Lincoln Theatre

A staple of downtown Belleville, you can just feel the history of this building as soon as you walk in. From the ticket booth to the snack counter to the vintage candy machines, this is not the type of theatre you see every day.

great prices it’s like $ 7 a person unless it’s a matenee that’s even cheaper popcorn and drinks are about $ 3 – 5 each much cheaper than the big theaters but the seats are pretty old it’s a cool place

Cheap tickets for $ 5.50 matinée. Definitely an older theatre. iIt reminded me of a theater from back in the old days of black and white movies. I could of definitely been a fan of that.

Free popcorn during the Triple Crown Awards…
Love this OLD place… Yes, I think I seen a few mouse droppings when we were walking off of the stage…

Love going here for a movie night! It’s so much cheaper than going to one of the big box theaters and way more fun.

It’s old and that’s how it’s staying. It’s a great place to go for a cheap movie, but you get what you pay for, unless you like that old-​tyme charm. They only have a few screens and they don’t always have the newest movies, but again, its cheap, so why not.

Dirty. ripped seats small movie theater. Popcorn was good. The movie had been spliced so much. Horrible acoustics. Hard to walk up to theater.

If your general rules are:
a) Big Box/​Corporate-​feeling = bad. Sterility’s for the hospital.
b) Local/​Independent = good. When you pay for an experience, you should get an experience.
…then a) you’re likely a Unilocaler (or at least have friends that are) and b) you’re likely to be impressed with one or more aspects of the vintage (circa 1921) movie experience on offer at the Lincoln.
A short walk along Main from the Square, it’s not that difficult to list out a few areas of ‘improvement’ for the theatre, though it’s just as easy to ignore every one of them in practice.
1) The seats could be more accommodating and, as they’ve aged, some are showing that their upholstery’s seen better days… but this is how older auditoriums were built, the cushioning is probably still supportive enough, and the room’s dark so you don’t have to see the rip in that seat next to you.
2) It’s kind of expensive to see a movie… but prices here are among the most reasonable in the metro area for first-​run movies. Pricing explained on the website was accurate. The best deal going might still be the Wednesday treats at select STL Cinemas houses, but the Lincoln isn’t far behind.
3) The sound from the other movies leaks into the screening room… (admittedly, this might’ve been my one legitimate complaint. Watching a drama with a lot of silent parts made it especially easy to notice the soundtrack of the thriller playing loudly nearby).
With fully acceptable a/​v quality, a signature popcorn offering in the Abe’s brand (including Caramel Apple and an assortment of other seasoned/​candied bags for $ 5.50/ea) and popular shows, the Lincoln’s worth working into a night out at least once, if for no other reason than to check out a bit of local, living entertainment history. Its proximity to a few bars, restaurants and a frozen yogurt spot highlights the cinema’s unofficial comparison as Belleville’s more reasonably priced, regular-​brow, family-​oriented answer to the Loop’s Tivoli.
Note:
Other reviewers have mentioned differences between the smaller viewing spaces upstairs and the main theater downstairs. My review was based on a visit to one of the two upstairs rooms which had capacity for about 100 – 125 (rough guess).

The last of the full screen theaters. Lots of seating and cheap prices. $ 5 matinees on the weekend. Keep your large soda cup and bring it back and get $ 1 refills. My wife and I can see a first run movie matinée with sodas and a large popcorn for $ 17.
Some are comparing the Lincoln to the St Clair 10 Cine, but the Lincoln is first run movies, the Cine is not.

