Camelot Theatres

Was turned away tonight at the door because we were five minutes late. Incredulously, I asked if they were serious. The young man with glasses behind the snack bar replied: «The till is closed. We have to get ready to close and the till is closed.» He turned away another couple who came in a minute after us. Interesting someone would be there for the rest of the movie, but no one could sell us a ticket. Memorable way to lose customers.

The perfect small cinema, the kind I’m always surprised to find outside of Los Angeles!
Always has the movies that I want to see (smaller indies, documentaries, international) that never show up in bigger theaters.
Special events round out the bunch– including classic movie nights, some of which are paired with dinner at the Café upstairs.
Rock bottom tickets especially for matinees, very cheap snacks, friendly staff, special events, the movies I want to see… One of my favorite theaters on Earth.

Clean and beautiful theater. I’ve seen a slew of great movies there. I had a wonderful time at a rescreening of «Steel Magnolias».

Usually love the movies shown here but The Stanford Prison Experiment was such a horrible movie. We watched a while but could not take the disgusting movie. Can’t believe
Stanford would approve such.

Great movie come to this venue but it could use some perking up.

Nice clean movie theater. The two girls working the refreshment stand were very nice. The customer in front of me was very demanding and yet both girls were patient with her. I end up tipping the two girls for their kindness and help. My only suggestion is to get more comfortable seats. But I’m sure that is easier said than done. I’ll definitely be back to see more movies!

I went to Camelot Theaters during a short weekend trip to Palm Springs. They happened to be showing the old Superman movie and I thought it would be interesting to see it on a big screen. My biggest regret about going to this theater is that we ate before going to see the movie and did not get to eat at their on-​site café/​restaurant. It is a very classy establishment (the entire theater is actually) and the staff were very friendly. The price of the movie ($ 6.50) was also great and I LOVE that they show older movies and cult classics. Our «host» for the night was also the projectionist and he did a short intro before starting the movie which was much more pleasant than sitting through garbage trailers like most movie theaters force you to do. Overall, I would definitely recommend this venue.

So many good memories here! A great theater with great films. A+

15 mins early. ticket both closed and line coming out front door. one register open at concession stand for purchasing tickets and refreshments. waited in line for over 30 mins before getting near cashier only to find out the movie had already started 10 min previously. several people that were in front of us and behind us, including ourselves walked out.
they had 4 people behind the counter but only one register… did I mention that we stood outside in the rain? not going to give them second chance =(

Clean, lot’s of parking and good food choices (although I didn’t eat here)

It’s hard to imagine living in Palm Springs without the art house movie theater, café and wonderful staff that are the Camelot. As an avid (some would say rabid) moviegoer, I have more affection for this business than any other in town. Yeah, you can find cinematic experiences in town with cushier seating, but you won’t find anything approaching the quality of indie and foreign films that screen here, to say nothing of the employees both downstairs and up. A great community asset.

We really enjoy coming for dinner first upstairs on weekends and then to a show. The food is good, service is friendly and efficient. Nice to have a local theatre showing independent films without driving to Palm Desert.

We had a great experience in this one of nicest small theaters we have ever attended
The big guys could take a lesson on how to operate a people movie house
The movie concession provided the best Coffee and Cappuccino we have had in the desert.
My friend had the popcorn it had a fresh quility taste.
Small clean, with a great café up stairs that was a welcome surprise
perfect for an after movie eatery

We used to go to the Camelot several times per month.
We stopped going after finding out that our support of the this establishment
was returned with the owner giving political donations to Michele Bachman, to Bob Barr, the congressman who wrote the Defense of Marriage Act and they have donated to Proposition 8, the successful proposition that took away gay marriage in 2008. When they were found out, they were sorry they got caught, and when they saw that it would inhibit them financially, stated they would no longer give. but just knowing that one penny that I paid for a ticket went to Michele Bachman and Bob Barr is truly disappointing to say the least. You can read the official newspaper article yourself here, and decide if you would like to patronize them.
I am all for their freedom to contribute to any candidate that they choose, but I will also choose not to enable those contributions by giving them another penny.
Thanks kindly, Paul

I love this theater! I came here to see a friend’s movie première and the seating was ample, the architecture was interesting, there is a restaurant/​café upstairs, and another café where you can buy alcohol to bring into the theater. I even brought in a giant frozen yogurt concoction with a frozen banana sticking out of it and the staff were so nice to let me bring it in. I love the indie feel of the theater and love that they support such great artists.

