Bow-tie Palace 17 and Odyssey Theater

Ah, the cinema. Where lovers of the moving image can gather together in front of a big screen, with the best sound, to enjoy an anticipated movie. The chairs are comfy, the atmosphere’s friendly, and the movie’s a masterpiece, right?
This, at least, is the ideal scenario. Except going to the cinema is rarely like this, largely because there are so many variables. When you think about it, a pleasant movie going experience is reliant on a mixture of things all happening at once: the people around you behaving themselves (CRUCIAL), the theater’s equipment functioning correctly, and the film itself living up to expectations.
Invariably, one or all of these things can go wrong — sometimes horribly so.
To be fair, Bow-​tie in Hartford is a decent size so you can count on them playing a variety of movies, for a longer time period. This is especially convenient if you haven’t seen that latest blockbuster that recently came out. The theater itself is average in terms of cleanliness and customer service. But, it’s the movie-​goers that ruin the experience: Ebert and Roper amateurs, crying babies, full-​on conversations… this is THAT movie theater.
I appreciate the half-​off prices on Tuesdays, but other than that, Bow-​tie in Hartford is kinda meh.

This theater is very nice. I enjoyed the comfortable seating, delicious popcorn, and clean restrooms.
Much prefer this theater over the AMC in Plainville.

Don’t go to this theater. Unless you want Gary, the associate (ticket taker) to be rude as Hell! Put his gross hands on you! Yell at you and search your purse. All while selling tickets to The Revenant to SIX YEAR OLDS! Seriously? How can you sell tickets to such a graphic movies to kindergartens? Even if they are with their parents? They should be turned away! Our experience didn’t get much better. Multiple People snuck in at the end interrupting the entire movie. Only to stand in front of the screen and talk loudly. When the lights came up I was slightly relieved to see that the multiple people who were allowed to bring newborns in had given them enough Motrin to knock them out. And where was Gary when all this happened? Nowhere to be found…

4 stars for $ 6 movies on Tuesdays. My fiancé and I frequent this theater on Tuesdays for $ 6 movies. We have never been any other days of the week. Every time we go on a Tuesday there is a reasonable crowd. It is busy but not overcrowded and we never have a hard time getting into the movie of our choosing. Staff is very friendly especially Gary at the ticket check area. A plus for customer service. Place is clean and comfortable. Not the best part of town but I have never felt unsafe here. Large well lit parking lot. If you’re looking for a fun date night or family outing visit Bow Tie on a Tuesday and you will not be disappointed.

It’s been years since I have been to this theater. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not much has changed. The staff was friendly and all areas of the theater were clean. I even made a stop to the ladies room, and it was one of the cleanest that I’ve seen.
We had a slight problem with the ticket reservation, but the manager came over and straightened it out, with five minutes to spare.
The snacks were outrageously priced, but what theater isn’t these days?! My husband and I shared a large popcorn and large Diet Coke, and I think it set us back about $ 14.
This was my first experience with a 4K digital movie. It’s supposed to be better than HD, but I didn’t notice the difference. What I did notice was, that the sound was perfect!
Given the chance, I would not pass up seeing a movie at this theater.

Cramped. Went to go see Brooklyn and there were no seats next to each other. I am not sure why they even make seats in the front because it hurts your neck so bad and it’s super uncomfortable. Luckily there were some side seats where we sat and that was fine. A lot of people left buffer seats in between them and other parties but for such a small theatre (at least our room was) it was awfully hard to find seating.

I went to this Theater on May 16^th 2015 to watch a movie that started ay 3:50pm. We arrived at 3:45pm and I went out to my car at about 5:40pm only to discover that my passenger window had been smashed in; They failed at getting my radio. We notified the Bow tie employees and they were really helpful and we called the police department. It turns out my car was one of four cars that were broken into that day!!! When I told my best friend what happened she told me her brother in laws car was broken into on May 8^th 2015 at the same location. When we notified the employees one of the employees told us his car was broken into last week!!! I called corporate about 15 minutes ago and the «lovely lady» told me there was nothing she could do because they have signs that say park at your own risk. She also me that she hadn’t heard of any recent break ins! I just told her there had been 6 break ins in the past two weeks but she brushed me off. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND GOING TO THIS THEATER UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR CAR BROKEN INTO. The employees informed me that the break ins have been going for a few months and the «lovely lady» said she had no idea what I was talking about. The lady is from the corporate office. (203)659−2600 Ext: 608. I gave them two stars because at least their staff was helpful and apologetic!!!

