Criterion Cinemas

I like this theater. Why?
1) The parking is validated so I don’t have to be cheap, continually circle the block for metered parking and can see the previews.
2) They have discounts: student discounts, military discounts, matinees, and cheap Tuesdays. This may not be a selling point for you, but living in DC where every movie, no matter what time, is $ 13.75, going to Criterion when I’m home in New Haven makes me feel like I’m getting a steal!
3) Good options at the concessions. Wine, beer, caramel and cheese popcorn– winning in my book.
4) It’s a combo. This theater in particular is a hybrid offering both maintain stream and independent films, giving you the best of both worlds.
I know what you’re thinking, you got so many positive things to say, why not 5 stars? Simple, I went to see Star Wars after Christmas and I was F-​R-​E-​E-​Z-​I-​N-​G. While it was 45 degrees outside, that really doesn’t warrant the AC, right? I found myself curling up to my mom, who was also freezing, and deciding how we were going to divvy up the scarf and sweater wrap that I was wearing for warmth. This may work great for a good date but not for a family outing or a bad date. I had to leave and ask the manager to turn up the heat, a request I could barely get out through my chattering teeth (no lie, it was that cold in there). He obliged and I felt the difference when I returned to my seat… for about 15 mins, then back to the arctic.
So all I have to say is the theater is great BUT Criterion Cinemas New Haven– please remember, this theater is located in Connecticut. Post November, crank up the heat!

Love, love this place! Cozy and convenient! Went to see Star Wars here… great crowd. Clean theaters. The staff behind the pop corn counter were fun to talk to… And if you’re feeling like it, you can get a martini.

This place is my Tuesday hideaway. I go every Tuesday. Very quiet/​intimate seating. Even if there’s a big move. I can still watch in peace. Giant popcorn for cheap (which I NEVER finish) and rewards card that gives you discounts or free items after a certain amount of screenings. I recommend if your an introverted weirdo like myself but love movies. This is the place to go. :)

Love how easy everything at this theater is. It’s never crowded and tickets never sell out (even if it’s a première). It’s clean and the screen is very wide so you can see pretty well from all angles.
Location is a little sketch but definitely 100% walkable from campus so really not much to complain about.
I’m a fan!

This place would get 5 stars if the service was nicer and they went back to Pepsi. Besides that you got a wide variety of movies (blockbuster to art house), cheap Tuesday films, they serve wine + beer, got cool art on the walls, and are located right downtown. It’s basically run like an independent cinema, but knowing it’s a chain I’d wish they’d step up service a bit more.

For my first birthday in New Haven my girlfriend and I decided to give Criterion Cinemas a try.
First of all, the admission price for a student is $ 8. That is the least that I’ve paid for a movie in years. Based on that alone I’ll be back.
Also, where I’m from I’ve never seen alcohol sold in a movie theater but I’ve always wanted it to be. My girlfriend had and glass of wine and I had a beer. The theatre wasn’t crowded at all and we got first pick at our seats.
This will be my go to theatre in New Haven. Not bad for a cheap date.

Not the most modern or cleanest of cinemas. However, they do have a good combination of the newest releases, as well as indie and art house films. They serve decent popcorn and alcohol but not necessarily with a smile. Expect to pay around $ 11 for cinema ticket which is the going rate for the average cinematic experience.

