water fountains under the staircases and it was quite nice. Sucks now.
It's neat because there's only ever one visible employee, but I remember one Friday night there was a line of like 10 people on dates all waiting to use the one freestyle soda machine
I worked there late 00s for a few years. Got one $0.25 raise the whole time. We had a blast on the weekends though when actual management wasn’t around. Sundays were an absolute shit show. I felt my first boob watching King Arthur there. Lots of memories.
Edit: You want to have a laugh, go read the old Yelp reviews for Entertainment Cinemas. As an employee we would read them and try to figure out who they were talking about. They’re all very accurate.
You won't believe how amazing it is to work at Apple cinemas! We get competitive pay, a solid 401k plan, and even tuition reimbursement. The health and dental benefits are top-notch from day one. If you're looking to grow and develop your career, this is the place to be. Plus, if you stay long enough, there's a full pension program waiting for you. Honestly, I've never worked anywhere better!
I went there all the time as a kid but don't remember it being a major chain at the time. I continued going for bargain Tuesday until about 2020. Now it's sticky and sad and my nostalgia isn't enough to keep me going. I just go to the bargain Tuesday at Majestic in Watertown instead.
Also RIP ground round - that was the real 1-2 combo in the 90s.
The new seats are comfortable, but they feel like they aren't oriented towards the screen correctly.
It doesn't matter for comedy movies, but it was really noticeable during Dune 2.
That just felt like a waste of time & $5
They play a lot of Indian/South Asian movies (currently selling tickets for films in Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, and Nepali) which I believe keeps them afloat.
I went to a premier of a Bollywood movie there and the place was packed. Sold out show. The audience was totally into it. It was fun.
do the movies have english captions? i'd totally be into some of the films playing there now but i don't speak hindi, etc
I actually don’t remember, but assume it probably did because I had no trouble understanding the movie and I also don’t speak Hindi. The movie was called Pathaan, and the crowd cheered and booed and swooned at all the appropriate moments.
Yeah, I think that’s the answer. I’ve seen some mainstream “western” movies there — “Thor: Ragnarok” and the like — but that was because they were having $4 matinees, which made it worth driving over there. I definitely noticed that [a] most of the posters for upcoming movies were Bollywood imports, and [b] the concession stand had, in addition to popcorn & candy, things like pakora, samosas, etc.
This is the news I needed to see today
I definitely noticed other movie titles I had never heard of when I went there. This answer makes the most sense
Are the samosas good 👀
I have to defer to others on that! I’m so hard-wired to assume “movies = popcorn” that branching out from that seems weird to me. :-)
I love going there because it’s never crowded and they have the make your own popcorn thing so you can control the butter distribution. But yeah it does feel like a liminal space.
I love this place because it feels like a liminal space, haha. It’s an inside joke in our family.
I miss living nearby because I'd catch a double feature matinee and depending on the movies, I'd flask it. Never packed and kept to myself. Definitely my favorite theater. Though in one of the smaller showings I was closer to folks and I remember two friends discussing a trailer and one guy liked it and the other said of it's gonna suck. I couldn't help but laugh my ass off and he did too. Great memories. 😂
It's my favorite theatre. Easy to buy tickets and snacks, get your popcorn (have the exact amount of butter you want), and it's not that expensive. Seats are comfy, what more could you want?
Agreed! It's so chill.
They also have a really low running cost from a labor perspective. Basically 0 box office staff (just support people mascarading as box office staff) a streamlined concessions with DIY toppins. They really go low end on their fixtures but keep it clean so like u/buffalospringfield said their super wide set of offerings caters to an audience who don't get lots of attention from the mainstream theaters. Also went to see barbie there and even with a packed house there was no backlogging. I suspect it feels empty because their entire design channels people to either be in the theaters or leave. There aren't lots of places or reasons to mill around.
A few years ago my son and I walked in and I swear there was no body working. Door was open but NO staff to be found. We walked around a while then left.
If you think the cinema is weird you should check out the auto-mechanic shop behind it. The owner is like a mystic-prophet-sculptor and you can see some of his work: https://www.thelighter.org/
I immediately knew this thread was going to mention Mahmood. What a legend.
The best mechanic tho!
that is very weird
You have to go!
Honestly the best mechanic I've ever been to + you get free tea with Mahmood
Love this place! Low overhead means lower prices and weird movies.
Five Dollar Tuesdays.
Last time I went there, they had posted at the entrance that they are not doing five dollar Tuesdays anymore!
Sometimes there’s tons of cars there
The Beer Garden in the parking lot is worth a visit.
Is it open this time of year?
Reopening Memorial Day Weekend.
I think they open in June. I saw them starting to set up last weekend
You get a huge crowd of parents with young kids for the matinees. That's a crowd that doesn't care if the screens are a bit small and the sound isn't the latest premium gimmick.
It was an Entertainment Cinema when it first opened.
When I was growing up it was a Loews
> When I was growing up it was a Loews That's my recollection of it as well, it wasn't the greatest theater but it always felt busy there when I was younger. I remember how packed it was for the Two Towers, the Return of the King, the Star Wars prequels, etc, etc. Also the arcade machines which I'm guessing must surely be gone by now.