We just saw The Avengers in 3D at Palace 17 and the projector had problems with focus during the whole movie. I let the manager know within 10 minutes of the movie starting but it was never fixed. This isn’t the first time having this experience with them. Either they have old projectors, or a staff that doesn’t care or perhaps the staff doesn’t know how to work the projectors. For the money you spend at a theater, the level of quality that they think is acceptable is insulting. Sorry Palace 17, it’s over. Shame on me if I go here again when there are better places to catch a flick in the area.

I alternate between this place and the Rave in Buckland hills. Just depends on the time of the show I want to see. They have the same problem as Buckland, a poorely run projection team. Theaters now run ads and promo materials before the show. So you can sit and watch something before the trailers and they can make some money doing so. But I’m sure the advertisers wouldn’t be thrilled to know that the projection lamp is often NOT TURNED ON during this time. Even if they paid one of the popcorn kids to check on the theaters once in awhile and make sure things are working. I’ve had the projector stall before the trailers and ten minutes later it still hasn’t been fixed. What if its not in focus??? Doesn’t anybody check this stuff?
I’ve gone into the big screen Odyssey theater and shook my head woefully at the old dim bulb that hasn’t been replaced in far too long. They need to realize, this is the age where many people have giant 55 inch screens in their living room, and don’t HAVE TO GO TO THE MOVIES. You need to provide an experience they cant have at home. And dishing out a lackluster performance is not the way to do that.
These theaters need to wake up before people realize that seven bucks for two cents worth of popcorn seeds is way too much for the lack of professionalism they are receiving in return.

This is a nice reliable movie theater. Definitely not the nicest in the area — I’d have to go with West Hartford or Manchester for that — but it does have a nice variety of movies to choose from. The theaters are not the newest and the facilities are not the cleanest, so do not expect an upscale movie theater.
Do remember that movies are half off on Tuesdays. With large theaters and a wide variety of movies, it’s always easy to get a good deal on a movie that you’ve been meaning to watch.

Overall, a good theater! This is my go-​to as it is closest to my house and most convenient. Also, I like to buy my movie tickets at AAA and this is one of the theaters that offers discounts through AAA.
The staff here are very friendly and efficient and the theater itself is clean. Large restrooms that are well maintained and sanitary. Snack bar has lots of options including ice cream! My fave.
The parking situation is acceptable with plenty of spots and tons of handicap spots as well.

$ 6 Tickets on Tuesday’s! It’s a regular movie theatre what more can you ask for? Popcorn is great, I thought the theatre was clean. I wish the seats could be better because they are kind of stiff. Other then that it’s a great theatre.

Ticket deals on Tuesdays! Large stadium seating. Lots of movie options.
This theater is conveniently located for Hartfordites and West Hartforders alike. This is a great spot for $ 6 movie night — the only night I go out to see movies nowadays! They always have a wide selection of movies, including those that I wouldn’t expect to still be playing.
Parking is a little odd… I can never get a spot near the entranceway. And theater/​bathroom cleanliness can sometimes be satisfactory, sometimes unsatisfactory.

This place used to be a decent theatre to see a movie, but in the past year or so, it’s really changed. Now, it would be my last resort to see a movie, which is a shame because it gets a good variety of films.
My most recent experience was just a shame. The movie stopped in the middle of a trailer and at least three guests had to go request that theater personnel come fix the film. After that snafu, the movie was shown with subtitles — incredibly distracting. Even after other patrons requested THOSE be removed, they persisted the entire duration of the movie. Just a few nights ago I was joking with a friend who saw another movie at the same theater who was lamenting that he not only got to see but read his movie… Well, lucky for me the problem wasn’t limited to Wild.
In general, the theater is not well managed and there certainly are better options.

This theater is hilarious. All three of their stars go to their selection, which offers the widest selection of indie films you could hope for in the area.
The technical quality is extremely poor. I’ve been in a screening where the projection was angled wrong, cutting off a corner of the screen. Often it sounds as if speakers are blown out. Even in the première theater, which is a terrifically large IMAX style screen, the set up is ridiculous. The doors to the theater are open to a lit hallway so beams of light project from either side onto the screen. These don’t go off once the house lights dim. Terrible design. And the screen is far too large for the auditorium it is set in. Unless you are sitting in one of the back two rows, you’ll feel like you’re watching an hd TV from about a foot away.

