Logan Theatre
2646 N Milwaukee Ave
(between Kedzie Ave & Sawyer Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 252-0627
- Nearest Transit:
Logan Square (Blue)
- Good for Kids: Yes
79 Reviews for Logan Theatre
This place is an antique! After going to nearly all of of the modern theaters, with nearly all of the luxuries of home this place will take you back in time.
The seats are not all that comfortable, the concession stand is about as big as two cubicles that you might find in your office, the bathrooms are in need of a remodeling, and what in god's name was that smell? I couldn't even begin to nor did I want to try to identify it or even begin to imagine what the source was.
I loved it! The tickets were only $3 and the floors passed my foot stick test too. I'll be back time and time again!
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In no way am I snob when it comes to the looks of an any establishment, and that is not what disturbed me about my Logan cinema experience.
What got me was the state of fairs of the seating at this place, by the end of the movie my back and a$$ were in shambles. Other then the seating issues I didn't mind this place at all, but until they do something about those seats I cannot see myself going back. I think they can redo the seats and charge an additional $1 per ticket since it is so cheap anyhow and it would be a win win situation for everyone.
Pros:
Cheap movies - $3 all the time.
Good policy of no children admitted to R-rated movies after 6pm. Every theatre should do this!
Listed times are actual start times of movie.
Cheap concessions as far as theatres go.
Cons:
The smell is remarkably similar to the underpass at Belmont / 94 - that is, bum urine & pigeon shit. Don't try to tell me it's popcorn. I worked at a theatre in high school, and that is NOT what popcorn should smell like, ever... well, at least not on this side of the body. I had to pee rather badly after the show, but didn't dare venture into the ladies room.
Chairs are small, old, not particularly comfortable.
There is no online ordering, and they mean it when they say they don't sell tickets until 15 minutes before the show so you might be standing outside for a while.
Also, a creepy man will make you check your large bags at the door. You will not want to give it to him, but you won't have time to run home with it.
Verdict:
For $3 I would go back, especially if I had a headcold & lost my sense of smell.
If they bumped the price to even $4, I'd probably abandon it for a Kerasotes with my $5 club privileges.
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I have been here once. It smelled like pee-pee. The seat very nearly collapsed below me. An old man drunkenly caught a few Zs behind me. A rampant whirring sound obliterated 75% of what Bruce Willis had to tell me (yeah, dudes--Live Free or Die Hard.) Three dollars. I shall return.
This reminds me of "the good ol days" of movies - when you could get in for under five bones.
I don't go out to the movies very often, so when I realized that the going rate is like $10, I was shocked.
For only $3 you're set. Bring a couple extra bucks for candy and popcorn. I do recall, the last time I was here (and it was a bit ago), they had CHOCOLATE COVERED BANANAS! (any Arrested Development fans out there?)
They've only got a few flicks there at a time, and they generally tend to be more family-oriented, but who cares?
Gotta love this joint.
I paid for my ticket with quarters.
Logan Theatre, you are a refuge from the opressive heat of Milwaukee Ave on a hot summer night, a warm bear rug in the middle of winter, and a cheap date any day, any season.
For just three bits the magic door opens to the mustard-yellow walls of this old-timey (read: seats haven't been replaced since circa nineteen-eighty-somethin') theatre that plays everything you missed at the ole mega uber complex down the street. Hand-written signs warn children away from some movies, while welcoming older gentleman in a jacket and tie tears your ticket.
No previews. No extras. No fuss. Come for the movie, stay for the movie, and get out when the credits roll.
And admire the light fixtures. Because they're beautiful.
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I really want to give it five, but my ass can only allow four.
$3 tickets, and we were able to score mad concessions for $12. It is definitely on the small side, theater-wise, but it's still no smaller than a lot of the little multiplex theaters. Way better than "cheap theaters" like the Village North. There's no doubt you're in a movie theater and not just staring at someone's bigscreen TV. And as a 6'1" guy I was able to sit comfortably without my knees jammed up against the seat in front of me. By the end of the show, though, the flattened spring I was sitting on wasn't nearly as comfortable as it was when I first sat down and thought "wow, this is pretty uncomfortable."
