With all of the theaters located in Fort Collins, it’s hard to know which one would best suit your movie-going needs. Tickets, popcorn, comfy seats and a big screen are all necessary items in my book. But for someone who can’t spend $30 on a movie date, I want to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth without breaking the bank.

I’m a pretty big movie buff, and I have been to all of the town’s theaters. Going to midnight premiers is one of my favorite things to do. The new Cinemark Movie Bistro and XD theater is located at the new Foothills Mall right off of College Ave and has all the amenities anyone could ever need in for a movie experience: a bar, a full menu of sandwiches and other food items, a large XD movie screen and reclining seats. 

When the new theater opened, I thought it was extraordinary that you get all of these extra things for only the cost of a movie, plus money for food and such. I planned to see a couple of midnight premieres at the theater.

I was wrong.  I love the new theater and the experience is definitely better than going to a normal movie theater, but the price of a ticket for their XD Theater is $12, which is about $5 more than a normal movie theater in the area. 

The menu items are also pricey, even though they are delivered to your seat. While popcorn and sodas still remain fairly standard for the price compared to other theaters, the sandwiches and  other food items are about the price of a nice dinner at a local restaurant.

You also have to reserve seating online. This is nice if you’re planning a big night with your significant other or friend, but if you want to have a spur of the moment night with a large group of people, getting seats becomes a challenge. 

Also, the room with the largest screen typically only reserves new movies during their opening week. The other theaters in the building also come with reclining seats and trays that fold out in front of you, but their screens are  smaller. They only hold 67 seats, instead of the 225-seat XD auditorium that is reserved for the big blockbusters.

If you have a big date night or a friend’s night out then going to the new theater might give you a better experience. If you are a big movie buff and love having the best quality for your movies or are seeing a midnight premiere, then going to the new theater would be worth your while.

But if you are just a normal movie goer, it just isn’t worth the lofty ticket price. Many of the older theaters will suffice. 

Collegian Reporter Dallas Head can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter at @water4rams.