Arclight Cinemas La Jolla

Great place but watch out for the new transaction fees on ticket purchases. Rather than have a return policy change they are imposing a $ 0.50 transaction fee on all ticket buyers, because they claim some people return tickets right before the show leaving empty seats.
Even if you are a member you still get the «transaction fee penalty» applied. What an outright hack of a policy, and a money-​centric attitude.
Customers paying cash at the movie as they want to go in pay the penalty, members pay the penalty, abusers who try to scalp tickets to the new shows get the benefit of a guaranteed return up until showtime, and everyone else pays for it.
@ArcLightCinemas hack policy on transaction penalties for members #ArcLightCinemas for a bad policy change. Deal with the problem, don’t punish the rest of us.

This place is horribly overpriced. They tout themselves as a premium theater. I’ve never sat in a more uncomfortable seat. It is almost like they got 2^nd hand seats from Cinemark, dyed them black, and forgot to refill the padding. Their «large» popcorn is the same size as most theaters medium but still more expensive that the larges with no refill. In addition to all of that they advertise their café but won’t Lett you take food that you buy from their own café into the theater. I hope they appreciate the money we spent at their establishment tonight. They will never see me there again.

We had a below average experience at this theater. With what are probably some of the highest movie theater ticket prices in San Diego you’d expect something a little higher-​end than the typical movie theater. Not so. Once you get past the novelty of having alcoholic beverages available in the lobby (which we weren’t interested in for our 2:15pm matinée) you realize that there is nothing special about Arclight except high ticket prices. Other theaters like AMC’s LJ Village Square provide a much better overall movie experience.
We paid $ 19.75 each for a 3D movie ticket and the 3D glasses they gave me didn’t work. I had to leave the theater during the critical opening scenes of our movie in order to go back to the 3D glasses station to get a pair that worked. All pairs we used were dirty and my GF had to go clean hers in the woman’s restroom. The glasses were heavy and very uncomfortable on the bridge of the nose; after about a half-​hour of use I had to constantly adjust the position of the glasses on my head to stop the pain.
All of the people working in the theater the day we were there were very nice and helpful, but this couldn’t overcome the negatives. Arclight Cinemas La Jolla (the theater is not in La Jolla, it’s actually in University City’s UTC) has been moved down to our last choice for movie venues in San Diego.

I usually love Arclight and come here very often. I’ve always said their rewards program is fantastic. But not tonight.
On Fandango and on Arclights app it said our show was at 9.30. When we got here and tried to buy tickets they told us there was no 9.30 and we had to wait till 10pm. The people in line next to us were having the same issue. We booked for the new time of 10.
I have been on the rewards program for Arclight for which I pay an annual fee ever since the day the implemented it a few years ago. I come here 3 or 4 times a month. They refused to give me my membership price tickets tonight and in fact charged me a $ 1.50 service charge. For three tickets I paid $ 7.50 more than I usually do.
Every time I have come to Arclight they tell me I have a free upgrade for popcorn due to my paid annual membership. Because I come here so often I also accumulate rewards and I get a $ 5 discount off my concessions. The lady behind the counter confirmed I had this available.
When it came to paying, she refused to give me my $ 5 discount because she said I upgraded my popcorn. I have ALWAYS been given the large popcorn for the price of a medium AND been given my 5 dollar discount for my gold paid annual rewards membership. I would not have taken the upgraded popcorn otherwise.
I spoke to Nathaniel who seemed to be in charge. Nathaniel clearly has not been trained in the art of customer service. Perhaps he secretly works for competitors down the road like AMC and Cinepolis and is trying to chase Arclight customers to them.
Very disappointed that they did not honor their own rewards program tonight and treated me like a my patronage was not wanted here when I’ve been such a loyal customer. And to make matters worse, it’s my birthday!

This was quite an awesome experience! The set up is great and that fact that you can take your drinks in is just woah! I had a conversation with one the workers, Danielle I believe is her name and If your looking for a great conversation about movies, other hobbies or want to get pumped up for you movie, look out for her! She’s super friendly and her goal is to watch every movie just to she can tell people how it is when they ask haha now that’s some dedication. Having that connection really added to my whole Arclight experience because great service makes a difference, definitely will be coming back and don’t forget look out for Danielle her favorite movie on her badge is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back now that’s a true conversation starter, hope everyone enjoys Arclight as much as I did!

