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Where Chicago goes to watch

Real film, old palaces, free campus screenings and one drive-in worth the drive. Pick a seat, turn the phone off.

Chicago is a ridiculous movie town. You can catch a 70mm print in a 1929 palace on a Tuesday and a free 16mm double feature on a college campus on Friday. Most cities would kill for one of these rooms. We have a dozen.

This is the short list. Every place here was checked as open in 2026, and we grouped them by what you actually want out of the night: real film, a gorgeous old room, weird stuff you can't stream, or the biggest screen in the city. Do the sesh at home, then go sit in the dark. Every theater here is no-smoking, so handle your business before you leave the house.

Real film: 35mm and 70mm in Chicago

If you want to see light shot through actual celluloid, these are your rooms. Film grain, a little flicker, the occasional reel change. It hits different, especially a couple hours after a good bowl.

  • Lakeview (Southport Corridor)

    Music Box Theatre

    3733 N Southport Ave

    The Music Box opened in August 1929 and it still feels like it. The main room has a painted night sky ceiling, about 700 seats and a theater organ that gets played before shows and during monthly silent films with live accompaniment. It's the house that runs the city's 70mm Film Festival every year, a two-week run of big-format prints, and it shows 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm annually. If you've never seen the Stargate sequence on a print that size, fix that.

    In June 2026 it opened a third screen, a 98-seat room built into two old storefronts next door. The Chicago Film Society also runs an all-celluloid 35mm and 16mm series here. Between the three rooms, almost any night has something you can't get at home.

    TipSit in the middle of the main room, halfway back, and look up before the lights go down.

  • Hyde Park (University of Chicago)

    Doc Films

    1212 E 59th St (Ida Noyes Hall, Max Palevsky Cinema)

    Doc Films traces its roots to 1932 and was officially founded in 1940, which makes it the longest-running college film society in the country. It's student-run, cheap, and the booth is serious: two 35mm projectors and a 16mm projector, plus digital. Programming runs in themed series, so one night it's a director retrospective and the next it's some kitschy midnight-energy thing nobody else would book.

    The crowd is grad students, Hyde Park lifers and film nerds who took the Metra down. Nobody is on their phone. It's the purest movie room in the city, and it's a great excuse to spend an evening in Hyde Park.

    TipCheck the quarterly calendar ahead of time. Series nights sell out when the print is rare.

  • Citywide (no home theater)

    Chicago Film Society

    Not a building, a crew. Projectionists started the Chicago Film Society in 2011 to keep celluloid alive, and they now program 35mm and 16mm screenings around town, most visibly a regular series at the Music Box. Every show comes with an intro and a short subject, the way moviegoing used to work.

    They also team up with the Siskel Film Center on Celluloid Now, a multi-day showcase of analog film and restorations. If the words new 35mm print make your heart rate go up, just go to whatever they're showing.

    TipTheir Music Box nights are the easiest entry point. Show up for the short, it's part of the deal.

The old movie palaces

Chicago built some of the most over-the-top movie houses in America in the 1910s and 20s. A few still run films. Going to one is half the reason to go.

  • Logan Square

    Logan Theatre

    2646 N Milwaukee Ave

    The Logan opened in November 1915 as the Paramount and took the Logan name in 1929. The marquee on Milwaukee is the neighborhood's front porch. A renovation added Art Deco details, a bar and lounge, and four screens, so you get new releases plus second-run and cult picks in a room that actually has some history in the walls.

    It's a walkable night. Eat on the boulevard, catch a show, grab a drink at the bar after. Pair it with our Logan Square guide.

    TipGet there early enough to have a drink in the lounge. It's the move.

  • Lincoln Square

    Davis Theater

    4614 N Lincoln Ave

    Built in 1918 as the Pershing, renamed the Davis when talkies came in, and restored as a three-screen neighborhood cinema that reopened in 2016. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Programming mixes first-run indies and studio stuff with revivals, so in one week you might see a brand new festival film next to Ken Russell's The Devils.

    Small rooms, low drama, good sound. It fits sleepy Lincoln Square perfectly.