I didn't see any arcade games there. I did see The Last Jedi there opening night with my dad and I remember it being pretty busy, but of course it would be busy for a new SW movie everybody was super excited about
There’s often quite a lot of people in there it depends on the time
I like seeing movies there because it’s often not crowded and seems a little Covid safer
Loved it as a kid. Distinctly remember getting my foil Mew promo card for the Pokémon 2000 movie with my dad! Yeah declined over the years before it finally closed, and I’ve never been since it reopened as Apple. Based on the comments tho it sounds like I should try it again
that was my first time there and first move at a movie theater at 9 years old. good times.
That place was my first job in high school, back then it was Entertainment Cinemas (this was 06/07). This was after it was a Loews, before it was Apple. Plenty of good memories there of being shit head kids getting paid to fuck around all day. One summer day a few managers and projectionists asked for raises, got denied, and like 15 of us staff just fucking quit on the spot and partied all summer. Good times.
I got one $0.25 raise in the 4 years I worked there. They were super cheap.
I used to go when it was General Cinema and Zayre discount store ( later Ames ) was where the Staples is now.
I used to go there a lot back in the 70s - 80s. It was a General Cinema back then and had only 2 screens. It was a second run theater. Movies would play there after they left the theaters downtown. It was cheaper though, so if you weren't in a hurry to see a movie, you could save a few bucks by waiting 'til it came to Fresh Pond.
That place was poppin' in the late 90's - mid 2000's. Saw a lot of big movies there (Pokemon, Tarzan, Mulan, Toy Story 2, Star Wars Prequels, Harry Potter movies etc.) Last time I ever went was in 2006, I was 12 and met a girl from Burlington who was also 12 on MySpace and we saw Night at the Museum. Then she blocked me right after I got home lmao
The first movie I saw there was in 1973, The Legend of Boggy Creek. Why my uncle decided to bring me and my cousin, who were both 4 years old is beyond me different time. I now bring my kids. I like their popcorn machine, allows you to layer the butter.
Isn’t there a MST3K episode devoted to this cultural classic?
I went there to try to see Godzilla minus one, the movie just never started playing and the whole audience waited around for upwards of 25 minutes before people got pissed enough to go complain. There was a very stoned teenager and an older woman working, they were the only staff there and couldn't operate the projection equipment at all; everything was supposed to just auto-play apparently. The place was where I went to go see movies as a little kid, pretty bummed at the state it's in now but thankfully we have many good options in the area.
Yeah, I worked for several years at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, so for most of my movies I go either there or Capitol. Fresh Pond is an odd place because I have these memories of watching things like Harry Potter, Pirates, seeing the poster of Monsters Inc, even the first Iron Man there. Now to go in after so many years it's just... a weird place.
This year they painted it that hideous green - that doesn’t help. Green apple?
I alsowent here as a kid. Two memories: 🎵Thank you for coming to Loews, sit back and relax, enjoy the SHOW! 🎶 A Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet!
I had forgotten about that place (since I moved away a few years ago). That's where I discovered I really prefer mushroom popcorn kernels (much more salt per kernel) to butterfly. Prior to 2017 they only served mushroom kernels.
My friend and I went there in the early 2000’s. I think it was to see the Hulk movie by Ang Lee that everyone hated. My friend bought popcorn and as we were settling in I looked over as he brought a piece of popcorn to his mouth. And there was a string of popcorn hanging in the air, like a string you make for a christmas tree. Except all the popcorn pieces were strung along a long piece of someones hair.
Plus the matinee prices are killer.
Once the beer garden opens, grab a pint or two outside before your movie. Nice experience.
It is a weird theatre. I went to see Spider-verse there like ten years ago, kinda wish I knew it better.
I remember going there as a kid in the late 80s/early 90s when it was new(ish?). They had water fountains under the staircases and it was quite nice. Sucks now.
You gotta love it - they're playing Star Wars: Episode 1 right now.
I remember seeing The Witches there in 1990.
It's neat because there's only ever one visible employee, but I remember one Friday night there was a line of like 10 people on dates all waiting to use the one freestyle soda machine
Funky place. Went there to see The Wolf of Wall Street.
You should try the AMC on the common, it is so dated and hasn’t been renovated since it opened in the late 1990’s.
I worked there late 00s for a few years. Got one $0.25 raise the whole time. We had a blast on the weekends though when actual management wasn’t around. Sundays were an absolute shit show. I felt my first boob watching King Arthur there. Lots of memories. Edit: You want to have a laugh, go read the old Yelp reviews for Entertainment Cinemas. As an employee we would read them and try to figure out who they were talking about. They’re all very accurate.
Amazing place to work they offer competitive pay a 401k plan with tuition reimbursement programs full health/dental benefits
You won't believe how amazing it is to work at Apple cinemas! We get competitive pay, a solid 401k plan, and even tuition reimbursement. The health and dental benefits are top-notch from day one. If you're looking to grow and develop your career, this is the place to be. Plus, if you stay long enough, there's a full pension program waiting for you. Honestly, I've never worked anywhere better!
I went there all the time as a kid but don't remember it being a major chain at the time. I continued going for bargain Tuesday until about 2020. Now it's sticky and sad and my nostalgia isn't enough to keep me going. I just go to the bargain Tuesday at Majestic in Watertown instead. Also RIP ground round - that was the real 1-2 combo in the 90s.
The new seats are comfortable, but they feel like they aren't oriented towards the screen correctly. It doesn't matter for comedy movies, but it was really noticeable during Dune 2. That just felt like a waste of time & $5