Margie

We will be in NYC next week and have decided to go to the movies on one of our "off theater" nights. While searching on Fodor's to read about some of the more unique theaters, I saw an older thread that recommend buying movie tickets in advance - is this necessary? We would be going on a Thursday night.

suzanne

It really depends on what you see...and where. If it's the first week the movie is out, and it's a highly advertised movie, you should buy the tickets beforehand. If you are going to the theaters on the Upper West Side, definitely buy beforehand, as these are always packed. The same goes for the Union Square theater.

A very easy way to purchase movie tickets early is to call 212-777-FILM (aka Moviefone). It's kind of annoying, as you'll have to listen to all the ads, and pay a fee ($1.50?) per ticket. You will have to enter the zip code of the area where you want to see the movie, which may be tough if you don't know the city. You also have to enter in the first 3 letters of the movie you want to see, so it's best to know what you want to see beforehand (If you want to browse, it's best to by a Daily News or NY Post). You pay by credit card over the phone, and then pick up the tickets at the ATM-like machines in the theater.

GoTravel

I would think that you will want to choose your movie before you buy tickets. There are some great theaters in Manhattan. Try and see a film other than what is showing at your local Multi screen mega theater.

Patrick

Not a bad idea for prime time and really popular new releases, otherwise I wouldn't bother. We recently saw several movies, mostly at the big new AMC complex on 42nd Street. The one show we went about an hour or so early and got the tickets. I asked the girl how busy it should be trying to figure out if we should come back early to get good seats. She mentioned there were only 42 seats left for that show, so we returned about a half hour early. What she didn't tell us was that theatre only holds 48. There were a total of 8 of us there for the show!!!!

allan_b

Following is a list of my haunts... You don't usually need to buy tickers in advance, but it depends what's playing.

For listings it's also a good idea to pick up a Village Voice or NY Press -both are free.

Walter Reade (Lincoln Center) http://www.filmlinc.com

Film Forum 209 W. Houstom St. http://www.filmforum.com

Sunshine Cinema 143 East Houston
http://www.landmarktheaters.com/Mark...k_frameset.htm

Quad 34 W 13th St. http://www.quadcinema.com

Cinema Village 34 E. 12th St. http://www.cinemavillage.com

Pioneer 155 E. 3rd St. http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer/

Anthology Film Archive 32 Second Ave. http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer/

Angelika 18 W. Houston http://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/newyork/default.asp

Cinema Classics 332 E. 11th St. http://www.cinemaclassics.com/

Lincoln Plaza 1886 Broadway btw 62 & 63 St. http://lincolnplaza.moviefone.com/