Charles Theatre

Hands down, the best theater in the entire Baltimore area. The Charles offers a wide variety of films in multiple genres, but the focus is on limited and indie offerings. Great prices, friendly staff and fantastic popcorn. $ 2.00 parking directly across the street is an added bonus.

They play smaller movies I actually want to see!

Loooooooooove this theatre. I’m a huge fan of their animé nights, during the week they generally play the subbed version of the film and on Saturday mornings they play the dubbed version. The auditoriums are small-​ish compared to a modern theater, but I’ve never had trouble finding a good spot. I’ve never bothered with the snack bar, however, the prices look reasonable and the popcorn always smells so good.
There’s street parking, but I always park at the garage across the street for $ 2.

Amazing theater, solid films, their special series of films are always great, and their snack selection is cheaper than other theaters

This theater has a very cool look on the outside as well as the inside. The staff is super friendly, and although I didn’t get anything at the snack bar before my movie, the snacks seemed reasonably priced.
My first time going to this theater was one to remember, the movie I saw was definitely unique and something you wouldn’t see showing at a AMC or Regal.
The reason I am giving this theater 4 stars is because of there animé night (which is the best idea ever). Most movies were advertised on a poster in the theater but not all of them. I saw Princess Mononoke (directed by Hayao Miyazaki) on some random week day at 11:00am and the only reason I knew about it because I just happened to be checking out the Charles Theater website. On the bright side, the theater wasn’t crazy packed. Overall, if you haven’t been, check out the site, watch tailors, and see what movie might interest you, and pray they keep animé night going!
FYI, the movie is over when everyone in the theater starts heading towards the door.

Definitely worth the drive from outside DC to see a great arthouse film. Love it here and the great tapas place next door, Tapas Teatro.

I love this little gem of Baltimore. I randomly decided to go see the Amy Winehouse documentary. I parked, walked in and was seated in 2 minutes flat and the pop corn is always fresh. Can’t beat it.

Great Indie film house with a fantastic restaurant attached. My only gripe is it was a bit hot inside the theater.

This place used to be a wonderful theatre and has gone downhill. They changed their policies without any notice to customers, which makes for an uncomfortable experience. Staff is rude and apathetic now. I will not be returning.

Beautiful lobby and great history in the building but the actual theaters look like they were from the 70s and had old, uncomfortable seats. Theater parking is in a garage across the street for $ 2 and there’s a tapas restaurant connected that you can buy alcohol at and bring it in.

I like the feel of this theater, but the staff wasn’t friendly and the bathrooms were disgusting. I was disappointed with this, since I love the location and the the exterior. Parking was relatively easy with the parking garage across the street.

As a tourist in Baltimore last September, I was pleased to find this trendy little indy theater. It was just a two-​block walk after the last stop of the bus line that runs up Charles Street from downtown out to Penn Station. This bus is free and so we hitched a ride and in short order were at the theater.

I’ve never had a problem with The Charles until yesterday when my boyfriend and I went to see Boyhood. We googled «The Charles Theater» and were happy to see showtimes populate right on Google. Our Google search indicated that Boyhood was showing at 6:20, so we planned our day around it and decided to head down then. We get to the theater and see that it is not actually playing at 6:20, but 5:20 instead.
I ask the girl working the booth if that was a mistake and I tell her that the internet time was wrong and she just says «Well, that’s not my fault.» She was pretty rude about it and I tell her that she might want to talk to her manager.
Anyway, I was a little bummed because I’d been looking forward to seeing the movie all day, so I decide to call customer service and they said the same thing and were just kind of crappy about the whole thing. The woman on the phone told me «Well, what do you want me to do? Call Google?» She also claimed that The Charles has 0% control of what’s published on search engines.
I did a little research and discovered that the only reason their showtimes populate on Google is because of a feature that THE CHARLES THEATER IMPLEMENTED:
So yes, The Charles has power over what is published on Google and for their customer service to act incredulous that their showtimes were incorrect on a search engine and to claim that Google erroneously published showtimes that they themselves populated was incredibly insulting.
Anyway, not a huge deal, I know, but still a bummer and I think their customer service was a big bummer too.
Edit: Because I have nothing better to do with my life, I called again to let the owner know what I’d found out about rich snippets. She made it very clear that this happens frequently and that she was very well aware of the problem and made it clear that she has no control of what Google publishes. I told her she should consider getting rid of the rich snippets if it’s causing this much of a problem for everyone. Fortunately, we live within walking distance of the Charles, but it would suck if we’d had to go out of our way to come see this movie only to find out the showtime was wrong.
Whether on Google or on The Charles website, it’s my belief that if you’re using a service to represent your business, you need to be on top of it. Oh… that’s the other thing… she said «Do you expect us to just sit on Google all day and make sure times are correct?» Uhm… yes, kind of? You’re using them as a 3^rd party service and they should (and can) accurately represent you if you use them correctly… so yes, if you make a change to the showtimes, then I would expect you to ensure that they’re showing up correctly on Google, y’know.because that’s probably how 75% of your business finds showtimes.
Edit Edit: Help me… I really have no life — I just called a similar theater who also uses the rich snippets and she said she’s only a few times had an issue with times not showing up correctly on Google and usually it’s because of a last minute change. She also couldn’t believe how The Charles Theater acted toward me for raising the concern. I vented to her for a few minutes and now I feel better. It’s unfortunate that The Charles has the market for Art/​Indie theater in Baltimore because I think they need an attitude check.