But hey, this place is pretty much what you want in a cheap theater.
Hella cheap which is great, but the theaters smell really bad like someone peed in them. The chairs are uncomfy, but hey I grew up with uncomfortable movie seats so I don't mind so much.
Either way though I'll keep coming to this theater since its so cheap.
Walkin' to the movies for three bucks. If it's a weekend night and you go see something "hot," the crowd is usually all into it and it feels quite intimate in a good way. All movie theaters should be low cost like the Logan Theatre!!! Bring a damn pillow if those seats bother your bum so much.
Yay!! :D
CHEAP movies and YUMMY popcorn. Really, there's something about the popcorn-- it's like crack. It's a little on the grungy side but I like it. It's got character. And with the price of movies/popcorn/candy/drinks these days, I will sacrifice the luxury of an AMC or Kerasotes to see a movie on the big screen. Save your money for dinner or an outing.
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I love this place and the movies are recent. It is only $3 to get in and candy is like $1!
How can you NOT love this palce?
Granted it is cheap, so it passes one of my most important criteria. But, the incredibly small screen and janky run down chairs just kill the experience for me. If I can't enjoy the movie experience I'd just as well download it.
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Cheap, friendly, cheap, little uncomfortable, cheap, great popcorn, cheap.
Super cool theatre even if it is old and run down. It's independent and family owned I believe. As a matter of fact I think the owner has greeted me a couple of times. Nice guy!
Support independents! We'll be sorry when they're gone...
I'm torn with this review as I would love to give an old, cheap, theater a glowing review, using an adjective such as "charming," but there are just too many negatives associated with the Logan that bring it down.
The place is dirty, the staff less than friendly, and attempting to sit in those seats (I kept changing seats before the movie until I found an almost decent on) for an entire film can be a challenge.
If you want to pay $3 to see a film in theaters then it's worth it to go, it is just that you get what you're paying for. No matter how much I hate to write it, I do appreciate the amenities that paying 3x as much gets me at a big, corporate theater.
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I'm giving it five stars...
The movies are recent, maybe still in regular theatres. They only cost $3 and the popcorn/soda is cheap too. What a deal!
Now for the funny. Or at least funny to me.
I'm pretty sure that this place used to only have two screens, One big one and one smaller one. Now they have three. Most people would just assume that the place underwent construction to evolve to its new form... I do not. I think that they just put the dividing wall in the middle of the "large" screen.
How did I come to this conclusion? If your movie happens to be in screening room 1 the actual screen is off or lopp sided to the right. Also the seats are off center in the same direction. the converse is true with screening room 2.
Also if your fortunate enough to be in room three about half way through the movie you get a sound much like static on a tv w/out cable or an out of work radio station. And for some reason no one ever complains.
BUT the movie is only $3 so who is going to complain and why would you.
I LOVE THIS PLACE!
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The popcorn is delicious, they have both Coke and Pepsi products, they have a guy in a coat & tie who tears your ticket and tells you to enjoy the movie. What else could you possibly want? Oh, the actual movie-watching experience? Yeah, it's pretty good, too. Sure some of the seats are a little uncomfortable (you can feel the springs poking out in some) but the trick is to find a less-used seat, away from the isle.
Oh, and be sure to see the enormous urinals in the men's room. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
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The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 3 is because $3 for a relatively new movie all the time is unbeatable. They have 4 screens and there is usually a movie for everyone there. The seats though, oh god the seats are very uncomfortable. I have snuck in a pillow before...your butt WILL get numb. There are also no previews. So BE SURE to get there on time. Concessions are cheap too and the popcorn is good. I still go to it even though I get a numb ass. It's cheap and I'm broke girl.