    TipRepertory nights here are underrated. Check the special screenings before defaulting to the new release.

  • Downers Grove (west suburbs)

    Tivoli Theatre

    5021 Highland Ave, Downers Grove

    The Tivoli opened on Christmas Day 1928 and was the second theater in the country to open with sound movies. It's still one huge single screen, about 1,000 seats, never chopped up into a multiplex. Classic Cinemas has run it since 1976 and shows first- and second-run films plus live shows.

    It's right by the Downers Grove Metra stop, so you can make it without anyone driving.

    TipTake the BNSF Metra line out. You get off a short walk from the marquee.

  • The Loop

    Chicago Theatre (look, don't watch)

    175 N State St

    The most famous marquee in town opened in 1921 as the flagship movie palace of the Balaban and Katz chain. It stopped showing regular movies in 1985 and now books concerts and comedy. Walk past the sign lit up at night, then go a block down to the Siskel to actually see a movie.

Repertory cinema and independent movie theaters in Chicago

This is where the strange, foreign, old and tiny films live. Lower budgets, better taste, smaller crowds.

  • The Loop

    Gene Siskel Film Center

    164 N State St

    Founded in 1972 as the film center of the School of the Art Institute and on State Street since 2001, the Siskel runs two theaters and something like 1,500 screenings a year. Expect first-run foreign and indie releases, monthly retrospectives and themed series. In fall 2026 that meant a Creature Features run with The Thing and Bride of Frankenstein next to brand new arthouse titles.

    It's the most reliable downtown spot for a movie that isn't a franchise. The Loop gets quiet fast after dark, so check the eat guide for late food before you go.

    TipGrab a membership if you'll go more than a few times a year. Series nights fill up.

  • Lincoln Park

    FACETS

    1517 W Fullerton Ave

    Milos Stehlik started FACETS in 1975, first as a stage theater in a church basement, and it turned into Chicago's home for international, obscure and cult cinema. It hit 50 in 2025 and its board rebranded it FACETS Film Forum, leaning into screenings with talkbacks and community nights. It's also famous for its rental library of tens of thousands of titles.

    The room is small and unpretentious, with anime nights and indie showcases on the calendar, and it's still screening in 2026. Build a Lincoln Park night around it.

    TipGo to a screening with a discussion afterward. That's what the place is built for.

  • Edgewater

    Chicago Filmmakers (Firehouse Cinema)

    1326 W Hollywood Ave

    A nonprofit screening room inside a renovated old firehouse in Edgewater. Programming leans experimental, documentary and queer cinema, with donation-based screenings and community events. The org also runs the Onion City Experimental Film Festival and Reeling, the city's LGBTQ+ international film festival.

    Tiny room, real heads in the audience.

    TipDonation-based nights are the easiest way in. Throw them a few bucks, it keeps the lights on.

  • Evanston (Northwestern)

    Block Cinema

    40 Arts Circle Dr, Evanston

    Every Block Cinema screening is free and open to the public. Started in 2001 inside Northwestern's Block Museum, it's in its 25th season in 2026-27 and focuses on hard-to-see work, often shown on original 16mm and 35mm. Films play in the 150-seat Pick-Laudati Auditorium, first come, first served, doors 30 minutes early.

    Free, on film, by the lake. Take the Purple Line up and turn it into a whole afternoon.

    TipSeating is first come, first served. Show up when doors open for anything with buzz.

Big screens: the best IMAX in Chicago and the Alamo

Sometimes you want the loudest, biggest version of a blockbuster. Heads up: the old Navy Pier IMAX closed for good in 2021 and the space is now a flight-ride attraction, so ignore anything online still pointing you there.

  • Bucktown / Logan Square border

    Regal City North IMAX

    2600 N Western Ave

    Open since 1999 and the North Side's go-to IMAX for years. The IMAX room is a laser auditorium, and it's an easy hop from Logan Square or Bucktown. This is where a lot of locals see the big releases the way the studios want them seen.

    TipPick seats in the center a little past halfway back. Front rows are a neck workout.

