The Varsity Theatre Reviews

A small theater in the heart of the Ave in U-District, this place is pretty great if you are looking for movies and events that bigger, chain theaters do not typically show: documentaries, anime events, movie anniversary screenings and more can be found here.

The trade-off is that a small local-like theater can be very hit or miss when it comes to enforcing rules such as eliminating noisy patrons. Most times this is never a problem, but when it is, it's a big one.

It's also an aging location. One of the times I visited, the air conditioning was out and on a hot Seattle summer day, it was enough to make me pass up a day at the movies until it was fixed.

But most of the time, it's a great place as long as your expectations are not sky high. You won't get an AMC experience here, and that can be both a blessing and a curse.

I mean, it's old as hell, but it absolutely does the job. UW student discount, and it shows a bunch of those limited release flicks.

Great staff and wonderful theater.Please take down the old posters.Very nice and clean

really big theater wasn't expecting it to be that big. clean and nice staff. sad that the new Grinch sucked though

Pretty cheap for students (~$8) and close to campus!

Not a bad little theater at all. A little unusual to have the screens on different floors, but there was no bleed through as far as sound went. Seats decently comfortable. Prices are good. Really varied selection of films, from new stuff to stuff having 30 or 40 year anniversaries.

Quiet theater that shows films not usually found in the bigger theaters. There's often plenty of seating and you don't have to arrive more than 10 minutes before showtime (unless you pick a mainstream film). Close to food and drinks on the Ave.

Small and somewhat quirky theater. Doesn't seem to get very crowded.

It's a good place to watch a movie. Went there on a Monday night and we had the whole place to ourselves

Went to see Red Joan, fuzzy picture, no sound! Got refund at least!

Bad seats, bad movie experience. A really small theatre. Very cheap ticket prices

Theater changed the locationof the movies and did not put a sign up to inform the patrons. We got there early to find seats and realized we were in the wrong one ..along with about 20 other folks. We had to go into a dark theater interrupting the show in progressinprogressprogress and find stats

It's been a while since my last visit, so it was refreshing to see that it was still around and showing films. Was comfortable, showing its age but that gave it that rustic feel.

Went to a star trek event. The theatre was fine, but a little pricey.

Sound in upper theaters are not well balanced, heating doesn't work well in upper theaters either. Theater needs a refresh. However cheaper it might be than other theaters, I would say it isn't worth it. Better movie experiences can be found elsewhere.

okay, so they aren't the fanciest theater in town, but dang it I love seeing a small mom-and-pop type theater still working. Please visit them, prices are good, popcorn is good and we're keeping people in business

Small movie theater in the University District. They offer independent films and we were able to see the Oscar shorts which aren't offered at many other locations. On Tuesdays they have all showings for only $6.

Cute theater with the more diverse programming in town.

Its recent and exhaustive remodel has restored all of it's world famous, crusty charm! It's as if time stood still and I'm magically transported back to the 90's! Remarkable! Fancy!

Small and uncomfortable seats but you can't beat the atmosphere. It's like going back in time.

Unfortunately, this place is closed now, but it still shows movies on its big screen. Really spacious theatre that's a treat for watching big budget films where you just NEED a giant screen.

Love the theater! Really happy that the new management fixed it up but still kept all the charm. I was hesitant about losing 35mm, but the new digital projectors really make a difference with visuals and sound, and the movie selection has definitely improved. Looking forward to going back!

It was annoying that no movie times are listed anywhere. I don't understand why there isn't at least a white board. But the staff was nice and told me all the listings. The place isn't busy so I wasn't holding anyone up.

Food is basic. Just popcorn, soda and candy. That's fine.

The seats were nice but there's no cup holders. The place wasn't busy when I went there so putting all my stuff on the floor wasn't a problem.

Best thing about this theater is the prices. I think I spend half of what I do when I go to the AMC nearby.

If you're looking for a place to watch an indie film not released on the big screen, then this theater is it. It's a little bit run-down simply because it's old, but it suited me just fine. Slightly lower-than-normal prices for tickets and concessions.

Nice spot. Very cozy with some good food and drink options

This theater could have a longer life if they had maintained it a little better. Thankfully it is now a performance venue used by the Seattle Theater Group. Would have been a shame to lose another great piece of Seattle history.

It's an average theatre, however it's the only one in U District

A nice small theater located very close to the University of Washington campus. They have special showing events with cool small movies, so keep on the lookout for some great indie or oldie flicks.

Love it here. Lots of seats, love the guys at the counter, and I like that it stays open a little later too.

Quite run down, but they screen some very unique stuff and are quite affordable. The seats are super cramped and you can't spread out or you'll be asked to leave. So if your tall go somewhere else. Good screens though and nice sound.

Great awesome place cant wait till the reopening affordable pricing

Very bad experience. I understand Seattle has a lot of homeless people and that s the reason why there is no public restrooms. But I am the customer of the theater and they still don t let me use the restroom. So disappointed. Will not go again.