We are just so lucky to have this in the hood. Seriously, an old, old school theater that's beautiful on the outside with $3 tix and $1 candy on the inside. No previews, commericals or bullshit....just the movie. Gotta dig it.
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Such uncomfortable seats, but with charging $3 per movie there is no way they'll ever make enough money to replace them. The theatre we were in smelled like shrinky dinks baking, which was strange. I don't come here often, but sometimes I miss movies in the first run that I still want to see on the big screen. It's great that old movie theatres like this are still around because sometimes you just don't want to fork over $10+ for a movie. You get what you pay for. Cheap candy and popcorn also comparatively.
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super cheap =) smells like urine =(
I love the logan Theater as they are very cheap (movie, soda and popcorn for like $10) but there really is sacrifice. It smells like urine. Until they make popcorn, they it smells like popcorn. My suggestion is get a margarita next door before the movie so your a little sauced prior.
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I recently went there after a break of about 15 years or so. The place has improved a lot. it is not anything exclusive or fabulous but for 3 bucks a movie its a good deal. Not the cleanest place in the world, I wouldnt want to take my kids there.
I love that one can still see a movie in a theater for 3 bucks!!! Granted the picture isn't the greatest, but the sound quality is pretty good, and really, what do you expect for $3? And the concession prices are good, too.
The place was pretty clean, no stickiness on the floors. I didn't notice any bad smells as some have previously said, only popcorn. I went to an 8:10 show and I think it started a little early, so make sure you get there on time as there are no previews, commercials, or dancing candies and popcorn buckets before the show.
The seats, on the other hand, are awful. You might want to bring a pillow as they are rock-hard. Be prepared to do a little cheek shifting.
Overall, the Logan provides a nice experience...cheap prices, no frills, giant urinals in the men's room.
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I LOVE this place and its convenient location to my house. I just saw Sarah Marshall the other night and had a great evening. The crowd was into the movie, I wasn't too uncomfortable in my chair and the popcorn was WARM just as I like it. Wish they had cherry coke but I can't really complain with these prices now can I?
Hope this theatre sticks around for a very long time to come.
Love this theater, it's close by, the prices are cheap and so are the snacks. This is a good way to go see a movie. Because even if it's crap you know you didn't spend more then what the movies was worth. well at least in most cases.
I don't care what anyone says, this is the best 2nd run theater I've ever been to. Of coure the floors are sticky, of course the sound is medeocre, and of course it's weird that you have to check your bag; but I don't see any other 2nd run theaters playing Indi films or under the scope films like "Lars and the Real Girl". Logan plays half big movies, half art houseish movies, and I love it there. It's only 3 bucks and rocks my socks off.
The only reason I'm going with 4 stars instead of five is that this place has had crappy selection as of late...
This place is value, pure and simple. I grew up by the davis in lincoln square, and have always associated the three-buck theater as a sticky-floored, duct-tape on the floor affair (the davis still is, btw, but at 8 bucks). This place is a retro gem. It even has a powder room, for chrissakes! Did I mention it's three dollars?
Remember, its cheap, clean and great, but buy your snacks at the concession stand, 'cause they will straight up bust your ass if you try and sneak any thing it- as you probably should have for being such a cheapskate!
Went there one time with my boyfriend(now my husband), will not go back. Smells like piss, always dirty, and service is terrible. Viewing quality is terrible. Need new projection screens or something. But i do give it to them that they are the cheapest around with new movies showing. Keep the classic theaters alive! (but DAM deotorize them pleaaaaaase!)
