The Little Theatre

LOVE this place! It’s a RARE GEM. great atmosphere. in the summer just be sure to wear a sweater because they pump out the air conditioning on high and it can get a bit cold. I love that they have interesting films here and the people here are those who appreciate what this place has to offer. it’s also great for students because they have a student discount. please support this place! they also have an area for classy bands to preform and for you to enjoy a bite to eat and something to drink. wonderful place and i hope it is around for a long long time!

The Little is Rochester’s own staple independent theatre. There are many things that make this place pretty cool. Among these things are the variety of films being offered, the price for admission and the special programs /​film series that are offered. Students and seniors are offered discounts. Movies tend to start promptly and there are usually multiple films beginning simultaneously. As a result, you’ll find that it will benefit you to arrive early in order to avoid standing in line and running late. Additionally, parking here is quite limited which means you’ll likely be parking on the street or at another nearby lot.
The concession stand offers typical theatre staples and prices are very reasonable. Seating is old school. The theaters are not state of the art, but the admission prices reflects this difference. Great theater if you’re looking for a specific film that is not messes riot being offered at a mainstream theater.

First time here since the good olé high school years circa 1994. Was roped into seeing Joy which actually I liked. I was taken aback by the standoffish ticket lady at first but maybe she was just having a rough day. I found the theater warm enough, comfortable enough and overall decent.

Slightly upset with The Little Theatre. I was running late to a 9:40 pm showing due to traffic and I arrived shortly after 10 pm and they refused to sell me a ticket to the movie. Even after describing my situation they continued to refuse to take my money; I originally planned to meet up with friends who were saving me a seat inside in the theatre. It’s truly a shame. I want to support local theatres but when you refuse to sell me a ticket after driving for two hours, that’s your problem now.

After being here twice I can give this place a proper review. This is a great local independent & foreign film center. Small, cozy and prices are terrific and the seats well can be a bit uncomfortable. Films seem to run about two weeks more or less from what I can ascertain. This is a place for people who really LOVE FILM. The front door has an old school marquee but the entrance for the time being is in the back. They do have parking but it becomes filled fast and street parking can be spotty. The staff is great and seems almost like a family they know the regulars really well. Popcorn is DA BOMB and get the butter with it! YUMMEH. Go support your local movie theater.

I will give the Little five stars just because coming here is a «classic» and «cozy» feeling that you can’t beat. I won’t compare it to the big wigs like Regal and AMC because the reason I come here is when I want to escape the typical «cinema» experience that big companies have created.
The Little is local, runs independent movies and has enthusiastic staff which feels like a local family. The concessions and movies are cheaper. The pop corn is excellent! The seats are not as comfortable as I would like but the positives outweigh any negatives.
They play special shows of classic older movies at times which I have been hoping to go to but haven’t been able to yet.
Parking can be tricky on busy weekends but I haven’t had major problems.
Will continue to enjoy and support The Little.

I really enjoy The Little Theatre! It is, of course, very cute and quaint, and it has a lot to offer that most other movie theaters don’t. The café is adorable and has lots of yummy options available. Prices are fair. And the atmosphere is super cool! It’s neat to see a movie in an older theater with the setup/​style of The Little. While the seats are not ultra comfortable, that’s not really the point.
The Little gets involved in lots of local events/​festivals, too! We saw a rock band play there during Fringe Festival this year.
They play a lot of great movies, but horror of unspeakable horrors, they seem to be playing some more mainstream stuff now! (Which is fine, really, I was just surprised when they were showing The Help awhile back when that was in theaters).

The Good: loads of independent flicks that you’d never see in your typical megaplex. They’ll work with local groups to setup special showings (films that were in the theater years prior). Prices are also very reasonable.
The Bad: the seats are about as uncomfortable as they come, you’ll find yourself shifting around and fidgeting trying to find a comfortable position at about the 1 hour mark. The soundstage is awful, even the worst megaplex has better a audio setup; echoey, tinny, and surround sound is practically non-​existant, an audio engineer would do the place wonders. Finding parking is annoying, but that’s pretty much par for the East End so you can’t really hold that against them.
TL;DR: only go if they’re showing something you can’t see anywhere else.

