| Theater | The Pitch | The Catch | The Deal | Ranking (Out Of 5) |
| AMC Veterans 24 9302 Anderson Road, Tampa | With 24 screens — albeit several showing the same flick — you have a little more to choose from. Convenient location just off the Veterans Expressway. | Can be tough to navigate through the 50,000 teenagers massed out front every weekend night. The bubble gum-pop music piped into the parking lot likely was liberally employed at Abu Ghraib. | A perfectly okay, if unexceptional, option for your viewing needs. | 3 |
| AMC Regency Brandon 20 2496 W Brandon Blvd. | Lots of screens, lots of showings, and — for dinner-and-a-movie types — tons of dining options within a 3-mile radius. | Despite an enormous parking lot, finding a Friday night space is like trying to win the Lotto. This lot also draws a hearty allotment of, let’s say, “boisterous” teens. | If you want to catch a movie in Brandon, your choices are here and, well, here. So order ahead to avoid the lines, saving valuable time for the oft-unending search for a parking spot. | 3 |
| Channelside Cinemas 10 and IMAX 615 Channelside Drive | Occasionally mixes in alternative fare with blockbusters. Enormous IMAX screen, plus incredible sound, is the only appropriate way to see films like 300, Spider-Man 3 and the upcoming Live Free or Die Hard. | Parking — the garage is remote and can be a pain to navigate. Valet service generally costs $5 (plus tip), and it’s not always available. IMAX tickets aren’t cheap ($12 for a regular adult ticket), though in my opinion, they’re worth it. | Worth it to catch big-budget, special effects-laden action flicks in IMAX. Conveniently walkable for Harbour Island and Channel District folks. | 4 |
| Movie Majestic 20 @ Centro Ybor 1600 E Eighth Ave., Tampa | Good screens, good sound, stadium seating. Easy to get great seats any weekday, because hardly anyone ever comes here. The four adults-only “Premier” theaters serve booze (and free popcorn). | Centro Ybor’s new developers plan to remove some screens for other uses. Ybor City can be a challenging environment (parking-wise, and otherwise) Thursday through Saturday. | Management is cool. Well, it was when a buddy and I drunkenly stole a giant inflated “Shrek” from the lobby one night. (We soon returned it, after showing it around Adobe Gila’s.) | 4 |
| Tampa Theatre 711 Franklin St. | Historic and gorgeous. Often the only place around showing particular independent and foreign films. | Just one screen means just one film at a time. Not a destination if your tastes lean more mainstream. Street parking’s the only parking, which can fill up for big events. | It’s the jewel of downtown Tampa. Which, granted, isn’t hard in downtown Tampa. Just pace yourself (virtually) next door at the Hub. | 5 |
| Westshore Plaza 14 210 Westshore Plaza, Tampa | Fairly new theaters, clean, bright screens with good sound. Offers something nearby competitor International Plaza doesn’t: movies! | Main entrance is from the mall roof. I’ve been there many times, and I still forget which ramps go up to the theater. Also can get packed with adolescents and teens. And departures can get backed up. | Generous parking on the roof area (when you find it) and a solid experience overall make Westshore a fine option. | 4 |
| Zota Britton Cinema 8 3938 S Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa | Closest option for MacDill Air Force Base employees and neighbors. Prices a bit lower than competitors. | That’s because the theater is like 10,000 years old, and it looks and sounds it. Outside, it can get a little sketchy, especially in the evening, with loiterers and other characters. | Consistently amazes by remaining open (except for a short hiatus a few years back) long after most nonstadium-seating cinemas shuttered. There are many better options. | 2 |
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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