This is the second time that after checking twice with Fandango the «Manager» chose to change the movie times without notice. It’s a waste of everyone’s time to show up at a movie only to be told it won’t be showing.
How can they expect to keep any customers! I won’t be going back!!!
I’ve also told all my friends!
Disgruntled…

False Advertising. Regular theaters treat you better than this place!
People came in and out of the theater whenever they so chose. We thought by paying extra and reserving seats that would be something nice. But that was not the case and just chose whatever was left. One family came in with their flashlight and making lots of noise. Another lady came in with her dog. And there was no staff member to be found. When we brought this to staff attention they really made to feel as though they didn’t care.

Dang this place for not allowing ticket purchases through Fandango. I never get to use it when I purchase a Fandango Groupon! Alas, I’ve only been here a) via gift card and b) via promotion to screen «Me Before You.» Or is it, «You Before Me?» I’ll never get it straight.
Honestly, I don’t know how much the tickets are but at least the food prices are not outrageous. And, even if you do pay a premium for the tickets, it’s expected for the comfort level of the seats. I’d probably go back, even if I had to pay.

Overpriced yuckiness. We walked into the the cavernous lobby after an enjoyable early evening at the mall for a 6:15 movie. A smiling woman directed us toward a long bank of monitors atop awkward black tables. It was like walking into a lousy convention center for your annual pleather event– cheesy music and 60 – 40 bar included. The tickets were difficult to buy because the software doesn’t allow time for seat selection. The concessions offered are few and of poor quality. The teens manning the counter were much interested in one another to provide even the semblance of decent service. Yuck.
The theater itself was just like every chain theater except for numbered seats. Ostensibly, this was for reserved seating which patrons routinely ignored. The paint on railings and concrete floors is peeling and the stale odor of beer can be perceived above the timid sound system. I would much prefer seeing a movie surrounded by families and teenagers with sticky floors at $ 10 a piece to this horrid theater. Given the fact that there were more loitering employees than happy moviegoers last night, I suspect I am not alone in this opinion.

I’ve been to other premium theaters: The Port in Corona Del Mar, and Cinépolis in
Westlake Village. Arc Light LA Jolla isn’t in the same class except they charge as much. The prices keep teens out of the movie, but they still loiter in the lobby. Not worth $ 16.50 in any way. Not going back.

VERY DIRTY.
ArcLight is usually my first choice in theaters, but I am very disappointed in the lack of cleaning of the seats and floors. Crumbs and stains on nearly every chair. Gross!

The first time I came here was for Batman vs. Superman on the weekend it came out. It was nice to actually buy my tickets online and choose the seats I wanted. This takes out the worrying about getting (good) seats and having to come super early on that first come first serve basis.
I can see why the prices are more expensive just based on the location and «luxurious» feel. Each theater is small and intimate. So you never feel like you’re waaaay to close or waaaay too far. I wanted to come here for a really long movie because sometimes I just can’t sit still for almost 3 hours straight. The seats are spacious, clean, and as much as love putting my feet up, if you’re not super tall, you can stretch your legs during the movie without feeling squished. Sad part you can’t move the seats back, but unlike other theaters, you are not sitting up straight in those chairs.
Big perks is that they have a full bar and you are able to bring it inside the theater. Also, no surprise, if you’re getting concessions snacks, they are still expensive like every movie theater.
What is really nice about Arclight being in UTC mall is that you can really make a great date night out it. You can grab dinner before/​after the movie. Also, plenty of dessert around. Since there is construction in front of the theater, you have to find parking a lot further, but that won’t take forever.
Overall, I would highly consider coming back here for all the new exciting and anticipating superhero movies coming out in 2016 from the great experience I had. I wouldn’t come here for short Disney just so I wont hurt my wallet for a 90 minute movie.

Arclight’s price doesn’t match its floundering quality. The whole «intimate» theater charm is gone. The usher wishing us a good viewing at the beginning of the movie is gone and in his or her place is an abrupt start of previews. The bathroom are nice half of the time. It’s a toss up of whether you’ll have a tidy baño, or a paper towel mountain greeting you near the trash cans. It’s fine if this is the only theater showing your desired movie, but don’t splurge for a lack luster experience.

