Lumina Theatre

I prefer seeing all of my movies here. The Lumina has the best ticket prices around — for showing brand new movies. They have upgraded their projectors from the 35 mm film projectors to digital so there are no viewing issues.
I love the fact that their popcorn is freshly popped, unlike places like Southpoint where they serve you pre-​popped popcorn — if you have ever worked the concessions at a sporting event and you’ve see those giant clear plastic bags (easily 6ft tall) full of popcorn, well that is what you are eating at Southpoint. These bags have been stored in the back for who knows how long — while at the Lumina it is popped fresh every day!
In the last 5 years they added beer and wine which is AWESOME!!!
Their outdoor movies make for a GREAT summer treat as they show movies which have recently left theaters and are still somewhat «new» or, they show some AWESOME childhood favorites, like this summer’s Back to the Future!!! They have done a great job with managing how the seating is done (blankets up front, chairs in back) and you are able to bring food and whatever drinks you want — just no glass and no pets!!!
Additionally they have their summer kids movies where every week they show a different movie but only on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings before regular showtimes. They play movies that are child appropriate (rated G and PG) and provide child appropriate sizes (and prices) of popcorn and drinks ($ 1.00 each). It is a great adventure for your small kids and a great way to get an hour or so break to yourself in the summer!!!
I have to say — Mikey is one of the most amazing staff members there! The place wouldn’t be the same without him!!!
Love this place!

This is one of best hidden gems around the area. Staff is extremely service oriented, professional and kind. The theater itself is immaculate. Granted it’s not the IMAX 70 ft screen but this is one cozy little place to see a movie in an intimate setting. Also, in a plaza with some good places to stop to eat before and after. Parking was not a problem at all. Wells Fargo ATM right in the parking lot. 5 Stars!!!

If you live in Chapel Hill you are probably a fan of Lumina. It’s a small cute theatre in Southern Village but much nicer than the option on Franklin St. and much closer than going all the way to AMC in Southpoint.
You will mostly find local people, teenagers and families here this is a family neighborhood. There are only four rooms with different movies and screenings showing. You can buy popcorn and a few other snacks from commissary, not too expensive neither too cheap.
What I love the most is the open-​air cinema screen on Summer. Movies are PG but you can order some pizza from Pazzio and enjoy a nice evening with a good movie. The best of all is that tickets are also cheaper for this kind of showing.
Gotta love Lumina.

Such a cute theatre. When you don’t want to drive to an IMAX but really want to see a movie, this theatre is great. We went to see Jurassic World here, and Inside Out. We enjoyed our experience both times. Matinée is just $ 7.50, but they apparently have outdoor movies some nights for $ 5, and I want to go to one of those! It’s very cute inside and the Seats are fairly comfortable. Customer service has been good both times we have been as well.

Popcorn at this place is not really bad, nor good. It’s just adequate. It’s neutral, inert, flavor-​free. As a starch platform for butter it would probably work, but I don’t like to eat butter on little bits of cardboard. I’d mindlessly toss it into my mouth as I do at movies, but halfway through the bag, I’d realize that I was eating bad-​tasting nonfood and I’d miss the movie for my overwhelming feeling of regret.
It’s not like I haven’t complained before. For years, I’ve been asking them to seriously, honestly, soul-​searchingly study the popcorn’s taste and see if maybe it isn’t time to get a new supplier. I live around the corner. I want to love The Lumina! It’s my neighborhood theatre. Tonight when I talked to the manager again about how disappointing the popcorn was, he didn’t even get out of his seat or offer a response. Just told me that that’s the way it is. Another time the manager said I wasn’t the first to complain and gave me a pass for free popcorn the next time. Thanks for more bad popcorn.
I’m thinking popcorn should not be so distractingly tasteless that I drive across town to Timberlyne to get better popcorn, but it is. I’ve gotten to know Timberlyne better, and am finding that plain popcorn is a thing and it tastes good. Popcorn is not just a butter and salt delivery system; it can taste like light crisp corn. I’m not going back to The Lumina and it’s my loss. However, I see a lot of movies, weekly, maybe, and I like unbuttered popcorn with my movies. Driving to Timberlyne is worth it to avoid that sinking feeling of just having tried and failed to enjoy expensive bland popcorn.