You know, Criterion has all of the elements of a very good movie theater. It has a great location. It shows both mainstream and indie flicks. They have cheap Tuesdays. They validate parking. They have booze. The staff are generally friendly, if not a little apathetic (and who wouldn’t be?).
But you know what that’s worth if you can’t make the actual cinematic experience work? Nothing.
Two weeks ago I came and saw Ex Machina there. The movie was about to begin. But strangely enough, the lights were still on. That’s weird. And annoying. Five minutes later, lights are still on. My friend shouted «lights!» but nobody’s in the projector room. Someone had to leave the theater and ask someone to turn the lights off. That man is a hero. Sacrificing his own time of seeing the movie just so the rest of us could enjoy it.
How hard is it to turn off the lights? I do it all the time. Bam, I just did it. Bam, just did it again.
I wish I could say that’s the first time.
Last night I saw Mad Max. Awesome flick. You know what would’ve made it even more awesome? A working sound system. Speech was so quiet I had a hard time hearing it. If it was «behind you,» you didn’t hear it at all. Surround sound seemed to be off. Everything was quiet. Never fixed. Two hours later, great film, terrible experience.
Not to mention that nobody had bothered to clean the theater before we came in. Garbage strewn everywhere. If I wanted to watch a movie in a place full of apathetic weirdos that nobody’s cleaned in weeks, I could’ve stayed home!
I don’t care if you have cool indie flicks and booze and cheap tickets if you can’t competently show a film. Twice in the last two weeks I have come to enjoy a cinematic experience and twice I have been left disappointed by Criterion’s seeming inability to turn a movie on, make the speakers work, and turn off the lights.
They seem to be doing fine business, but I won’t spend another dollar there until someone figures out how to actually show a movie.
I can get beers anywhere.

The people who work here are so mean. Got here 20 minutes after the last showing began and they wouldn’t let me buy a ticket and locked me out and left me out there even as I begged. Heartless. The credits probably hadn’t even finished. They kept me from vin diesal and I really needed a win today. There will be some crying in the shower over this.

This movie theater is excellent. Friendly staff, comfortable seats, excellent popcorn. Also, beer and wine! I love the Insomnia Theater, a midnight showing which plays cult films. We recently saw Fargo and Donnie Darko. Movies and Mimosas are Saturday and Sunday mornings and show classics such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The other customers are always polite, I’ve never experienced any annoying behaviors such as talking or phone use. THe best is the tiny theater which shows limited run films. It’s like being in someone’s personal theater, and you can strike up conversations with your neighbors waiting for the film to start. This theater is a bit out of the way for me, but if I’m spending the money on a movie, it’s worth the drive for the pleasant experience.

Clean, nice movie theater with a good location in downtown New Haven. They also have a nice variety of films and often have independent films that did not receive a wide release. Go on a Tuesday and get a discount!

The theater itself is nice and clean, looks good, I enjoy the old-​time theme. However the gentleman, could I call him a gentleman? At the box office was rude. We had paid for our tickets online and he just seemed annoyed that we came to pick up our tickets at the box. We had to spell our last name at least seven times. It has 6 letters. It didn’t help that The microphone/​speaker combination didn’t work half the time he was trying to talk. We could not hear him as he spoke to us through the glass. when we would politely say «excuse me we couldn’t hear you» he would yell into the microphone… but coupled with the look on his face, you could tell he was actually yelling AT us. We get it, you’re frustrated, your microphone doesn’t work, but don’t yell at us! Haha
Next up, concession stand. We bought popcorn and two coffees. The coffee looked like it was half water. It was completely translucent. It tasted like hot water. When we asked if they needed to put a new pot of coffee on, the poor kid (he was maybe 16 years old? Timid, obviously new) Got the manager. The manager did not acknowledge our concerns. we just wanted to make sure that the next customer did not order coffee with it tasting this way, the manager gave us a refund with no problem, but didn’t check the coffee or anything. We actually wanted fresh coffee not our money back.
The movie was fine, the restrooms are clean.

There are few Movie Theaters of this quality left in CT. So many have gone by the wayside. We enjoy this venue it shows many genres including main stream and indie movies. Its great to see venues loke this still thriving.

Went to see hobbit. Movie skipped terribly-​could not fix. Waited forever to get refund. Terrible customer service. Will never return.

