Local, national theaters offer Omaha choices in movies
One of Lisa’s favorite times of the year is Oscar season. She enjoys watching a lot of the award shows, ending with the “Super Bowl” of movie season – the Academy Awards. This year’s awards are capped with the Oscars Sunday.
We make it a goal to watch as many Oscar contenders as we can. For some strange reason, we didn’t get to see very many this year. A lot of the contenders didn’t make their way to Omaha before the awards season.
So, when special movies do make their way here, we have to make an effort to see them. That may require visiting a variety of theaters in the Omaha Metro area.
We have a couple of locally owned theaters, as well as national chains.
Film Streams is a non-profit theater. The two-screen theater is located in the North Downtown area. The theater opened in 2007, and is located next to the independent music recording studio Saddle Creek Records. It’s a short walk from the Century Link Center Omaha and the baseball stadium, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
Film Streams shows a lot of independent movies and documentaries. We’ve watched a few movies here, including “Chef” and the documentary “Battle for White Clay.” “White Clay” tells the story of legal alcohol sales in a small Nebraska town, across the state border from South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux reservation. The reservation is dry (no alcohol allowed), but has a major alcoholism problem, with almost all the booze coming from the four White Clay liquor stores.
In addition to independent movies and documentaries, the theater showcases classic movies, as well as hosting special series, such as director retrospectives. Alexander Payne, an Omaha native and two-time Oscar winner, is a director featured at Film Streams.
Film Streams also works with community groups on films and presentations.
The theater is not overpriced, as some people may think an independent theater may have to be in order to be competitive. The concessions are quite reasonable…and good.
Another locally based theater is Aksarben Cinema. It’s located in midtown Omaha, near the old Aksarben race track and coliseum. It’s one of eight theatres owned by the group in the area.
Opened in 2010, Aksarben offers movie-goers more than just a place to watch movies. It has a bar, cafe and party room. So, you can grab dinner and a drink before your movies starts (or afterward). You can even have a birthday party before your movie.
The theater offers community events. UNO hockey fans have gathered to watch major games, such as NCAA tournament games. Creighton fans have watched Bluejay basketball games on the movie screens. Aksarben has also been the site of a wedding.
Theater owners – based in the Omaha area – have hosted celebrities as part of movie premieres. Omaha native John Beasley has been a featured star at such events. Comedian Aziz Ansari has been on hand for a movie debut. Tony Plana from “Pain and Gain” welcomed fans at the start of his movie.
The theater has a Wonka candy machine. It’s considered among the best candy machines in the country.
Movies are shown via digital equipment. The film room is located in the lobby and has a glass screen, so guests can see the operation.
While some people prefer local theaters, others enjoy the comforts national chain may bring. Omaha has two national chains – AMC and Marcus – in the area, with a third on its way (Alamo).
We used to be strong AMC fans, but that may be because AMC is located a short drive from our place. It’s a good bargain with weekend morning deals of $5.50 for most movies.
Marcus theaters offers a variety of theaters in the Metro area. You can get a recliner at a couple of the theaters. Marcus Midtown Omaha offers dinner with your movie, as you can order food and eat at a table in front of the screens. Midtown has servers to wait on you. The service and food has improved over the years.
We enjoy two Marcus theaters especially. Marcus Majestic was the first in Omaha to get the reclining seats. Ah, nothing says movie going like leaning back in a recliner and sipping on a cold drink.
Marcus Twin Creek is about a 10-minute drive from our eldest daughter’s house in Papillion. The Bellevue theater added recliners and a restaurant/lounge last year. It has become the family’s main theater when we go as a group.
A favorite theater of ours to check out old movies and some independent movies has been the Dundee Theater. Unfortunately, it has been closed for renovation for several months. We’re worried it’s not going to reopen, but our fingers are crossed. We haven’t heard anything that it won’t, but it’s a concern of ours. The owner told local media outlets it will reopen, but there is no timetable.
Omaha has great theater choices. I think it’s great that we’ve started getting more movie opportunities with independents and documentaries. An area with almost a million people should be considered for movies other than expected blockbusters.That said, do check out the offerings on the big screen and enjoy some of the amenities the theaters have to offer. Pass the popcorn, please.
For more information on the theaters, please see:
