Prytania Theatre

The Prytania Theatre is a classic single screen theatre nestled Uptown.
Prytania is always clean, the staff is always friendly. For a theatre with only one screen they definitely mix it up there. On Sundays and Wednesday mornings they usually show a classic film. On Friday nights they usually show a cult classic horror flick.
This past Sunday night, we were treated to a showing of The Labrynth (RIP Mr. Bowie). Last week they showed Gone With the Wind.
I know over Christmas they show classic Holiday films for the entire month of December.
Prytania is a great theatre to have in the area, and it definitely brings out a lot of local characters.

I just love that New Orleans still has The Prytania Theatre and that it is still in such great condition. How exciting for them to be thriving at 100 years old! (We should all be so lucky in life).
There’s something just so special about a single stand alone theatre in the day of the multiplex that shows up to 20 movies at once. It harkens back to a simpler time and you can actually feel the 100 plus years of history when you’re inside. My mind immediately Imagines young teen boys in the 30s/​40s/​50s saving their money all week just to be able to ask their best gal to a movie and curl up together to share some popcorn and snacks.. I often wonder where my Mom and Dad sat. Surely they had a favorite spot.
I can’t even imagine how many first dates took place within those walls and especially in that balcony — which must have felt very VIP and exclusive back then. Honestly, it still does today because it’s so rare. I love to sit up there.
Whether I’m seeing a classic like «Singing in the Rain», participating in a cultural experience like «Rocky Horror Picture Show», or catching the 3-​D version of the cinematic juggernaut «Star Wars, The Force Awakens», it always feels just a little bit different and a little more special at The Prytania.

Best theater in town but christsakes please fix the big tear and stain on the left side of the screen!

I always enjoy watching movies at the Prytania Theater. Not because it’s got spring loaded-​fuel injected memory foam seats with turbo boost back massage and kid skin leather arm rests. I don’t come for the Dolby ear blast surround sound Kiss stacked concert style sound system with cochlea tickler enhanced ear packs. It doesn’t fit 5,000 people stadium style and you can’t pick from a menu of artesian cheeses. They don’t sell a charcuterie platter cured with the tears of Sherpa babies that lost their fathers on Everest expeditions.
Why? Because they don’t have any of those things.
What do they have, you say?
How about the movie experience people used to have when you were still too shy to hold hands on the first date. When you giggled with your girlfriends about how dreamy that tv star/​movie star/​rock star… and they made you flush… even though you couldn’t explain exactly why…
Prytania Theater is ONE room. One screen. It’s a little damp inside. There’s a freakin PIANO on the corner of the stage, for crying out loud. JUST in case someone knows the opening to ‘The Sound of Music’ or ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ or any of eclectic pieces of celluloid gems that march across its screen. I bet they’d let you play it. I bet the audience would sing along.
And that’s why I love Prytania Theater. It’s the movie-​going experience in its most innocent, most pure form.
And for the tragically hip, they do play first run movies. But they don’t let it get in the way of the classics.
And for that, Prytania Theater, you will always be a treasure.

As a classic film lover this place is fantastic! The classic series and late night series never disappoint and the owner is a great guy. It’s really nice to see that this single screen movie theater thrives in the age of big cinemaplexes. Check their website or Facebook every month to see what new old films they are showing! To see «some like it hot» and «a clockwork orange» on a big screen was a dream come true! Here’s to another 100 years, Prytania!

It’s my go-​to movie theater in New Orleans. If I can, I’ll watch all my movies here and only go to an AMC or Canal Place if the Prytania isn’t playing a particular movie that I want to see. It’s not really an independent theater, but rather an old-​school neighborhood theater. The difference is that neighborhood theaters play more commercial movies and traditionally stay away from independent films, which is the hallmark of independent theaters. The Prytania definitely has an old world feeling, with carpeting throughout the lobby and old movie posters all over the place. It’s a family run business and the main movie generally starts on time (more on this below). Seats are plush and comfortable but not as nice as the AMC stadium seats. The sound system was recently upgraded to the newest Dolby whatever… the sound is great.
It is a one-​screen theater but does offer a pretty good sized balcony. They offer the standard concessions but also offer ice-​cream, fancy popcorn, and coffee. They used to offer popcorn sizes of really small, small, medium, and large but recently went to small, medium, and large. I used to love the four size system as I find that small is too small and medium is too large. They also offer Sucre candy bars that area real treat.
Where the theater really shines, to me, is with the quasi-​independent streak that it has. They do midnight movies throughout the year, usually picking classics like the Big Lebowski, for example. These can be BYOB (at least they used to be… call and confirm). They also do blocks of movies, for example, like running the entire Harry Potter series. Often they will focus on particular directors (recently Terry Gilliam) and run a few of the director’s most popular movies. They reach out with social media to see what movies people what to see for these types of runs. Finally, they will run seasonal movies as well, showing, for example, Dracula, Frankenstein, and King Kong during Halloween and Bishops Wife, Miracle, and Wonderful Life during Christmas. It’s just completely awesome that this place exists and runs these types of movies. They never start on time however, with 10 minutes late being the average.
Mr. Rene is usually present for the seasonal movies… and I hope this never changes. If you don’t know who Mr. Rene is, you will know him when you see him. Be sure to say hi and thank him for having such a great movie theater.

Love this place! Did you know you could have a private birthday party here in the mornings?! My sister had my nieces. She got to pick out any movie and we had the whole theatre to ourselves! Such a cute idea for a party! Staff is great and lots of snack choices!

The Prytania Theatre: The epitome of what a movie theatre should be. It has been around for generations of New Orleanians. You should go and experience what it is like at least once in your life, local or tourist. It is definitely worth your time. I like it so much, I’ve been known to go to back-​to-​back movies on a Sunday morning.
Food: All the cinema goodies you’d want and expect — popcorn, candy, and even premium coffees, chocolates, and ice creams. Cost is reasonable, though you’ll obviously pay more for the premium stuff. (4 stars, nearly perfect, but some items are a bit pricey for my tastes)
Service: 10am each morning, a classic movie is playing, from dramas such as To Kill a Mockingbird to childrens’ movies like Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (kids shows usually have complimentary coloring books and crayons available). Employees are mostly younger 20-​somethings, but they are competent in their positions. There are also contemporary film showings regularly changing weekly, with showings late into the evening. I suggest hitting up the matinée (before 5pm) for best value ($ 5.50 per ticket). The owner himself is often on-​site, and has been known to give an introduction and history to the older films. (5 stars for exemplary service, selection, and value)
Facilities: This is a single-​screen theatre in the residential area of Uptown, near to Tulane and Loyola main campuses. Parking can be a bit difficult, especially with current road work on Prytania St, but not impossible. Bike racks are available. The building itself is historic in scope and style. You really feel like you’ve been time warped into the 1930s in this place, from the artwork on the walls, to the plush antique furniture in the lobby. The only downside I can think of are the chairs in the viewing area. They get to be uncomfortable for longer showings over 2 hours in length. (5 stars, for reasons noted above)
Bonus: «Adult» beverages are not available on-​site, but you are welcomed to bring your own! Makes for an inexpensive, fun date! Also, sit in the balcony for a fun change-​up.
Overall: 5 stars. This is the best movie theatre I’ve been to in my life. This is not hyperbole. Please go and support this local independent theatre.

Nostalgic! Very comfortable, clean. After going to the Patania theater it brought me back to the times of childhood when the theater was a theater not a corporation. So with that said I really do not have the desire to see a movie anymore at any AMC theaters. Patania theater no one disturb no one is noisy everyone’s there for the same thing .to sit and enjoy a movie. Popcorn’s great too.

My new go to spot hands down, and I’ve been here more times that Clearview which says a lot cause this theater only has one screen.
Parking is ehh… decent but the walk around the neighborhood is pleasant. My only warning is that it gets pretty cool in there, and I come from the NorthEast where low record temperature is normal.
Thumbs up to, to the matinée prices, a must go to

Love the Prytania. Great films, great space, great goodies, and they actually let you get a cup of ice water without charging for it, unlike the rip-​off major theaters. I go to the big box places for 3D extravaganzas. But for real films where I’m paying for more than just flash, the Prytania is where it’s at.
I wish they would fix the ripped screen. I’m sure it’s a big cost or they would have done it already, but I find it so distracting every time I go.

The last of the New Orleans neighborhood theaters, this place brings back memories of the old school theaters I was fortunate to go to before most of them closed in the early 1990’s. Prytania always shows top blockbusters or local movies and documentaries without the big box feel or long promos. Not the cleanest theater in the world but is an uptown treasure.

I don’t think I can really add anything that no one else has. I go here to see movies that aren’t shown in other theaters, they have great events, and I’ve even gone for special screenings that included writers/​directors/​members of the cast. Going here is great fun, and it’s probably the best movie theater experience I’ve had since I was a little kid and going to the theater was a big event in my life.

Prytania Theater is a special place worthy of New Orleans. It feels like you have gone back in time when you walk in from the warmth of the service, the rich but comfortable feels of the lobby, and the old time concession cartoon played for every movie. This theater is owned by people, not a corporate entity and it shows from the unique offering of present to classic movies, the curated seasonal topic movie series, and special events. This is a great place to see a opening of new cult films (or old) like the Hunger Games or Harry Potter and expect real movie fans to show up in costume or at least in full spirit. You see a movie with the whole audience here and feel connected unlike most modern theaters. The concession stand isn’t typical either offering higher end and locally sourced versions of film watching goodies. Watching a movie at the Prytania always makes for a special event.

Very cool vintage movie theater. Reasonable priced and have an expresso bar. Felt like I was going back in time very cool spot

I love the Prytania Theater!
They play classic movies.
They do cool events like live Rocky Horror Picture Show performances will the movie plays in the background.
The snacks are pretty reasonably priced.
It’s got that great old movie theater vibe.
The owner is a cool old guy that sometimes comes out before the movie to tell you a little bit about it.
There’s a balcony.
It’s BYOB! Yep… a BYOB movie theater!
The weather was yucky this past weekend, so my boyfriend and I sat in the balcony and watched 2 movies while drinking mimosas and sangria!
2 matinée movies for each of us: $ 23
Big olé popcorn, nachos, and a big olé drink: $ 16
Ability to visit an iconic movie theater, sit in the balcony, and BYOB: Priceless

If you are a fan of old movies, you MUST attend the Sunday/​Wednesday matinees. I’ve been to the Prytania numerous times before, but never for the Holiday matinees. I attended the showing of «Meet Me in St. Louis» as well as «Holiday Inn» and it was wonderful. The owner, Mr. Rene, introduces each film despite his health. It just warms my heart to hear that old man speak so passionately about «This picture», because I find there are few people left with a real passion for the arts, and a dying one at that. Movie houses are less and less full, so I find that it is even more important to support locally owned theaters. Price for matinée tickets are only $ 5.50 and if you are lucky, the film will be introduced by a Merry Melody cartoon which is such a treat! Get yourself to the Prytania, step back into yesterday and enjoy the show!

Vintage, nostalgic, craft, simplicity. Quite possibly my favorite theater.
I don’t have anything more to add at this time, Unilocal,but do know that I respect your word/​letter minimum algorithmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmkmmmmmmm.

If we could give partial stars this place would be a 3.3. It’s slightly above average. The creativity and unique methods that this place continues to utilize are top notch. Themes for classic movies. Late night movies for a younger crowd. Children’s movies in the summer. No other theater does this to the extent that the Prytania does. But their organizational management methods are terrible. The movies are always late; if the show time is 7, the movie probably won’t start until 720 and the previous movie might still be showing at 7. Slow concession stand workers. Uncomfortable seats. The person who sells the tickets also works the coffee stand (which takes time from one or the other), etc.
For the classic movies, the owner often speaks to the audience beforehand. He certainly gets my respect for maintaining the city’s only old time movie theater (especially at his age) as well as the creativity that the theater has in the city. But if I’m there for a 10 o’clock show, which might still have the house lights on 10 minutes after show time, I don’t want anyone wasting more of my time by telling me useless facts about the movie. Plus many of the movies that are not new are shown on a disc format. This can lead and has led to problems such as the sound going out at a high point movie. It could be easy to avoid these problems with proper training and having systems in place for there occurrences.
I will continue to go to this movie theater but it may not be my first choice for new movies and I will be cautious when choosing to see their specialty movies (taking cost time and the actual movie into consideration first).

The Prytania is one of the nicest movie theaters in town. They only have 1 screen, so the number of movies they show at one time is limited. This is my only complaint; there is a certain convenience factor in going to the larger theater complexes.
As for the positives: the Prytania shows excellent movies. I have been to Oscar-​winning documentaries, Bugs Bunny cartoons, independent films, and blockbuster hits. They have special events like the French film festival or re-​showings of the Harry Potter films. The staff is always friendly, the theater is always clean, and the seats are comfy. Today I discovered that there is a balcony level with excellent seats up near the projector booth, too.
Really, it’s a great theater, and an Uptown staple. Rock on, Prytania.