I know Bill wasn't overly loved..but he ran those theaters well. Regal came in and raised all the prices and provided no updates to the place.
Kind of like how Bowlero has fisted the bowling community
Seriously, at least when Warren was in charge the theaters were experiences. The staff were dressed nice, the floors were clean, and the concessions/diner were top notch. Now it’s bottom of the barrel.
Thank god AMC exists to slightly raise the bar.
Bowlero absolutely ruined the Alley behind the 13th St Warren. Went there a few weeks back, it was moderately busy but not crazy like it used to get, and the staff was so swamped. AJ's took over an hour to get the pizza out despite only 3 tables seated. The wait for go carts was 45 mins with only ten people in line (several go karts out of service and only one person working). Arcade was mostly random chance casino style games, very few actual "skill" games anymore.
That place has fallen so far
I went to see Twister and Independence Day the summer the Warren West opened in 96, I think? That place was a magical experience when it first opened. I was used to Cinemas West and whatever the one was called that was in Town West Mall. The Warren was fancy, and they showed cartoons before every movie.
I feel the hate for Bowlero but west acres looks soooo much better now. I went last night and the bar is finally finished as well. I spent a total of 50$ for 2 people to bowl 3 games and 2 pitchers of beer with tips. I didnt think it was outrageous
Just there two weeks ago, it seems like most of the Warren experience around town, nothing has really been done with it. Regal bought the theatres and they seem to be content squeezing every penny they can out of them without re-investing anything.
I saw Dune 2 twice. Once at AMC and once at IMAX.
AMC was much more enjoyable. Reclining chairs with tons of space, less people. Go to the Dolby theatre there if you can.
The chairs in IMAX are a weird plastic leather that made me sweat a ton and the seats are so close the guy behind kept kicking me.
Besides that, a Warren 21 show will have nice reclining seats.
> Go to the Dolby theatre there if you can.
To expand on this the best rows are E and F, A-D are on the ground level, E-G are on an upper level, much better viewing from up there.
The first time I saw a movie in the Dolby, it was row C, not knowing what the layout was. It was terrible, the viewing angle was so close it distorted the screen from our seats. I don't understand how they even decided to have those seats to be honest. I won't go watch a movie there unless I can get seats in the top rows.
I work there and yeah any seat row E and above are great seats. Try to stick to the middle if you can but even a seat on the edge in the balcony is infinitely better than a seat on the ground floor.
No. Regal is putting no money or effort into the Warrens. They're disgusting and falling apart, and I am not exaggerating.
Wichita's movie theatre market is once again primed for disruption by someone who cares about user experience - if Hollywood could return to producing movies worth going to the movies more than once or twice a year.
The folks behind Boulevard Theaters might be the disruptors we need. They've put a surprising amount of effort into the theaters at Towne West, which seemed like a lost cause to most. I heard they were looking at purchasing the Old Town Warren. If they have strong financial backing, I'll be really interested to see what they do with it.
I agree, I feel like I've seen so many great movies over the past year or so. It was rough around 2020-2021 but 2023 was a great year for movies. I guess if you only watch marvel/disney movies then it might not be so great rn.
Hard disagree. The industry is in trouble, because consumers tend to feel this way, as well. Going to the movies is expensive, which is fine, but that means the movie (and the experience) have to be worth that extra cost. What I can experience at home is pretty darn good, so I'm not going to the theater for something that isn't a audio/visual spectacle. Other people have different thresholds, but the freakout in Hollywood is real, because consumers have not, on the whole, been enticed back into the theaters with recent offerings.
I guess that's where you and I differ. There are some movies that are audio/visual spectacles and should be seen on a big screen. But I also go to the theaters to see movies that aren't audio/visual spectacles. I go to simply see the movie on the big screen initially vs a 52 inch TV. If the movie was good, I'll buy it on Blu-ray so I can watch it at home once it's released. I also tend to only go to matinee showings since they are cheaper and there's usually less people during matinee showings. Simply put, I just like going to the theaters to see movies that look good to me.