  • South Loop

    AMC Roosevelt Collection 16

    Roosevelt Collection Shops, South Loop

    The old ShowPlace ICON shut in summer 2024 and AMC reopened the 16-screen space in April 2025 with IMAX with Laser and a Dolby Cinema room, plus recliners. It's the closest true premium screen to downtown right now.

    AMC River East in Streeterville has city permits to convert an auditorium to IMAX, but there was no opening date as of fall 2026. Until that lands, Roosevelt and City North are the picks.

    TipDolby is the sleeper pick here if the IMAX show is sold out. The sound is huge.

  • Wrigleyville

    Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville

    3519 N Clark St, 3rd floor

    Chicago's only Alamo opened in January 2023 across from Wrigley Field: six screens, food and cocktails brought to your seat, plus themed movie parties and cult picks between the blockbusters. The building is dedicated to John Hughes, with a Ferris Bueller car photo op in the lobby.

    The real draw is the Video Vortex bar, a VHS-era shrine with 32 taps and over 11,000 DVDs and Blu-rays you can rent for free. Order food before the trailers end.

    TipAvoid Cubs game days unless you love crowds. Wrigleyville goes feral.

Drive-ins near Chicago (seasonal)

The Cascade Drive-In in West Chicago announced it was closing for good in 2019, so a lot of old lists are wrong. The closest real drive-in is out in McHenry County.

  • Lakemoor (McHenry County)

    McHenry Outdoor Theater

    1510 N Chapel Hill Rd, Lakemoor

    One giant screen, about 100 feet wide and five stories tall, playing new releases from spring into fall. The 2026 season opened April 3. It's a whole summer night: blankets, snacks, the radio tuned in, kids running around before dark.

    A drive-in means somebody's driving, so pick a sober driver for the round trip. Your car is also technically a public consumption ticket in Illinois, parked or not. Have the sesh at home earlier in the day and let the designated driver handle the highway.

    TipGo on a weeknight in summer and get there early for a good spot near the center.

Making a night of it

The easy formula: smoke at home, ride to the theater, eat after. Music Box pairs with Southport bars, the Logan with Logan Square, Doc Films with a Hyde Park dinner.

For where you actually can light up without catching a ticket, read our where to smoke guide. For the munchies after the credits roll, hit the eat guide. If someone in the group is new to all this, send them the first-timer guide before you dose for a three-hour movie. A long film plus a strong edible is a commitment.

Questions people ask

Where can I see 70mm film in Chicago?

The Music Box Theatre in Lakeview is the city's 70mm house. It runs an annual two-week 70mm Film Festival and shows 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm every year. The Chicago Film Society also programs rare prints around town.

Where can I see 35mm movies in Chicago?

Doc Films at the University of Chicago, the Chicago Film Society's series at the Music Box, and Block Cinema at Northwestern all project 35mm regularly. Block Cinema screenings are free. The Siskel Film Center also hosts celluloid programs like Celluloid Now.

What is the best IMAX in Chicago?

Right now it's Regal City North on Western Avenue or AMC Roosevelt Collection 16 in the South Loop, both with laser IMAX. The Navy Pier IMAX closed in 2021. AMC River East has permits for an IMAX conversion but no opening date yet.

Is there a drive-in movie theater near Chicago?

Yes. The McHenry Outdoor Theater in Lakemoor runs a seasonal schedule from spring into fall, and its 2026 season opened April 3. The Cascade Drive-In in West Chicago is closed for good.

What are the best independent movie theaters in Chicago?

The Music Box, the Gene Siskel Film Center, FACETS in Lincoln Park and the Davis Theater in Lincoln Square are the core. For more experimental stuff, try Chicago Filmmakers' Firehouse Cinema in Edgewater.

Can I smoke weed at a Chicago movie theater?

No. Theaters are no-smoking, and public consumption in Illinois is technically a ticket, including in your parked car. Smoke at home before the show and let someone else drive.

Are there free movie screenings in Chicago?

Block Cinema at Northwestern's Block Museum in Evanston is free and open to the public, often on 16mm and 35mm. Chicago Filmmakers runs donation-based screenings in Edgewater.

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