Too crowded

Great luxury theater and easy! We booked tickets 6 hours before a weekend launch of a popular movie, we were able to find good seats and reserve them allowing us to show up minutes before the movie started. The seats seem bigger than a normal theater but there are no dividers between each 2 seats like their competitor.
They have a full bar and menu as well as the traditional movie theater food offerings that you can bring to your seat but there is no waitress or way to order once you are in your theater.
Very clean, nice and easy. I will be back

I love coming here for movies. The experience has always been hassle free, fun and relaxing.
You can reserve your seating online which is a big plus, I really prefer that than waiting in long lines and having to go super early especially for popular movies to secure good seats. I also like that they stop seating I think 10 – 15 minutes after the beginning of the listed showtimes — it really eliminates disturbances from people trickling in late. The promos at the beginning of the movies are always new and interesting and have no annoying advertisements. I also like that the staff gives a brief introduction of the movie before, they have a small trivia (you can win some cool movie posters) and overall set you up for a fun time.
And of course, the wide screen experience is brilliant ! Added on top is the location — in the UTC mall– you can club shopping, movie and dinner at one place !
The only drawback is lack of reclining seats !! With such a luxury cinema, I really wish, they had more comfortable seats !

I may be missing something here, but I was under the impression arc light was so magical amazing theater but to me it was just standard. This next statement is not an admission of guilt, but if I am to pay for a movie, the way it’s presented better be super amazing and for me arc light was not super amazing.

Arclight has the best rewards program of all movie theaters. For a very small annual fee, you get huge discounts at the concession stands — I’ve paid as little as $ 1.50 for a large popcorn and 2 bottled waters.
I always enjoy going to Arclight. The theatre is very elegant and clean. You can usually get into a movie.
There are very few previews and so if you are a few minutes late the show will have probably already started.
The biggest downfall is the parking situation. It is in such a busy mall, and they have been doing construction on a huge part of their land for what seems like forever. It can take 15 minutes or more to find a space, so leave early.

First off the parking on the side of the Arclight theater is blocked off, so you’re competing with every botoxed soccer mom in La Jolla for a parking spot.
Second no free drink refills. Yep that’s right. You just paid a huge amount for a drink and a refill will cost you.
Third the bathrooms are a long walk from your theater and are teeny tiny. Two stalls to handle your business in, and two urinals. Seriously?
Fourth, tickets are SUPER pricey and there are cheaper options around town with better parking, cheaper tickets, better seats, and free refills. Don’t try to charge me more just because it’s La Jolla dude.
Fifth, the seats don’t recline. REALLY?!? Not a deal breaker but please that’s the least they could do after butt jamming me in so many other ways.
Sixth, the large popcorn is a MEDIUM popcorn everywhere else in the free world go see for yourself.
This place is bad news stay away.

Came here to watch The Hateful 8 a month or so ago and loved it. It’s a bit of a far drive from Oceanside but it was well worth it.
Probably the best theater popcorn I’ve ever had. I don’t claim to be a smart man, but I know popcorn and this popcorn was tits.
The staff was great, very accommodating. I was worried I was going to miss the start time because of waiting in line, but one of the managers assured me that I was going to make it, and he would be in the theater to make sure I wasn’t locked out if I was late.
Yeah, another thing. They don’t let people in the theater if they are late. That’s probably my favorite detail of this place. They are very movie watcher oriented and that is perfect for me.
I will definitely be making the long drive down here for special occasion movies. I’ll take this place over Cinepolis any day.

Update to previous review:
— Went to see The Big Short tonight and there was only one bartender running the bar in the main lobby. I felt bad for the man because he was by himself to make drinks and run the kitchen, while moving at a relatively slow pace. My poor husband waited 20 mins to get 2 beers poured, with only 1 other man in front of him.
— Apparently, only certain theatres allow you to bring in alcoholic beverages. If a specific showing is labeled as family only, you cannot bring in alcohol. If your whole intention of checking out Arclight is to have a drink with your movie, be sure to verify if the particular movie you’re seeing is being shown in a 21+ theatre!