The Lumina started out being a convenient, great little local theatre. Over the years I have watched it become more and more decrepit, largely through poor management. Went there tonight to a 7 PM show. The place was filthy, the theatre stunk of stale beer and long term lack of cleaning, the seating and carpeting is ripped and threadbare. I had to go to the lady’s room early in the movie and found it similarly grimy and, even that early in the evening, no paper towels in the dispenser, just a few scattered messily around the counter. At the end of the movie, two hours later, there were NO paper towels, so you can see how frequently the restrooms are attended to. When I attempted to complain to the manager, the girl in the lobby refused to go and get him. When I found him myself, he just said he was sorry and offered no other reasonable excuse. I will not be heading back there anytime soon!

Couldn’t get in to see movie on Saturday night opening night but ticket sellers are also selling consession– bad choice

You can’t beat the Lumina for a convenient, clean, reasonably priced movie experience. The ticket and concession prices are substantially lower than the chains, and parking is much more convenient than Southpoint. Plus they have wine and local beer on tap.
I’ve been going here since it opened (12, 13 years ago?) and most of the Unilocal reported issues are simple misunderstandings.
1. The ticket window wasn’t open so I had to wait.
Answer: Some nights they don’t staff the ticket window, but there’s always 2 concession and 1 beer line open where you can buy tickets. I normally don’t have to wait more than 5 minutes.
2. The sound and/​or audio were not good.
Answer: The digital projectors are almost new and the surround sound equipment is good. Remember that the place is staffed by high school students who don’t know what audio levels you want for the movie. If the picture isn’t in focus or the sound is too loud or too soft, just go tell someone so they can fix it.
3. The line was out the door and I had to wait in line outside.
Answer: Ticket sales at chain theaters are all outdoors these days, so it’s not any worse than Southpoint. Like any theater, the busy time is 7−8pm, and if you show up on a Friday/​Saturday night on a big opening weekend there will be lines.

The big thing for me here is that its only $ 6 for student tickets on weekday evenings. Hard to find that these days, so major claps for that.
Other than that, it seems like a pretty run of the mill movie theatre, which I’ve no problem with. The sound seemed fine, the picture was good, and there are concessions I can’t really afford (beer is like $ 5 or $ 6, as is wine).
It’s neat that they do outdoor screenings of movies that are already on DVD during the summer, though I’ve never been.
There’s no real reason I didn’t give it five stars. Just don’t really see a good reason to give five stars either,

Charming small movie theater that serves alcoholic refreshments in addition to popcorn and candy.

ce cinema est quand même assez mal placé, assez loin de tout, comme les restaurant autour. si vous êtes à chapel hill, autant aller à Southpoint, il y aura plus de choix. le prix est le même

Bf and I wanted to hit up a local theater for The Great Gatsby, so we decided to try out Lumina.
Pros:
— Local theater
— $ 7 student tickets — whoop, whoop!
— LOCAL BEER! $ 6 for 16 oz. and $ 8 for 24 oz. There’s wine, too. I think another review mentioned they don’t let you try the beer, but I did not find that to be true; the woman who helped us was happy to let me taste before I committed to the Oatmeal Porter.
Cons:
Really just one major con that makes the theater a three star «A-​OK.» The sound system! It’s tragic. Good thing we sat in the first few rows because while the theater is stacked with surround sound speakers, nothing comes out of them. I only heard sound from directly in front of me, which was not okay in the beginning, when it was pretty quiet. I could hear wrappers crinkling and people whispering. Thank goodness the film is noisy, but man oh man… sound is a big part of going to a theater for me, so that’s going to make us think a bit before choosing to come here again.
However, we are excited to try out the $ 4 movies on the lawn this summer!

Cool little local theater rather than a big chain. It’s clean and comfortable, they sell beer and wine.
HOWEVER — The sound almost ruins the theater. I saw one of the Lord of the Rings movies there many years ago and was stunned by how QUIET the sound is. You can hear people around you chewing their food, crinkling their wrappers, scratching their beards more than you can hear the movie.
I just went and saw LINCOLN there tonight and it’s still the same way. What is the point of going to the theater if you’re not going to be immersed in the experience? I live in los angeles where movies are made and we know how they’re supposed to be presented, and when you go to the theater, you see the big picture and feel the big sound. Sound engineers and mixers put a lot of work into their jobs, but it’s all wasted effort at a theater like Lumina where the volume is so low you might as well be watching it on TV in your house.
Until they fix this issue, I recommend finding a different theater.

