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Theater Review - Palace Cinema
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| Address: |
5117 Old Summer Road, Memphis, TN 38122 |
| Phone: |
901-763-3411 |
| Price: |
Matinee - $5.00 (adult), $4.00 (children) |
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Econo Hour (5:00 to 6:00 PM) - $3.00 (all ages) |
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Evening - $6.00 (adult), $4.00 (children) |
| Website: |
Ajay Theaters |
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THE THEATER
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At one time, the Palace Cinema (also known as the Summer theater) was considered the worst theater in Memphis.
Now with the Ridgeway Four owning that distinction, it's merely considered one
of the worst.
To its credit, it did undergo some renovations a couple of years ago that improved it somewhat. It upgraded to
stadium seating and fixed the parking lot. Driving through the lot was the equivalent of what I assume it'd
be like to drive on the surface of the moon. There were potholes and craters every couple of feet. Satellite images
revealed that it looked eerily similar to Manuel Noriega's face. It was ridiculous. I couldn't go to there without
needing a realignment afterward.
The Econo Hour used to be a pretty good deal. Well, relatively speaking. Between 5:00 and 6:00 you could
get a movie ticket, popcorn, and coke all for a mere $3. Granted, the popcorn was about two days old and
tasted like heavily salted styrofoam (except more stale), the coke came in a Dixie cup and was really some sort of
flat coke/water hybrid, and the screens have sound systems that are just slightly better than my laptop's built-in
speakers. Scratch that - my laptop speakers are actually clearer.
But hey, if you just have to see a movie for cheap on the big screen...
The Econo Hour is still just $3, but now they charge $1 each for popcorn and coke. Trust me; it's not as good a deal as you
might think.
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WHAT SETS IT APART
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- Econo Hour.
- Cheaper matinee and evening prices than Malco.
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CONCESSIONS
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| Popcorn: |
SMALL - $3.00 |
MEDIUM - $3.75 |
LARGE - $4.50 |
| Drinks: |
SMALL - $2.75 |
MEDIUM - $3.25 |
LARGE - $3.50 |
| Candy: |
SMALL - $2.00 |
MEDIUM - $2.50 |
LARGE - $3.00 |
These were the prices the last time I was there. When was that? Let's see, I saw Man of the House
there... *looks up info* It's been over two years.
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WHAT'S NEARBY
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Want to eat somewhere before or after the movie? Here are your best (i.e. closest) options:
Arby's
High Pockets - For those who want to play a little pool before or after the movie. I
guess it's still open. Never been there.
Jack's Bar-B-Q Rib Shack - Hole in the wall. Good ribs.
McDonald's
Skateland - Good ol' Skateland South. The skating rink of song and legend. I'll never forget the time in
6th grade when I asked the DJ if he could play Beat It. Embarrassing. It was couples skate only, and I was desperate to
impress Ashley Wooten!
Wendy's - Home of the square burger! I like their
burgers better than McDonald's, you know why? Because, according to Dave Thomas, "quality" is Wendy's recipe.
I don't know if you can find that at the grocery, but doesn't that just make it even more special? Wendy's
also has a dollar menu, and the Frosty is hard to beat. Unless you use a baseball bat. Then it's pretty easy.
But why would you even want to do that?
Western Sizzlin'
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THE GIST
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The Palace Cinema is for those of you who attend movies on a strict budget and aren't really concerned with sound and picture
quality. The poor audio prevents it from being an option for me anymore. I'd much rather wait for the DVD and enjoy my nice home
theater system instead.
But hey, if you do go then be sure and tell them Johnny Betts sent you. Don't worry; they'll be slow enough
in grabbing the shotgun from under the counter that you'll have time to get away.
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