Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once said, "The cinema is truth at 24 frames per second," making slo-mo sports replays and sped-up Benny Hill gags nothing but cruel, cruel lies. Get the real deal with today's Groupon: for $16, you get two tickets, one large order of popcorn, and two large fountain drinks (a $31.25 total value) at The Music Box Theatre in Lakeview. This Groupon is not valid for special events at the theater.
The Music Box Theatre has become one of Chicago's premier venues for independent and foreign cinema, showing a slate of silver-screen selections throughout the week. Two tickets ($9.25 each) get movie-loving buffs and buff movie-lovers admission to a show of their choice, with a large order of popcorn ($5.25) and two large fountain drinks ($3.75 each) adding buttered and carbonated accents to the proceedings. Upcoming features at the Music Box include the recently unearthed complete cut of the silent film classic Metropolis, as well as the French New Wave cornerstone Breathless and The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second film based on Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy of books. The Music Box also offers midnight movies and weekend matinees showcasing cult classics and themed collections of films. Shake your head ruefully at how Sylvester Stallone was overlooked for a Best Actor Oscar during the midnight showing of Demolition Man, or marvel at the special-effects wizardry of Ray Harryhausen during June's month-long tribute to the stop-motion animation legend.
The Music Box Theatre first opened in 1929, and it retains the art-deco architecture, décor, and timeless atmosphere of classic movie palaces to this very day. Its main theater gives guests the impression that they are sitting in an open-air Italian courtyard in the still of the night, with twinkling stars embedded in the ceiling and faux-marble features lining the walls. In between some screenings, a live organist plays the pipes on the theater's Wurlitzer organ, whose candy-colored sonority transports audience members back to a simpler time, when hamburgers cost five cents and the dodo bird was America's favorite house pet. Breathe fresh life into the tired, old “dinner and a movie” date-night combo with today’s Groupon to the Music Box Theatre.
Reviews
Yelpers and Citysearchers give The Music Box Theatre 4.5 stars, and it's been featured in New City Film:
- Built in 1929 and barely changed since, the theater’s overwhelming old-time movie-house atmosphere is as much a part of the experience as the actual film you’re there to see—whether it be a midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a weekend matinee of some Hitchcock, or the new Terry Gilliam film. And, of course, there’s the live organist. – Tom Lynch, New City Film
- The only place to see the classics and now the LAST theatre to show midnight movies in the Windy City. The Popcorn is made with real butter. – goodfellamikec, Citysearch
- The Music Box has a lot of character from the decor on inside, to the organ in the main theater, to the selection of films. As they tout, they feature "the year round film festival." – greenline74, Citysearch
- FUN FUN FUN! Get your hind-ends over there STAT!!!! – Patrick P., Yelp
The Music Box Theatre
An ornate relic of Chicago's 1920s movie houses, The Music Box Theatre floods its screens with a rotating lineup of cult classics and the latest indie and foreign art films. The theater also provides patrons with a newly unveiled selection of wine and craft beers. Occasionally punctuated by live organ music, the main auditorium evokes an Italian courtyard beneath a cloudy midnight sky. The theater's original manager, Whitey, is said to haunt its aisles, watching over his legacy and hoping to finally catch Rocky's ending.