The Little Theatre is one of my favourite things in Rochester. I’ve been a member since I moved here and have never looked back. Whoever curates their movie selection has done a wonderful job!
I visit the Little on regular occasions with friends, or even just by myself. It’s always been cheery and inviting. This evening, for instance, I decided that I’d read my book over a coffee at Fuego, grab dinner at Hart’s, and then catch the 7 pm showing of Infinity Polar Bear (cute movie; great acting). It made for an excellent solo evening. If you’re ever in a similar mood of exploring the city solo, I’d highly recommend it!

The Little Theater is the cultural center for independent, and foreign films. They are a host to a variety of festivals such as the High Falls Film Festival, and Greentopia. Every-​time my friends want to go to a movie at the Little, I start off whining and complaining. In the end when the movie is over with, I end up leaving as a HUGE FAN. The outside, and inside have a complete vintage look to seeing movies back in the 1950’s. Inside the theater, there is the Little Café hosted by the neighboring Javas. I love having a nice brewed coffee from Javas before seeing a movie at The Little. I also saw a homemade fudge brownie on the shelf, and had to gobble it up. It was warm, rich, huge, gooey, and delicious. For $ 5.00, the brownie and coffee deal is the WAY TO GO. The main theater is big, with ample seating for everyone. My only complaint was there are no seat beverage holders for my freshly brewed coffee. The movies I saw that evening were a part of the Greentopia Film Festival.
The Greentopia Film Festival was about watching local directors making films about spirited documentary discussion. A lot of these films took place around the Rochester area. The screening I saw at The Little was Shortopia: New Visions/​New Voices. These were a collection of Short Films put together for one screening. One of the producers of the short films was Alex Freeman, who was in the theater audience. This dynamic individual can see through a multitude of cultures, environments, and life. His creative insight, with a remarkable «cool free» attitude make him a special human being in the world around us. I learned in the film Preserves about the oil pipeline bursting in Ecuador, and it the effects to the tribes around it. In Fungiphilia Rising, we got to see an insight into the mushroom culture. This includes the growing of shrooms, and the experiences some individuals have while eating them. Finally, in Hopped Upstate we learned about the creation of hops for beer. It was interesting to see how in Upstate NY the «hop» movement is economically on the rise. This experience continued after the film, as the Rochester Young Professionals hosted the Post Screening Social at Roc Brewing Company.
Overall: Vintage Cool, Javas Coffee, Fudge Brownie, Festivals, Independent Films, Cheap Ticket Prices, and one heck of a Movie Selection to talk about with your friends after… I will be back.

Very nice place to chill with people who enjoys each others company. Very humble looking place without all the fancy things other new, big theater now have. I wasn’t expecting reclining chairs like Loews in Webster, but a cup holder for your soda would be nice. The place was clean, staff were friendly. But wasn’t expecting to pay $ 11 for two small sodas and two small popcorn at The Little. The plus side here is that, you don’t have to deal with stupid juvenile punks and ignorant people talking during the showing.
I guess this is where the cultured crowed hangs out.
It was cool to see an old movie on the big screen. Reminds me of my younger days of going to the movies with your friends before Netflix and YouTube.

We go in streaks when it comes to seeing movies at the Little. We are downtown all of the time but when we do see movies we tend to go for the suburban stadium seating… But the Little’s selection of movies always draws us back (usually after seeing a preview at the theater we say there’s another movie we need to see — movies that don’t get much of the typical press). They are in the midst of upgrading their seats which in those theaters that have not yet seen the change really need it. I just love the funkiness of the place and the café with the live music on most nights is a bonus.
This place is a gem!

This is quite honestly one of my favorite places in all of Rochester. Even though I recently moved out of state, I’m still signed up for the weekly email newsletter just to read the genuine notes sent out by the staff and see what new and fun events they are hosting.
As an independent movie theater it’s much smaller than your average theater, but that’s part of its charm. Movie tickets are inexpensive and there is a discount for students — take advantage of that! The movie selection is always varied and a lot of the independent films you can’t find at a Regal or Cinemark theater are shown here. There is a café right next to the movie theater with great coffee, wine, and food, and I don’t know what magic they put into their popcorn, but it’s delicious. The staff is INCREDIBLY kind and friendly and very knowledgable of the films that are playing if you’re not sure what to see.
The Little Theatre hosts a lot of great events, too! They put together film series, showing movies of a specific category, like the Audrey Hepburn Film Series and a tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman’s works.
If you HAVEN’T been, you should definitely check it out, and if you HAVE been, make it your regular movie-​watching spot!

The Little is a wonderful theatre if you like smaller and more independent films, and you don’t like large crowds. Like the name suggests, The Little Theatre is, well, little. The size of each of the 5 screens is much smaller than you will find at any big name movie theatre chain. I, personally, like that. It gives a closer, more intimate feeling with the movie you’re seeing. The Little doesn’t just show indie movies, though. I watched Big Eyes there last night, and they are also showing The Imitation Game right now.
The Little is also cheaper than the big movie theaters. Tickets are normally $ 8 for any showing, but Monday nights are $ 5, they give student discounts with an I.D., and you can save $ 2 on a ticket most nights if you are a AAA member. There are a couple nice restaurants right down the street from The Little if you wanted to have a dinner and a movie date, and Harts is right next-​door to the theatre if you need to do a little grocery shopping and support local growers and makers. Be warned that there is limited parking. The Little has a very small lot, and Harts is 1-​hour parking for customers. You might get lucky and find a meter parking space on the street, but if you are having trouble, just down the street is a gravel lot that is free of charge to park in.
The Little is a great theatre, and it makes for a nice date night.

I love this local independent movie theater and love to support it at every chance I get. The movie tickets are cheaper than Regal or AMC and get even cheaper during the weekdays for students. So I make sure to check little theater’s showtime prior to seeing a movie. They always have a good selection of the movies and you won’t be disappointed.
There is café next to the movie theater and there they serve the most amazing lattés i have ever tasted; called the specialty latte, they have a variety of them to choose from and the best to my taste is the «turtle» one which is infused with different flavors.
There is always a band playing during the weekend and people just sit there and sip on a glass of wine and enjoy themselves.
Having said that, there are downsides to this place as well; apart from the latte, I don’t care for any other options at the café. The movie theater is always cold and The temperature bothers me all the time. But, for the price I pay, I can definitely put up with the cold.

I don’t come here often but when I do I am always happy. It is great to support local as much as you can and they are a great staple in our community. They are always putting on events to get people coming.
Whenever I am there to see a movie I am always happy. No, they do not have fancy theater seats but because of that it is never packed and annoying teenagers who are only at the movies to be at the movies aren’t there.
I enjoy coming here.

This is the best movie theater hands down. I have never been to any better. Not only is it a great place; prices are amazing for admission; the choices for snacks are very cool abd reasonable. And the popcorn… BEST POPCORN EVER! It really is.
I recommend coming here as often as you can. There is a café, with a great selection of desserts wine and coffee. Jazz in some nights. If you have come just come!
You won’t find a better place!!!

The Little is a true gem of a movie theater… kinda like the Alamo Drafthouse minus beer. It’s a seriously cool place to catch a first run independent film, the theater is noted for it’s ability to program & slot films that may be a bit too outré for the big chains. On top of that, the attached café serves up a wide variety of foodstuffs (paninis, wraps, salads, quiches and soups), tasty desserts, Italian sodas, coffees, tea, beer & wine. Live music can be heard most days; regulars include the Djangoners, Margaret Explosion, Annie Wells, Connie Deming, Charlie Mitchell Trio & the ever eclectic Watkins & Rapiers.
If you’re visiting Rochester, make sure to include a stop @ the Little.

If the seats were like amc I would give 5 stars. Can’t beat the price at all especially on a weekend and night. There r 5 theaters all together. They show movies that r indie films but also oscar winners. Came to see award winning Dallas buyers club. They also have cheaper concession and a little restaurant with live music.

I have been a member of the Little for over a year and love it. If you get a membership (student is $ 35=2.90 a movie) and a regular membership is $ 50 ($ 4.20 a movie) it ends up paying off in the long run. The cool thing about the memberships is you can also treat the person you are going with and just have the staff member sign off on one of your boxes in your card.
I prefer to come to the little rather than seeing more summer blockbuster sequel crap that hollywood spits out. The movies here are excellent. Last week I saw the latest Almódovar film, and an independent american film. Can’t wait to see Blue Jasmine next week.