Had a really interesting experience at Arclight movie theaters today. We were not your typical customers as we had won special tickets and a membership. We had tried to redeem our membership online but had a hard time as the website kept asking for payment with no space for our complimentary code. We came in with our complimentary tickets and redeemed 2 of the 5 by seeing the Hateful 8. The first gentlemen was my favorite we encountered, he was polite, thoughtful, and patient with our confusing process (it will unravel shortly.) When trying to redeem the tickets they were not signed, so a manager/​supervisor had to ‘approve’ of them which he did, but I asked the manager/​supervisor if he could sign out other 3, to make sure this wouldn’t happen again. He said yes, but did not sign them right away, instead he seemed baffled at the situation, so the gentlemen who originally helped us asked he manager/​supervisor to sign them, this is where it gets interesting. Again, he said he would but still neglected to do so until my partner in crime shoved him in his face.
Now the more awkward part was redeeming our membership, the manager/​supervisor left and the gentlemen had issues redeeming the membership. Then the supervisor/​manager came back and seemed almost arguing with each other in front of us, then 2 other gentlemen had to come to the desk, until they had ‘to go in the back ’ to sign us up, a little over an hour later we had our tickets and membership YAAY!
The theater itself was clean, the seats didn’t recline but the arm bar did go up. The did neglect to turn off the lights in the movie until about 15−20min in which was frustrating. Secondly a bottle of water was $ 5.
What I have learned from the experience :
1. If you have a friend/​relative who likes movies DO NOT buy them passes here, it was frustrating trying to redeem them nor by them a membership.
2. The theater is nice and convenient if you want to spend the day at a mall.
3. You can purchase tickets at the concession stand.
If we didn’t have the complimentary passes I am not sure if I would be back.

Interested in watching a movie at a regular theater for lots of money just because it’s located in La Jolla? Honestly, it’s not that nice here but they charge you like it is. Another thing is that they don’t serve Icees, so if you had your heart set on this, don’t come here.

Watched The Hateful Eight here recently, and I was rather let down by my experience.
I ordered my tickets online, and got to choose my own seat, that’s a major pro for me. The only other pro going for this theatre is you can bring in alcohol to the theatre from the bar, as long as your theatre is 21+. Everything else about my experience was a con, sadly!
When I first walked in the door, there were two masses of people. One large group waiting at the bar and the other at the concession stand. There were probably 50+ people in each area. That’s a lot of people! The line for each was about 15min. It would work much better if they had larger counters or offered service inside the theatre. I stopped by the restroom before the movie and not only was it tiny, two stalls weren’t working, nor was one sink! It was extremely dirty and some stalls were out of toilet paper.
Now onto the theatre part of the night. The seats are slightly wider than normal ones but are higher off the ground, so if you are short like me, your feet won’t touch the ground unless you sit on the edge of your chair. My chair was filthy! It had popcorn and chocolate all over it, and the floor looked covered as well. It was fairly obvious this theatre wasn’t cleaned before the start of my movie showing. Once the previews and movie started you could tell one of the speakers was half broken and had a buzzing sound coming from it whenever there was dialog. Extremely annoying during a 3hr movie!
Honestly I would only come to this theater and pay extra for it, if you’re already at the mall and don’t feel like leaving to go to a different movie theatre.

In the past we have loved this theater. Until now.
I purchased tickets to take my elderly parents to a movie on Christmas Day. I chose this theater because of its closeness to the parking and direct theater entrance, as my mother can not walk far.
We arrive to find the entire West side of the mall closed. We went to the closest parking lot available and after many stairs and levels we were unable to locate a theater entrance.
I finally parked on the east end, and walked by myself to get a refund, which they almost refused.
The construction has made this theater inaccessible for a handicapped person that can not walk distances. I think there is a law against that (ADA) — I was very upset that my gift to my parents was ruined.
Arclight has lost my business until they get this mess figured out. Oh and some signage would be awesome, THEATER THIS WAY…

Great place to catch a movie. Your view is never blocked and you can now have drinks all throughout the theater.
Picking out your seats is the best option ever! You can put the email on your phone and they will scan it. Just make sure your brightness is at 100% or else it wont read it.