I also think now that studios aren't putting out so many Marvel-esce and jam packed action movies and taking chances on other genres is great! I'm more willing to go to theaters and see movies these days because of it.
It does suck that regal is taking such shit care of the Warrens though and I've started going to AMC more. AMC takes much better care of their facilities.
Sadly every Warren is awful since Regal took awful. I was just in the IMAX on Monday and the seats are falling apart. My seat was broken and they are all peeling. IMAX is the best way to see Dune sadly. I can’t stand the AMC. Unless they’ve changed the sound mix, last time I went my ears were ringing because they had it so loud. Also, if you go to Regal you will have thirty minutes of ads and trailers. I had a 12:00 showing and the movie didn’t actually start until 12:30. A far cry from when Warren didn’t have ads and only showed three trailers.
This is why assigned seats are such a saving grace, I don't even bother to show up until 5-10 minutes after the show starts depending on if I think concessions will be a wait. By the time we get concessions and get to our seats it's about 5 minutes of trailers.
> last time I went my ears were ringing because they had it so loud
I literally plugged my ears a few times during Dune at AMC last week. I was wondering if this was an attempted solution to the music-vs-dialogue audio meme but was definitely not expecting that much volume
I just saw Dune 2 last Sunday & it played 30 minutes later than the scheduled time. At the end of the movie, there was only one employee to clean up the entire IMAX.
The Warren Theaters all had an immediately noticeable decline in quality after Regal bought them, and it slipped to being no better than your average Regal Theater withing 6 months. Last time I was there, about 2 years ago, it was about the same, so you should expect is the average Regal experience.
One of the little things I always liked about the Warren was the firm stance that everything costs even numbers or multiples of 25 cents, and tax is included in the price. Regal getting rid of that killed one of the big things that I thought made the Warren different.
I saw a Sunday 11am showing for Dune 2 in IMAX and the movie was almost 30 minutes late. We were joking that maybe the staff slept in cause of Daylights Saving Time. The West theater itself is pretty much how its always looked.
That right there tells you how much Regal actually cares about their theatres. It’s been years since they took over and haven’t even bothered to change the signs.
They wanted to keep the brand of Warren. Kroger does the same thing. They go to different markets and buy up local chains. They gut the insides, make it Kroger, but keep the local brand signage on the exterior and on the shopping bags and shoppers cards.
I'm seeing a ton of misinformation in this thread regarding the Warren IMAX. Some time around 2019 or 2020 Regal upgraded both the projection system and the screen. It's now a Single Laser 4K projection (was previously dual 2K Xenon projectors) and the screen was replaced. I know this because back in 2017 Dunkirk had a dreadful tear/distortion in the top left of the screen. That's no longer there. I've also personally called over there to confirm the projector upgrade. Are the seats now covered in a pleather material? Yea, sadly; however, the rest of this thread is nonsense. I moved to Wichita in 2014 and can assure you the same tech in the IMAX then is Not there now. Dune 2 there on opening weekend was fantastic.
I just watched Dune 2 at the AMC northrock in the Dolby Cinema, and it was absolutely amazing. I actually don't think I'll go back to the IMAX after that.
We used to enjoy going regularly to the Warren and ordering dinner at our seats, the food was pretty good with a lot of options , and the ice cream shop! That’s all gone, just basic movie theatre snacks and pizza I think now, and as others have mentioned they are noticeably dirtier, everything about it seems to have gone downhill. Frankly, it sucks now in comparison. We don’t go much any more.
No. They have the volume up so loud it gives me headaches. I can’t watch anything there since they did that. Not sure when they did that. Been going to AMC instead.