The Lumina is a great local theater in Chapel Hill. They show movies on the Southern Village common green in season, and offer locally produced beer inside to go with the movie. It’s by far our favorite place to see a movie. It’s never crowded and it’s a small enough theater that you get a sense of community rather than the MONDOPLEXULTRAMOVIEMEGALON theaters at the malls in the area.

I decided to check out the Lumina, as its local to Chapel Hill, is a smaller theater with good reviews so far, and the main attraction: serves beer and wine.
This is no Alamo Drafthouse — but it definitely has pleasant things about it that make it a great theater to go get a brew and catch a flick!
— Its not freezing
— It doesn’t smell funny
— They serve beer from the Carolina Brewery (but don’t let you sample)
— Movies on the lawn looks fun (and you can BYOB!)
There are a couple of downsides — the screens are a little dated, so if you’re into the 3D thing, you won’t find it there. Actually, you might not find HD quality pictures there, either. You will, however, be able to catch a movie within its opening week without fighting a ginormous crowd that you’d find at your typical movie megaplex.

We enjoyed our trip to the Lumina to see ‘Harry Potter 7.5′ last week. It was a breath of fresh air compared to soulless multiplexes we typically go to. The prices were reasonable, the seating comfortable, the presence of beer welcome, the staff quite charming, parking a breeze (I wanted to say ‘a doddle’, but my hubby said no one would understand me if I did).
What’s more, the entire audience clapped at the end of the movie. This may have been more a function of HP 7.5 than the theatre… but then again, the Lumina seems like the kind of place where people might actually put their hands together in appreciation. Jolly good show, in more ways than one.

I hadn’t been to the Lumina but once or twice since moving to Hillsborough in 2004, but remembered it fondly… and got to go again last week.
This is the place where we didn’t mind standing in line for opening night movies — whether Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, this is where we always went… and were never disappointed.
While it does look a little more ‘worn’ than it once did, I have to admit it is still MUCH better than dealing with the parking issues at Southpoint, It’s stadium seating remains comfortable, and the sound system is still pretty doggone good (IMHO).

Great neighborhood theater. It gets a couple of points off for occasionally ancient popcorn, but the other concessions are good, the price is right ($ 6.50/$ 8.50), and the seats are comfortable. A worthy alternative to the zoo at Southpoint, if you’re looking for first-​run movies.
The Lumina also shows movies outside on the Village Green in the summer for $ 4 – great for families. In February, they’ll be hosting the indy Blue Sky Film Festival (
), which helps support The Arc of Orange County. This nonprofit serve people with developmental disabilities. Good job, Lumina!

Great theatre in Chapel Hill. Cheap and clean. Seen about 4 movies here, one outdoors.
Saw HP7 here for $ 6.50 this past sat. After the movie, a theatre employee dressed up as Harry (with a striking resemblance to HP) came in sitting on his broom – a great personal touch.
Go here for just released new movies and to Varsity Theatre (four bucks) for movies that have been out for over a couple months. Read the rest of the reviews for more details.

We had to stop going to this theater after it hit rock bottom in neglect last year.
The theater we were in had a large tear in the screen — in the middle — and one sound channel kept going out every few minutes.
When we contacted the management we were told that, «yeah, it happens all the time» and they might get around to fixing the sound, but not the screen. So, be warned, they have no problem charging premium prices for a ripped screen and broken sound when they clearly know about the problems.
Shame on them.

I have only seen one film at the Lumina, on two separate occasions. That film happened to be «Inception», but that’s not the point right now, though it is an awesome movie.
One of those was inside the theater, which is quite the impressive theater: the hand rests can be repositioned up, which is always good. Furthermore the seats are also highly comfortable, and the theater itself is well kept.
The other time was outside, as part of their summer movie series. This is quite awesome: showing new movies outside during the summer at night.
Overall, the Lumina is a great theater, and probably the best showing first-​run films in Chapel Hill (its only competition on this is Timberlyne, so it’s not saying much, but still). The price is right, the seats are nice, and the experience is great.