So starting off I went to this cinema and I don’t ask for a lot but service service service service is very important to me. Coming from the culinary world and hospitality there are some requirements like «hi» and «what can I do for you» or even a freakin welcome to their cinema THESE are simple customer service qualities that you expect .
But no I walked in at about 430 today bought my tickets the guy at the counter wasn’t rude but very awkward and then we walked up to the snack counter and the girl literally just stared at us no smile, no hi, no what would you like just a blank stare and when we asked for 3 small popcorns she gave us a lost look just really uncomfortable.
Only reason I gave them a 2 star is because they served alcohol and the movie Interstellar was epic besides them I’d rather spent my money at the Rave theater in Milford or north haven.

Typical movie theater, but with a bar! Went to see a movie at 3:30, and the ticket price was $ 11, which I consider a bit pricey. Oh well, my friend and I were only sharing the theater with four other people, so it was a good movie-​going experience overall!

I went to see The Equalizer movie with Denzel Washington. The movie theater seemed clean, acoustics were pretty decent, and the theater I was in was pretty small. The staff was nice, and it’s cool they serve alcohol.

This theater is always clean. They have a variety of new releases and showing films we loved growing up. I wish I had discovered this gem sooner.

The Good, The Bad, and The Great…
The Good:
It’s movies. The people are nice & helpful. The popcorn tastes like food.
$ 1 hershey bars.
The Bad:
Parking Blows. They validate Temple Garage for reduced rate. Or take your chances with metered parking. Fair Warning: some nearby meters have limits that are too short for early evening movies, go later and pay the meter until the time limit expires, I think is at 9. (or hit happy hour then refill the meter for a 7:00 movie)
Sometimes the outside windows are open, in the freezing cold. Standing outside in bitter cold to buy a ticket.
The board of movies posted in the window doesn’t list the showtimes. Really?
The Great:
Comfy seats.
Strange movies that other theatres don’t carry (Oscar nominated Shorts).
Occasionally they run popular movies for a long time.
Old movies on weekends, for night-​owls and, well, people up at 11 for a mimosa
Get the criterion card, cuz $ 6 Tuesdays is where its at!
Accrue points you can use for free snacks or eventually after many many Super Tuesdays, a free ticket.
Short walk to happy hour, nice dinner, cheap dinner, and Sat morning doughnuts.
Prime 16, Ordinary, Omni, the Zinc’s and Barcelona, chipotle, asian kitchen, shake shack, and Orangeside (square doughnuts before mimosas).

«Movie going the way it used to be. Only better.»
This is the line you hear up on the screen just after the trailers end and the feature presentation starts. How right they are.
Criterion is by far my favorite movie house in Connecticut. They show an excellent mix of big screen hits, independent features and documentaries. Whenever I hear about a must see indie feature or doc. that started in New York I look up whether Criterion has it coming and they always come through.
In mentioning the trailers, I love the fact that you get trailers and then the feature. That’s it. No annoying full length commercials or TV series previews like you get at many of the big chain theaters. I think this is a huge plus.
Definitely sign up for the Criterion Club Card and you’ll get $ 6.00 admission for up to two people on Tuesdays and you also will accumulate points that you can redeem for either free popcorn or a future free ticket.
You can also take advantage of Insomnia Theater on Saturday nights and Movies and Mimosas on Sunday mornings where they show all the classics of the past.
I like the fact this theater is right near Yale. It kind of brings an air of «culture» to the movie going experience. It feels like an indie house but with all the comforts of the larger theater chains. The interior is immaculate and the lobby is very welcoming as well.
Plus, in a college environment in a theater showing some of the more thoughtful films out there, you do not see many families. Hence, no kids equals peace and quiet during the movie.
And I say all these good things without ever exercising the wine or beer options that are available.
A final great bonus is the fact that you can park in the Temple St. garage and they will validate for $ 3.00. Just be sure to ask. You cannot beat that price for parking in Downtown New Haven. All you have to do if you are going elsewhere downtown is add a movie to your plan and you can park all day at a cheap rate.
I am a movie nut and love the indie movie going experience in New York City. But if you can’t get there the Criterion will do just fine.