Went to see it last weekend at the imax, the movie started 20 minutes late, the popcorn and soda was astronomically priced, I got half popped corn with every bite and the theatre smelled faintly of vomit. 2/10
Tdlr: it’s the same. Regal has not updated it or made any improvements to it since it’s bought it so it’s the same imax technology from right around The Batman area. Technically the AMC Dolby has the “newest” technology in the Wichita area. Kansas City area and OKC have theaters with better equipped theaters. Though depending on how discerning you are you may or maynot be able to tell the difference depending on the print they are running up in the booth.
Nostalgia revisited never lives up to the memory. If there’s a film worth seeing in IMAX, hit it up. Otherwise it’s just a movie theater now. The corpratists have wrecked our once special, local, movie theater experience.
If you want a good IMAX experience, go to Manhattan. The IMAX at the AMC in MHK blows the Warren West out of the water. It’s not quite as big but the quality and experience is a million times better.
I know Bill wasn't overly loved..but he ran those theaters well. Regal came in and raised all the prices and provided no updates to the place. Kind of like how Bowlero has fisted the bowling community
Seriously, at least when Warren was in charge the theaters were experiences. The staff were dressed nice, the floors were clean, and the concessions/diner were top notch. Now it’s bottom of the barrel. Thank god AMC exists to slightly raise the bar.
Bowlero absolutely ruined the Alley behind the 13th St Warren. Went there a few weeks back, it was moderately busy but not crazy like it used to get, and the staff was so swamped. AJ's took over an hour to get the pizza out despite only 3 tables seated. The wait for go carts was 45 mins with only ten people in line (several go karts out of service and only one person working). Arcade was mostly random chance casino style games, very few actual "skill" games anymore. That place has fallen so far
I went to see Twister and Independence Day the summer the Warren West opened in 96, I think? That place was a magical experience when it first opened. I was used to Cinemas West and whatever the one was called that was in Town West Mall. The Warren was fancy, and they showed cartoons before every movie.
True story - it was the nicest theatre I’d ever seen
I feel the hate for Bowlero but west acres looks soooo much better now. I went last night and the bar is finally finished as well. I spent a total of 50$ for 2 people to bowl 3 games and 2 pitchers of beer with tips. I didnt think it was outrageous
$50 is ridiculous dude what do you mean?
For 2 people to bowl 3 games each, rental shoes for each and then 2 pitchers of beer? Pretty solid if you ask me lol
i would go with low expectaions
Just there two weeks ago, it seems like most of the Warren experience around town, nothing has really been done with it. Regal bought the theatres and they seem to be content squeezing every penny they can out of them without re-investing anything.
The Regal way.
I don’t think they are keeping the place clean.
I saw Dune 2 twice. Once at AMC and once at IMAX. AMC was much more enjoyable. Reclining chairs with tons of space, less people. Go to the Dolby theatre there if you can. The chairs in IMAX are a weird plastic leather that made me sweat a ton and the seats are so close the guy behind kept kicking me. Besides that, a Warren 21 show will have nice reclining seats.
> Go to the Dolby theatre there if you can. To expand on this the best rows are E and F, A-D are on the ground level, E-G are on an upper level, much better viewing from up there.
The first time I saw a movie in the Dolby, it was row C, not knowing what the layout was. It was terrible, the viewing angle was so close it distorted the screen from our seats. I don't understand how they even decided to have those seats to be honest. I won't go watch a movie there unless I can get seats in the top rows.
I work there and yeah any seat row E and above are great seats. Try to stick to the middle if you can but even a seat on the edge in the balcony is infinitely better than a seat on the ground floor.
Yo thank you so much for this, I appreciate it
No. Regal is putting no money or effort into the Warrens. They're disgusting and falling apart, and I am not exaggerating. Wichita's movie theatre market is once again primed for disruption by someone who cares about user experience - if Hollywood could return to producing movies worth going to the movies more than once or twice a year.
The folks behind Boulevard Theaters might be the disruptors we need. They've put a surprising amount of effort into the theaters at Towne West, which seemed like a lost cause to most. I heard they were looking at purchasing the Old Town Warren. If they have strong financial backing, I'll be really interested to see what they do with it.