I truly enjoy attending events at this theatre. It is conveniently located near my home, and I have had the pleasure of taking part in many film festivals and special screenings.
The café food is tasty and the employees are always professional. The weekend farmer’s market that takes place in the theatre parking lot is an added bonus.
This place is one of the reasons our town is so unique and special.

The Camelot is a fantastic theatre. I wish there were more of these types of theatres around, and less of the stadium multi-​plex variety. Not just in terms of ambiance, but in terms of the types of films they screen as well. It’s the spot for the off-​the-​beaten-​path indie films, not just the big-​budget stuff.
The ambiance is certainly something else. With a café in there as well, you almost feel as though you’re watching a show at the opera and not just a movie. It’s small; it’s intimate; and doesn’t have the things you complain about at all the big mulit-​plexes. Fantastic place to see a movie.
All that said, one major caveat. In spite of their contributions to the LGBT community of the Coachella Valley, the owners have been revealed to be big-​time donors to some of the most rabidly anti-​gay causes (Prop 8) and politicians (Michele Bachmann, Allen West, John Boehner).
While the owners certainly have every right to believe what they want to believe, and to support what they want to support, so do you. If you feel you can support the Camelot’s owners knowing where they send their money, then by all means do so.

I went to this theater during the GLBT Indy film festival. The theaters are smaller than your usual theater. Which is something I liked. Theater is very clean. The chairs were comfortable. The small concession stand only led to the charm of this place.

I saw Bernie on Monday. The theater and screens are teeny tiny, but that’s probably all the Palm Springs indie market can support. The sound and projection was very good. The lobby, theater and bathrooms were very clean. They have a lot of freebie screenings for special events.
You know what I LOVE about indie theaters? No rustlin’, gabbin’, textin’, fartin’, ice cube crunchin’, hockerin’…you get the idea. The Camelot was a little piece of civilization in my low class world.
Next time I’m gonna hit up the lounge beforehand for cocktails, cocktails, cocktails and see how that holds up.

I’m having the best weekend in Palm Springs that I’ve had in a long time!
Not wanting to see a mainstream movie, I was researching the art house/​foreign movies and stumbled across L’Arconcouer (the Heartbreaker). It was only showing at the Camelot theater, so we made our way over for a 7:30 show.
Walking up, the parking lot was nearly empty. I walked up the window and asked for 3 tickets. I gave the cashier my card. She wasn’t able to get the computer to communicate, so she comped us our tickets because I didn’t have enough cash to cover the ticket price! Where does that happen? Apparently, at the Camelot theater that happens. I thanked her profusely and walked in.
A very nice young man behind the snack bar tore our tickets. Jeff noticed a little café to the right of where we entered. He walked over and glanced at the menu of choices they had there. The gentleman behind the counter was sharing that the food bought there (sandwiches, for example) could be taken into the auditorium. I was impressed by the offerings they had there. He also shared that the bar upstairs had about 30 different choices for appetizers, all for about $ 4 each, but that food had to be consumed there. Jeff and my niece went up to investigate.
I went to the concession stand. (A man needs popcorn sometimes.)
I walked into the auditorium. It was a huge auditorium. The chairs had wooden backs and the seats were wide. On the side walls were arches with curtains hanging down. The screen area was covered by a curtain that matched the colors of the side curtain. I noticed a stage in front of the screen. There were also stage lights hanging over our heads. On my parent’s dish network there is a music channel called «Beautiful Music.» When I sat down, they were playing that same kind of music. Think orchestral Muzak movie soundtracks. I enjoyed it, strangely enough.
The projection was crisp and bright. (At one point the movie stopped for a second, no doubt a digital blip.) The sound was excellent, as was the temperature.
Even when we left, after the movie, the staff was thanking us for coming.
It is so refreshing to see a theater pay attention to details like that.
We will return, soon.