If you're ever bored and want to see a movie but your wallet is nearly empty, Scotia Cinema is the perfect solution. It's a cute, old-school, single screen theater that shows new movies that have been released for a few weeks. If you can wait a bit to see a new movie, it will definitely pay off for you.

Located just past Jumping Jacks in Scotia, the Cinema is across from a yummy Chinese restaurant (dinner and a movie anyone?) in the Village of Scotia, 117 Mohawk Ave. (Rt. 5) (346-5055).

A Bit of History

Scotia Cinema officially opened its doors in January of 1929, and was originally called the Ritz Theater, where the first movie to be shown was Lilac Time. Movies were 10 cents, and after 6 pm, 20 cents. After many owners, managers and name changes, in December of 1981 it was bought by owner Richard Adams, and has been Scotia Cinema ever since.

The theater has undergone extensive renovations while trying to maintain its old-fashioned neighborhood movie theater setting.

Pros

The Cinema is in a great location and is easy to find. It takes up to two months to obtain new movies, but considering

loading...

 how much money you save, it's not  big deal. Movies change every Friday, and usually no more than three are shown simultaneously. Admission is just $4.50, and children under 12, as well as seniors over 64 are only $3.00! Where else can you see a movie that cheap today? Nowhere!

Their concessions are cheap as well. Their delicious popcorn, which ranges from small-extra large, doesn't surpass $3.50, and drinks (including bottled) and candy are between $1.50 to $2.50. The prices almost never go up either. It's insane how cheap everything is there, and it really makes you realize how over priced other theaters are for no reason, because for 82 years now Scotia Cinema has been serving the Capital District the same quality for much cheaper, and they show no signs of trouble.

After you have your goodies, you have the choice of sitting on the lower level or venturing up to the balcony to watch the movie. It's really cool watching from up there and it's just as cozy. It's like a mini version of Proctor's for a portion of the price.

The pre-movie illustrations are very old school as well. The famous turn off cell phones (how funny, just a few years ago it said pagers), be quiet and concession clips all look as if they are right out of a different decade, but it's really cool and gives the old theater even more character.

loading...

The Cinema seats about 300 people, is clean, neat and kept in perfect condition. There is a parking lot right next to the building, but you want to be sure to arrive early to get a good spot, as well as a good seat, because every time I go there it's always packed, no matter how long the movie has been out in other theaters for. On Saturday I saw Unknown, which came out in February, and the theater was almost chock full. The movie was good as well.

Cons

Hmm...I can't think of any, except that I wish there were more Cinema's of its kind in the area!

Now that you know about Scotia Cinema, what are you waiting for? Stop being robbed by Regal and the malls and their outrageous prices, and go to this old-time theater who actually put their quality and customers first. I never go to Regal unless I have a movie ticket or coupon, because I refuse to pay over $10 for a movie I probably won't even love. Even if I had that kind of money I would not spend it on things like that. It's ridiculous to charge people an arm, a leg, and another arm for a two-hour movie, so next time you want to go to the movies, choose Scotia Cinema!

Have you ever been to Scotia theater? What did you think? Do you pay full price for movies? What movies are worth paying full price for?

View more pictures of the cinema here.

A fun acronym made by Scotia Cinema on their website:

S- Safe, quiet village setting
C- Cleanest theater around
O- Our balcony has high backed seats with retractable cup holder armrests
T- Top notch movies
I- Intimate old-fashioned ambiance
A- Awesome Dolby Digital sound system

C- Comfortable seats with lots of legroom
I- Indulge yourself with our freshly popped popcorn with real butter
N- Nearly 60 movies a year to choose from
E- Easy to get to
M- Matinees for the kids
A- Amaze yourself with our low prices

loading...

More From Q 105.7