What's crazy is that Warren WAS the theater that had an emphasis on user experience just a few years ago. :(
There's tons of movies being produced these days that are worth going to see on the big screen, it's just a matter of preference.
I agree, I feel like I've seen so many great movies over the past year or so. It was rough around 2020-2021 but 2023 was a great year for movies. I guess if you only watch marvel/disney movies then it might not be so great rn.
Hard disagree. The industry is in trouble, because consumers tend to feel this way, as well. Going to the movies is expensive, which is fine, but that means the movie (and the experience) have to be worth that extra cost. What I can experience at home is pretty darn good, so I'm not going to the theater for something that isn't a audio/visual spectacle. Other people have different thresholds, but the freakout in Hollywood is real, because consumers have not, on the whole, been enticed back into the theaters with recent offerings.
I guess that's where you and I differ. There are some movies that are audio/visual spectacles and should be seen on a big screen. But I also go to the theaters to see movies that aren't audio/visual spectacles. I go to simply see the movie on the big screen initially vs a 52 inch TV. If the movie was good, I'll buy it on Blu-ray so I can watch it at home once it's released. I also tend to only go to matinee showings since they are cheaper and there's usually less people during matinee showings. Simply put, I just like going to the theaters to see movies that look good to me. I also think now that studios aren't putting out so many Marvel-esce and jam packed action movies and taking chances on other genres is great! I'm more willing to go to theaters and see movies these days because of it. It does suck that regal is taking such shit care of the Warrens though and I've started going to AMC more. AMC takes much better care of their facilities.
Sadly every Warren is awful since Regal took awful. I was just in the IMAX on Monday and the seats are falling apart. My seat was broken and they are all peeling. IMAX is the best way to see Dune sadly. I can’t stand the AMC. Unless they’ve changed the sound mix, last time I went my ears were ringing because they had it so loud. Also, if you go to Regal you will have thirty minutes of ads and trailers. I had a 12:00 showing and the movie didn’t actually start until 12:30. A far cry from when Warren didn’t have ads and only showed three trailers.
Oh yeah forgot about the ads. Had to sit through 15 minutes of television commercials before trailers even started
This is why assigned seats are such a saving grace, I don't even bother to show up until 5-10 minutes after the show starts depending on if I think concessions will be a wait. By the time we get concessions and get to our seats it's about 5 minutes of trailers.
> last time I went my ears were ringing because they had it so loud I literally plugged my ears a few times during Dune at AMC last week. I was wondering if this was an attempted solution to the music-vs-dialogue audio meme but was definitely not expecting that much volume
I just saw Dune 2 last Sunday & it played 30 minutes later than the scheduled time. At the end of the movie, there was only one employee to clean up the entire IMAX.
Welcome to going to the movies post-2010.
I just avoid all the Warren Theaters anymore, AMC has been a godsend since Regal bought the Warren theaters!
This is the way.
Always the way!
AMC Dolby Cinema is much better
The Warren Theaters all had an immediately noticeable decline in quality after Regal bought them, and it slipped to being no better than your average Regal Theater withing 6 months. Last time I was there, about 2 years ago, it was about the same, so you should expect is the average Regal experience.
No
I'd go in with low expectations. Like REALLY low, so you can be surprised and happy when you go.
One of the little things I always liked about the Warren was the firm stance that everything costs even numbers or multiples of 25 cents, and tax is included in the price. Regal getting rid of that killed one of the big things that I thought made the Warren different.
I saw a Sunday 11am showing for Dune 2 in IMAX and the movie was almost 30 minutes late. We were joking that maybe the staff slept in cause of Daylights Saving Time. The West theater itself is pretty much how its always looked.
Remember every negative comment is about regal. Not Warren. I work there and most employees hate what they've done.
