Cochrane Movie House

We really like this movie theatre. It is almost always less crowded than the ones in Calgary. The screens are a bit smaller but this has never bothered us. The prices are a bit lower and the concessions have always been good– they even have Pepsi rather than Coke! The only problem we have run into occasionally is that because most of the theatres are smaller you can get some really rude patrons sitting close by who have no concept of keeping quiet during the movie. We even left a movie once (were given a rain check) as the person next to us seemed to think he was watching a TV in his living room as he never stopped talking! Some people really need to be taught movie going manners.

Great movie theatre! The staff are friendly and personable. The outside and inside is well designed and decorated. Super clean and never crowded. It is a wonderful change from the hectic Calgary movie theatres. It takes me 15 minute longer to drive to this Cochrane theatre but the drive is much more enjoyable and easy than my route to a Calgary theatre.

I love this movie house! It’s quaint, the staff is great, and I really appreciate its small town charm.
They will also let you rent a whole theatre and watch whatever you want — a great and affordable party or gift idea for your favourite movie buff. Can’t imagine that’s even possible at any of the big name theatres.
Very involved in the community, too. Support this great local business!

This is my local movie theatre and I like it. Why?
As a movie theatre in a small town (pop. ~21 000) they feature all the perks you would get in Calgary for a better price and without lineups.
From time to time they do movie specials called «Red Carpet Premier» where they feature a film and add some perks like special guests, door prizes, movie related decoration, some food and drinks etc. We did three of them already.
My last ‘Red Capet Première’ was for the latest Hobbit movie. They had the stunt coordinator from the movie as a special guest. He setup a small fight scene with volunteers from the audience within 15 minutes and had some original movie props to show around.
However there is some room for improvement:
First of all their website is unacceptable. They have a fancy «Adobe Flash-​only» website and on some devices they just don’t work. There is no way around as they don’t offer any alternative. Ergo we have never done any spontaneous visits while on the way back home because we just could’t see what’s up (yes, I am aware there are external sites providing movie listings but come on, they want MY money so they should offer this information to me).
Second: please let the people wait inside for a ‘Red Carpet Premier’ as you did the years before. Doors to the movie and the cinema itself opened at the same time so people had to wait outside on the parking lot. Come on, it’s winter…
Finally: if there is a raffle for door prizes please make sure it is fair. I wouldn’t have expected people cheating by entering multiple times to begin with. But I would have at least taken away the prize from whom I catch ;)

Skip the line ups and come to Cochrane! Just as good as the city, without the annoying adds.

THIS PLACE SAVED MY LIFE!!!
For a young movie buff raised on a tight family budget in a town too small to have a movie thater, life was hard. I know, it’s a silly complaint to make, but the 2 or 3 times my parents would take us into the city to go to movies it was like getting an extra Christmas that year for me… so I remember VERY fondly the day I first started seeing metal fences going up and a hole being dug in the big empty gravel lot by Extra Foods, and there started being rumblings that a movie theater was going in.
Granted, at the time it was just a little two-​screener with grossly western-​themed lobby décor, an arcade that would have been considered out of date a decade and a half before it opened, a frustrating bias toward family friendly movies and a concession rivaled by some vending machines, but when you live in a town where kids buy their music from a drug store and Smitty’s is considered fine dining, who’s going to argue?
Things have changed a lot since then — more screens have been added (you no longer have to worry that if two animated kids movies come out within the same month that the more mature stuff will never reach town), the lobby looks a lot less likely to be visited by a tumbleweed, and you can now get just about anything in the way of movie-​going snackage (in fact, for a while they even had cotton candy, though I’m not sure if this is still the case).
By no means is this theater ever likely to rival the big chains or even the more independent stuff in the bigger cities, but there’s also something to be said for the quaint, little town charm of a theater where you can sometimes buy your ticket, walk to the concession stand, and have to wait 30 seconds or so while the same guy leaves the ticket booth and runs around being the counter to sell you your popcorn. It’s a bit comical, but gives this place it’s own charm… and if the staff of years ago and the owner (who’s a really cool dude despite his never calling me all the many, many times I applied for a job there as a teenager) are any indication of the current batch, I’m sure the service is awesome and comes with a big smile.
I never seem to find myself in Cochrane any more, but if I did I would have no hesitance what-​so-​ever to swing by this little spot and see what one of my olds haunts is up to… and neither should you.
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This is a great cinema. Not only do they do all of the big Hollywood stuff but they make space for arts films and even have special events. The owner is a great guy and is committed to the town. Excellent local cinema!