The Charles is a great art house cinema. It has a real industrial vibe with exposed pipe and brickwork, and is THE place to see independent, foreign, hard-​to-​find, revival, and anything-corporate-googleplex-theaters-won’t-show films. We always aim here when there’s a new Miyazaki opening. Most of the auditoriums are fairly small by modern standards, but the intimacy just adds to the coolness factor. They are connected via walkthrough to Tapas Teatro next door, and if you ask the bartender there they will pour your drink into a plastic cup so you can take it into your movie with you. Careful about outside food, though. Sofi’s Crepes is right next door and as tempting as it is to grab one to bring in, different managers have different ideas about what’s okay to bring into the auditoriums. Parking can be found on the surrounding streets, but it’s easiest just to go to the cheap $ 2 garage across the street.

I love them because they show great movies — and you can get some sangria from tapas teatro…
Plus, they actually put butter on your popcorn — what? in 2014?
They are a little older than some of the other theaters here…

Cool theater that hosts many indie movies that won’t be available at other larger cinemas. Prices are reasonable and matinée is before 6 PM on all days of the week. Screens are a bit smaller, but there’s a good crowd and a nice atmosphere. It’s convenient for me in terms of location, and there’s a few good places to eat around the area.

This is my first visit to Baltimore and I already love so much of the city. Not only did I love the whole layout of Charles Street, but the fact there is a place to watch great new independent and art films next to so many great restaurants is a huge deal. Then my sister tells me you can buy beer in a plastic cup from the tapas place next door and take it into the theatre? Woah. You folks are lucky. Denver may have won the game, but you won me over.

I love this theatre, it’s a blast from the past with its vintage look and feel, cozy vibe and great lineup of non-​mainstream films. You know, the really good stuff.
Not in the best part of Baltimore and prepare to pay for parking in a nearby lot if you go on a crowded evening.
Whether you live in the area or are visiting Baltimore, this is one venue to put on your bucket list. You’ll be glad you did.

This is not the most indy of indy theaters but it has enough quirks to still be deemed awesome. Home to the Maryland Film Festival, you can count on The Charles for both mainstream and independent film. We came last night to see A Place Beyond the Pines and I was surprised to see so many A-​list movies one would find at AMC playing here. I suppose this might be a necessary evil to keep the theater open and fully operational.
When you walk in, you’ll be met by some snoody MICA student who will take your $ 9.50 (evening price) and give you a ticket without as much as a hello or smile. This is the worst part of The Charles. You’ll start to feel the charm at the concession stand where food and drink are moderately priced. You’ll also notice the doors to Tapas that open wide in to the theater. You can bring wine from here supposedly. I didn’t see a place to buy alcohol so perhaps they even let you bring your own?

Words cannot express how much I love The Charles. I’ve been coming here for the past 15 years, mostly on dates with my dad, so I can’t help but hold a sentimental spot in my heart for it. Not much has changed in 15 years, or probably even the past 40. It’s a nice departure from the crowded, obnoxious megaplexes.
They mainly show indie films, foreign films, oscar contenders, and have revival nights. A couple years ago we saw Home Alone, how cool is that? The prices will always be better than mainstream theaters; currently it’s $ 7.50 for a matinée and $ 8.50 for an evening. The theater always kind of smells like old burnt popcorn, but that’s actually part of the charm. Charles’ popcorn has it’s own special taste that I’m also nostalgic for.
Lots of inexpensive lots around and a garage that’s absolutely terrifying to drive in across the street. You can park on the street for free, but like most of Baltimore, don’t walk more than a block away by yourself at night.
Go, take your date, pretend your cultured, and then have a Nutella crêpe next door at Sofi’s.