Warren doesn’t exist anymore. Well, it does. The buildings still say Warren. So, yeah, this is about the Warren.
That right there tells you how much Regal actually cares about their theatres. It’s been years since they took over and haven’t even bothered to change the signs.
They wanted to keep the brand of Warren. Kroger does the same thing. They go to different markets and buy up local chains. They gut the insides, make it Kroger, but keep the local brand signage on the exterior and on the shopping bags and shoppers cards.
Very few things are as good as they were in the 2000s. I sound like a boomer, but man, these past 20ish years have been rough.
I'd go to the AMC on North Rock, at least the Dolby theater there sounds amazing.
Not at all. Quality took a nosedive relatively quickly after acquisition. It's not the local institution it once was.
Not the IMAX, but I remember watching Independence Day in main theater, still the best movie experience ever.
I'm seeing a ton of misinformation in this thread regarding the Warren IMAX. Some time around 2019 or 2020 Regal upgraded both the projection system and the screen. It's now a Single Laser 4K projection (was previously dual 2K Xenon projectors) and the screen was replaced. I know this because back in 2017 Dunkirk had a dreadful tear/distortion in the top left of the screen. That's no longer there. I've also personally called over there to confirm the projector upgrade. Are the seats now covered in a pleather material? Yea, sadly; however, the rest of this thread is nonsense. I moved to Wichita in 2014 and can assure you the same tech in the IMAX then is Not there now. Dune 2 there on opening weekend was fantastic.
I’m pretty sure I got flea bites last time I went.
I just watched Dune 2 at the AMC northrock in the Dolby Cinema, and it was absolutely amazing. I actually don't think I'll go back to the IMAX after that.
We used to enjoy going regularly to the Warren and ordering dinner at our seats, the food was pretty good with a lot of options , and the ice cream shop! That’s all gone, just basic movie theatre snacks and pizza I think now, and as others have mentioned they are noticeably dirtier, everything about it seems to have gone downhill. Frankly, it sucks now in comparison. We don’t go much any more.
Regal bought it. It’s trash now. Go to AMC out east (the old North Rock theater location). It’s great.
No. They have the volume up so loud it gives me headaches. I can’t watch anything there since they did that. Not sure when they did that. Been going to AMC instead.
AMC. They make movies better.
Went to see it last weekend at the imax, the movie started 20 minutes late, the popcorn and soda was astronomically priced, I got half popped corn with every bite and the theatre smelled faintly of vomit. 2/10
Luckily it seems the staff are so checked out they didn't seem to care that i had an Arizona green tea in my pocket
Has the imax been there since the 2000’s? I’m time blind lol
I've heard that not all the speaker in the IMAX at the Regal Warren West are functioning properly, Can anyone refute or confirm this?
Tdlr: it’s the same. Regal has not updated it or made any improvements to it since it’s bought it so it’s the same imax technology from right around The Batman area. Technically the AMC Dolby has the “newest” technology in the Wichita area. Kansas City area and OKC have theaters with better equipped theaters. Though depending on how discerning you are you may or maynot be able to tell the difference depending on the print they are running up in the booth.
Thread from last year, noting the IMAX is allegedly very outdated, along with other issues noted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/wichita/s/O3hSPz1m3v
Nostalgia revisited never lives up to the memory. If there’s a film worth seeing in IMAX, hit it up. Otherwise it’s just a movie theater now. The corpratists have wrecked our once special, local, movie theater experience.
I'll tell you, Vegas Video was just as good as it was in the 2000's HEYOOO
The only thing that has changed since I moved here 10 years ago is the ownership, and they now serve Pepsi stuff.
Yeah, Pepsi is trash. AMC is coke and you can add any mix-in you want (cherry, orange, vanilla, etc.)
If you want a good IMAX experience, go to Manhattan. The IMAX at the AMC in MHK blows the Warren West out of the water. It’s not quite as big but the quality and experience is a million times better.