This is without a doubt the best deal in family entertainment! They offer current run movies at a discount versus what the chain theater charges ($ 20 for 4 tickets). The place is a 30’s to 40’s building, with tons of character. On Saturdays they have folks playing an old fashioned pipe organ before the movies. Upon completion of the music, the organ is lowered below stage. That alone is worth the price of admission.
The workers are friendly and interactive! Not the sullen emo kids that work at chain theaters.
They make fresh made popcorn on site, you can get real butter for $ 1 more, (well worth the price). After purchasing the sodas, you get $ 1 refills even on subsequent visits.
Love this place!

this is a dive in the coolest kinda way its still has the organ player and is inexpensive great way to spend the afternoon and panera bread co is down a couple stores!

love it! if you want the latest and newest technology — go somewhere else. if you like to spend ½ of your paycheck on a movie — go somewhere else. This place is inexpensive and historic. Don’t mix historic and outdated — they have a great visual and auditory experience — it’s just not 100% up-​to-​date (it’s historic)

Love the fact that refreshments are reasonable! I love that it is a small theatre! Get a large soda (as long as you bring your cup with you) get refills for life for only $ 1!!!

This place is awesome. $ 4.50 for matinees and $ 7 for evening shows. They also have a special on their large cup of soda. As long as you bring it back with the lid, it’s only $ 1 for refills… that includes refills that day or a year from now. However, unless you’re in the main theater, the acoustics aren’t the best and the seats are very steep and close together. But you can’t beat it for the price.

I go here all the time. under $ 7 per person for evening shows. cheap refreshments and friendly people. great hometown theater. to bad the ritz had to close. i can remember going there when i was a kid. i try to go here when i can. i have never got stale popcorn or nasty overpriced soda.

The Lincoln Theatre in Belleville has been around forever. What’s more, it’s one of those movie theaters that LOOKS like it’s been around for a long time. If you enjoy visiting movie theaters for their historical qualities, this is a neat place to go. If you would rather that your films are a little more state of the art, you’re better off going to the Wehrenberg theaters in Fairview Heights or O’Fallon.
Here’s what the Lincoln DOES have to offer: it’s less expensive for tickets (particularly for matinees), it has cheaper refreshments (complete with plastic cups you can buy and bring back for cheap refills), and it has an organ in its main theatre that you’ll get to hear before most of the evening shows. As a family event, it’s not a bad way to go.
Here’s where it falls down. The Lincoln has three screens, but two of them are small and are housed in cramped, upstairs theatres. The big screen, which is where the newest and most popular attractions are show, is fine, but the room lacks stadium seating and the side seats give you a somewhat oblique view of the screen. I, personally, would rather pay the few bucks extra to see the film in a more ideal setting, but it really depends on the film I’m going to see.
Speaking of which, the Lincoln tends to cater to families with kid-​friendly fare and summer blockbusters. They’re only open on evenings and weekends most of the year, and they aren’t set up very well for crowds. (The bathrooms, for example, are small and often have lines after features end.)
And then there’s the relative lack of attention to detail that the staff has shown. When my wife and I went there to see X-​Men 3 a few years back, the first ten minutes of the film were quiet and out of focus until I went down and complained. (The showing was about halfway full, so it wasn’t like we were the only ones there.) We took some friends to see Iron Man there, and the entire film looked slightly out of focus. There was also a problem with the sound that resulted in a little too much bass, making the dialogue hard to hear. (I should note both of these problems occurred in the upstairs theatres. We’ve never had a problem in the big one downstairs.)
Does this mean I’d never go there? As I said, it depends on the feature. If I had a big group of kids with me, the Lincoln would be a great choice. If I were taking my wife out on a date, I think we’d go for a place with Digital Projection, Stadium Seating and a sophisticated sound system.

The Lincoln Movie Theatre opened in 1921 and is still going strong today. It first opened as a silent movie house (an organ was added in 1927) and live venue where several famous acts (including Bettie Davis and The Marx Brothers) would one day perform. Now, its one of my favorite historical movie theatres, complete with three large screens for modern movies. The Lincoln Theatre does cater to its audience, playing mostly family friendly pictures, but will play the occasional summer blockbuster. On Sunday, the Lincoln Movie Theatre still offers live organ music, and nothing beats sitting in the Lincoln Movie Theatre, in the musty darkness, listening to the organ, allowing it to take you to another place.