The best part about this theatre is the price. You can't beat $3 for fairly new released movies (a bit past the coming out month). I enjoy the fact that it shoots you back in time from the minute you step up to the theatre. You still order your tickets from the outdoor booth (however, you cannot buy tickets more than 20 minutes before a movie for some reason...???) and the inside is still the old fashioned deal (including the candy machines that seem as if the candy is rock hard--thank God for the concession stand). I heard the popcorn was yummy from whom I went with, so that speaks for the popcorn. The bathrooms are much to be desired with napkin toilet paper, but who goes to a theatre to go to the bathroom the entire time anyway?! The quality of the movie's projection was still pristine, even though I thought I was going to have one of the springs pop out of my chair and perhaps catch scabies. I'd return because theatres are truly overpriced now-a-days. Bringing the classic movie days back!
its run down and the seats aren't all that comfy but all that can be forgiven when they only charge $3 to see a some what currently released movie. and its in walking distance from my apt.
awesome.
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scary old theatre. We went to watch a thriller but ended up being more scared of the full-out brawl between other people in the theatre than the movie iteself!
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Great! Great! Oh so, great!
It is a hop, skip, and a jump away, but I love the Logan Theater for many many reasons. It's been mentioned several times that the Logan has $3 seats, but it bears repeating. The Logan plays an odd mix of indie/art flicks and Hollywood blockbusters that are just out of the bigger theaters.
They usually have at least one kid's movie playing, so I go with my daughter often. The cheap ticket and snack price ensures an outing that does not break the bank. Best of all, if she gets unruly or bored, I can leave without feeling like a money-wasting garbage person.
Bonus: the ladies bathroom is adorable.
Went here to see Across the Universe since we decided to go see it after the other theatres were done showing it. First time there. $3 tickets and cheap refreshments make this place a great Saturday or Sunday afternoon lazy-movie-day spot! Not dirty, not crowded, not sketchy (although the area can be - go there during the day!). Good little movie theatre with no bullshit and no overpricing. The perfect place to see a movie you waited a while to see. I would definitely go there again.
Last time I went there...hmmm back in 1996? I swore never to go back! There were roaches on the damn seats & I had to shake my sweater off completely before leaving! Those of you who grew up here, say 20 years ago, and how the neighborhood looks now....you'd be very afraid, too! Id rather pay $10 for a clean place or rent a movie & watch it at home! Eeeek! What else is lurking in that theater that you don't see??? I'd rather not know! :)
Great price, good movie, floors weren't sticky, clean, went to the 8:20p movie but they must have started it early. Don't care if it's privately owned. So what, just keep the place clean and I will be back. Went to the head before leaving the theatre, owner showed me the bathroom door, in fact held the door open and waited for me to enter to tell me not to step on the colored tile because he was working on the floor. This place needs alot of up keep. And yeah...my ass is sore from the old seats!
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logan Theatre is a awesome place. Plus it's only 3 dollars for the same movies that amc charged almost 10 bucks for. The mix of movies is unique so you'll always find atleast one movie you'll like.
So if you are patient and can wait a couple of weeks after the movie is released then you are set!
This place is great, but make sure you get there early. There's usually no previews and the movies start on time, if not a few minutes early.
What a dump. The seats are always a little damp and the place smells like a porta potty.
But it's cheap so why the hell not?
I wish they'd renovate and clean this place up, but if they did the price might skyrocket to $6 like the Davis.
Oh well.
If you want to make a cheap quality night of it, go eat at El Cid afterwards.
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3 stars for $3.00 a movie.
Most of the time I can't stand the place because the floors are always sticky, the seats are always creaky, and there's always someone somewhere in the theater being a total jackass.
However, it's super cheap and the movies are always pretty awful so you don't feel bad about dropping money like $10.00 on the movie. And like most theaters, it's an excellent escape for the summer heat.
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I want SO bad to give this place 5 stars..But can't. Our theater smelled like urine- really bad. And it feels like a fire trap. And I don't know how kids can see the screen (at least in Theater 3), since at a whopping 5'2, I can barely see up to it! BUT, can't beat the price and it is a local business, and it's cheaper than Blockbuster!
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Smells like pork and pee on the inside.... but it is only $3 a movie.
Check it out.
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