At the beginning of this year, AMC La Jolla began a renovation process, which was completed recently. The updates have made it more upscale, to compete with Arclight and Cinepolis.
I wanted to see Despicable Me 2 opening weekend and found that it was not playing at Arclight, which has been my go-to theater since it opened late last year. I love the reserved seating and nicer seats. So we decided to head over to AMC La Jolla to check out the renovations. I hadn’t planned on doing a post, but once inside, I couldn’t resist taking some photos.
When I entered our assigned theater, I almost did one of those cartoon jaw drops. I could not believe the size of the seats! I had heard there were reclining seats, but these were really luxurious. Bright red leather, extremely spacious, and they recline all the way down.
To even talk to Mr. K, I had to reach quite far over because the seats are so wide. And they are really comfortable as well. I actually was having a hard time staying awake and had to get myself up from the reclining position.
In addition to the new seats, they also updated the lobby and added coke free play machines. I’ve talked about the coke machines before from other restaurant posts. They impressively provide hundreds of drink options. Apparently, AMC La Jolla also just got a liquor license so they will soon be serving alcohol as well.
I really enjoyed the nice seats, which are even nicer than the ones at Arclight. Now I just wish they had reserved seats. With Arclight, you can buy your tickets online and choose your seats online, eliminating the need to come early to the theater. At AMC La Jolla, you still need to show up early to purchase tickets (sometimes hours in advance for a popular one) and show up at the theater early to be seated so that you can get a good seat. You also still have to sit through about 15-20 minutes of previews which I had to readjust to because Arclight only has about 5 minutes of previews.
Still, I’m happy to see how nice the seats are now at AMC La Jolla and tickets are cheaper than the other two luxury theaters, especially if you get the AMC tickets at Costco. Currently, AMC La Jolla is the only one in San Diego that has undergone the renovations.
AMC La Jolla
8657 Villa La Jolla Dr #129
La Jolla CA
https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/amc-la-jolla-12
Nice seeing AMC step its game up! I have enjoyed those seats twice, and I hope they pop up at more theaters. I wonder how they will be able to make a profit though since there are less seats available, but the prices remain the same. o.O
Hmm, I didn’t think about that. That’s a good question.
Wow, now THOSe are seats!!! They should redo the AMC down here in Chula Vista! Very nice!
I think the plan is to eventually redo them all. La Jolla one was in works for a long time. I read it was chosen because it’s one of the oldest in SD. I’m sure the fact that Arclight is close by was also a reason.
OMG! Thanks for this post b/c I didn’t know they renovated!! AND they let you use the Costco passes too?!!!!
How does this compare to Cinepolis in Del Mar?
I’ve actually never been to Cinepolis. I’ve been meaning to go but it’s so expensive. So I always end up changing my mind.
Wow – I used to live right next to that theater years ago. It was nice to be able to walk there and to Trader Joe’s (is that still there?). Thanks for the update.
Yup, TJ is still there too.
I just encountered one of those super beverage machines at Fuddruckers yesterday! Crazy amount of possibilities. Always like going to the movies in the summer because they are air conditioned and the house is not…La Jolla and that seating would be all fancy for us.
The seats and machines are definitely super fancy. I really loved the seats. Definitely a great option for a theater this summer.
Does this renovated AMC charge the same as the other ones without the nice seats?
I used the prepaid AMC gold tickets I got from Costco. I don’t think they raised the price though. I remember looking at it and it looked the same.