A wonderful place to go to see a movie and wonderful people who work their

Been to movies at THE VARSITY for years....it is now just one of Seattle's many endangered species. Sobs*

Amazing amazing place to worship God on Sunday mornings. Nice location and three different floors makes it a special place.

Quaint. Pretty empty when I went so it's a nice place to unwind. Very good prices.

Really nice vintage-style theatre, best place to go near UW if you're on a budget.

It's an old building, not very clean, but still good enough to enjoy a movie with friends!

When You go to the Varsity theater, you expect it not to be as glamorous as other theaters. But this will not prepare you for the actual theater experience.
If you cannot walk stairs then you do not want to go to the Varsity theater. All theaters are at least two and sometimes three stories up. And, as far as I can tell, there aren't any elevators.
When you get into the theater you will see that it is pitch black. There are no safety lights for you to walk into. This is, apparently, normal. I checked at the front desk to ask about it.
The theater does not use 35 mm. All screens are digital. The sound is loud and clear. The picture is as well. The theater itself will be small with no more than 90 seats and some of them will be missing with signs on the back of it chair telling you that the seat is missing.
Oh! There are no cup holders with the seats.this is important to know when you come in to a pitch black theater with your hands full of concessions.
Concession prices are fair and everything tasted fresh.
I don't know if I would go back to see a movie for the first time in this theater.
But, the experience wasn't terrible and I would go see another movie there. Just not for the first time.

I have walked past this movie theater on the Ave dozens of times and I always that that it was going to be rather sketchy and ghetto. But I was wrong! Do give it a chance and catch your next blockbuster here.

It looks like a dingy theater on the outside, but it is a dingy theater on the inside. Bathrooms don't look super clean and I'm worried about the cleanliness of the seats in the theater rooms. However, these qualities don't detract from the quality and variety of the showings themselves, which is realistically what people come to the theater for. Students get a discount so their final price is around $8-9, I believe. It's the best option for recent movies, but nothing special. Seating is not terribly restrained, so it's comfortable ebough. Thus, if you're going to a theater for cost and a movie, this is the place to go.

This has been my favorite theatre. I love the inside two-story level and the ambiance is great!

Dirty, dingy. Went to see 3D movie, which wasn't shown in 3D. No explanation.

I love the varsity because it's an old Seattle theater! I would rather go to an old Seattle theater than any new theater. Old theaters are a Dying Breed after the Harvard exit closed the Guild 45th and a number of others. Support the Varsity Theater!

Much bigger than it seems on the outside. Had a great time!

Good theater with reasonable rates. Deceptively large (three screens).

Might not be the flashiest theater but it's not terribly expensive and it has character!

Nice seats, they made us fresh popcorn and brought it to us in the theater...above and beyond.

It is an older theater and it shows, but the location is nice and prices are good.

Love it great place to relax an watch a movie great experience will continue to be my favorite place to go watch new releases.

Great place to catch some lesser known films with a student discounts. Seats are pretty iffy and relatively uncomfortable and the angle of the screen at some places strain your neck. Sound is okay but it's not superb but you get what you pay for.

Although the facade and hallway are old and a little worse for wear, the theaters themselves are generally pretty good and they have a substantially lower ticket fee for UW students than other more modern, chains. Definitely has character!

It vas vary noice , I go vith friends to cee misson WaTer

It's a really nice small movie theater with better prices than the big ones. If you like to support small businesses or pay less money for things, definitely go to varsity.

I love the Varsity Theatre, but I'm writing this with the intention of getting the attention of the owners. In early March I went to the theater for a Friday night movie. The student discount is amazing. But the cash register malfunctioned and charged me for 11 student tickets instead of one - bringing my total to $88. The people at the register attempted to void the tickets, and believed it had been corrected - told me my refund should come through in a few business days, and gave me the theater email address in case the refund didn't come in. Well, the refund never came in. I tried multiple times to get help: I visited the theater the next week in person, and left my phone number for management after explaining the situation to the employee who was in. I tried to email the theater like I was told. I messaged the theater's facebook page, and got one response from the person in charge of their social media saying they'd pass it on to management. I still haven't gotten any sort of response, nor has my refund come in after three months. Everything else about the theater I absolutely love - but this issue has kept me from attending the theater again. I really just want my money back.

I love this cinema has good sound good image and is almost never very crowded so it is very comfortable the dinner is very simple but it is good

Certainly not the fanciest or newest theater, but it certainly is a great deal with the Groupon. Also, they always have a good selection of current movies. I've been back a few times and we'll keep going back as long they have that Groupon.

Thr theatre is old but comfortable. There are three auditoriums with two of them up a couple flights of stairs. It's a unique and cool place.

It's very nice. It's on multiple floors, but it has an elevator in case you can't take stairs.

Hidden among shops and restaurants in the UW area, this was surprisingly a small movie theater. The reason we went there was this was the only place where Moana was showing 3 weeks after the original release. Needs some cosmetic improvements such as seats.

A good community theater, shows interesting films and uses real butter, my only criticism is that the combined ticket+concessions counter is a bit time consuming.