$ 6 movies in Tuesdays is phenomenal! I come here frequently to catch a flick during the week since it’s a steal. I believe there is also a popcorn deal on Tuesdays.
If I could give this place a different star for different days of the week, I would! I went on a Friday and it was packed, people talked the entire time and there was definitely something illegal going on during the movie. No one checks the theater during the show, so I believe this is why people act the way they do. I can’t really fault this place for the things people do but I do know, I will only go to the West Hartford theater on the weekend. One star theater on the weekends.

So after I got over my vertigo like symptoms trying to follow the action in the movie on the floor to ceiling wrap around screen, I settled in and was able to really enjoy what the Odyssey offered.
Yes, it’s a bit more money at $ 10.50 for the matinée, but the stadium seating, reclining seats, and huge screen make it worth it. Especially for an action movie. And it’s even better when you’re two of four people in the theater and can pick the exact right seat.
PS– don’t sit too low in Odyssey. You really will be craning your neck.

This is a good theater with big (and extra big Odyssey) screens and a number of theaters, featuring mainstream and indie films. I’ve found, though, that I might avoid seeing certain movies at certain times because to avoid the masses. I’ve sat though many movies with people who talk, use their cell phone, bring babies and young children into horror movies; people just tend to be inconsiderate in this theater. Seeing a popular movie here on opening night is out of the question.
Also, the management team sucks. My boyfriend and I went to a movie yesterday and the sound wasn’t working. He went out and told someone at the concession stand, who replied, «yeah, they know.» Five minutes later, we are still sitting there watching the movie with no sound (and it wasn’t meant to be a silent movie). This time we both went out and told the concession worker that the movie needed to be restarted, and she pointed us to the manager. This is the conversation that followed:
T: We’re about 5 – 10 minutes into the movie and the sound isn’t working. You need to restart the movie.
Manager: Well, I think its still in the previews.
T: Its not. As I just told you, its 5 – 10 minutes into the movie. You need to restart it.
Manager: (shrug) I can’t restart the movie.
T: Then you need to give us a refund.
Manager: I can’t do that. Its not like you saw the whole movie.
T: We’re watching the movie and we have no idea whats going on because there is no sound. Why can’t you just restart it?
Manager: I can’t do that.
The manager walked with us toward the theater and by the time we got there, the problem had been resolved, so he just walked away. What a dick.
About 6 months ago (January), my friend and I went to a movie and the theater was FREEEZING. Neither of us wanted to miss anything in the movie by getting to up to complain, so we just curled up in our seats and covered ourselves with jackets as blankets. As we were leaving, I stopped to just let the manager know.
Me: Just to let you know, we were just in theater 7 and it was really cold in there.
Manager: It shouldn’t be, the heat automatically turns on at the start of the movie.
Me: Well, we were just in there and the heat wasn’t on, and we were freezing.
Manager: Oh. Ok.
Nobody cares. Its too bad that this theater has issues, because its a nice theater. I’m sure I’ll be back, but I’ve really been favoring the new Spotlight Theater downtown, which is super nice.

I love coming to this Hartford area theater as it is one of the few in the area that shows both mainstream and «artsy» movies.
The theaters are always clean and I have never had that «sticky floor» problem that I have encountered in other theaters.
In addition to theaters that show «regular» and 3-​D movies, this theater also has an Odyssey Screen (whose screen is basically 2x the size of a «regular» screen). However be advised that seating for 3-​D and Odyssey movies will cost you extra.
There is also a concession stand with standard movie treats but Odyssey gets extra points for the fact that their popcorn is freshly popped.
They also have a rewards program where you can earn points for free tickets and food.
And if you are on a budget — never fear — All movies are at a discounted price anytime during the day (or night).

Any theater that still projects in film will always get my stamp of approval. Not sure how much longer that will last…
The funny old guy at the snack bar and the comfortable seats is a nice bonus.
The only negative would be the lack of people working there. I have never seen more than one person selling tickets. It would be wise for you to show up a little early. Otherwise you might be stuck waiting in line to buy a ticket while the film is starting.