Customer service has declined at the Arclight recently, in my experience. But they still have my favorite screen in theater 7, with a wide, curved screen, and Dolby Atmos sound. Their seats are very comfortable, and I don’t mind that they don’t recline. I prefer sitting upright.
Regarding customer service… they didn’t greet us on our recent visit. What happened to those friendly greeters?
Also, I was freezing in theater 7 on our recent visit. My husband was cold as well. (On previous visits I’ve been able to be comfortable in a t-​shirt in this theater. On this visit I was freezing in my fleece!) I complained to an employee, but he said «There is NOTHING I can do. We are required to keep the temperature at 69 degrees, for the comfort of the other guests.» This was a rude response! Also, there are several things wrong with this response:
(1), he didn’t offer to check the A/​C setting for this theater. Perhaps it was colder than the «magical» 69 degrees.
(2) Did he ask the other guests if they were «comfortable»?! I observed that nobody in our theater removed their coats or sweaters. Clearly everyone was cold. Men who didn’t bring sweaters kept their arms crossed, instead of snuggling with their dates. I also overheard another guest say «It’s cold in here!»
(3) I complained to the manager as well, who looked comfortable in a long-​sleeved suit. 69 degrees is great if you are wearing a suit. But this is San Diego, and many guests come in wearing shorts and t-​shirts. The temp felt more like 65 to me… I’m not even sure that it was 69. (Nobody checked!)
On a previous visit, I was unable to purchase any snacks, because only 1 man was working the snack stand. Three other employees were standing at the end of the counter, laughing and trying to replace something down there… ignoring customers. Not sure why it required 3 employees to complete that 1 task. I had to abandon the snack line so I wouldn’t miss my movie.
Also, there was not enough soap in the ladies room on our recent visit. Instead, there was a sign stating that they are sorry that the soap dispenser is broken. There are 3 soap dispensers on that side of the room, but 2 of them were either broken or empty. I didn’t try the 3^rd dispenser, since a lady was using that sink already.
I enjoyed the superior level of customer service when the ArcLight theater was new in the Westfield UTC mall. I love the quality of the picture and sound in theater 7, my favorite one. But I really hope that the ArcLight improves their service, as it’s not as good as it used to be.

Parking: Currently, parking is difficult, since they are doing some major work in the parking lot, which has wiped out half the parking spots. Allow extra time to find parking at the Westfield UTC mall.

This was my first upscale movie theater experience. Overall I was satisfied because it made a difficult assignment (taking my three kids to the movies all by myself) easy for the most part.
I’ll get to my issues ordering tickets online later, but once I was able to purchase my tickets and reserve my seats all was good.
You walk in the front doors and the only time you see a staffer or ticket guard is down the hallway of the theaters. They didn’t even ask for tickets either. Very trusting
The theater was nice, and the seats were nice and stiff in an ergonomic way. I always get fidgety when I have to sit in one place for a long time, but these seats were great. I didn’t have to keep shifting around like I normally do.
I also noticed the extra legroom and elevation. Great unobstructed view no matter who is sitting in front of you. The sound volume was also perfect. Maybe this was because it was a kids showing, but it wasn’t too loud. It’s so infuriating when a theater blasts the volume, let alone when it’s a kids movie. So I can say that the extra cost was definitely justifiable in my opinion.
— The only negative experience I had with the actual Arclight theater was the ticket ordering process. It didn’t work if you were using IE10 as your web browser. A pointless error message «Unknown Internal error» blocked me from purchasing my tickets. I had to boot up Chrome which did work. Clearly they don’t test their software very well.
— Parking at this mall stinks. Be sure to plan ahead for extra time needed.

Don’t get me wrong this theater is beautiful inside and out but how do you not have nachos?!
Also, the place was a little dirty with popcorn all over the floor in the main hallway.
The seats don’t recline and the chairs aren’t that comfy… Not leather. I prefer Edwards over this place and it’s also a bit cheaper.
Parking is too difficult with all the construction going on currently.
The staff are friendly but that doesn’t go far when the rest of the mentioned factors are lacking.
For those of you who love to drink, then this is the place for you. They have a full bar available.

We don’t get to utilize the Arclight much since the closest location is Hollywood and that one always seems to be bonkers. We usually only take it on if there is super, super limited playing there or they have a unique event happening.
While hanging out in SD, Jaime and I had some time to kill so we thought we’d watch Mad Max since all of our friends were raving about it. This wasn’t our first theater choice since I thought it was going to be a similar experience to Los Angeles, but because of showtimes, this was the only one that was offering a showing when we wanted to watch.
I’m glad it all worked out because it wasn’t overly crowded at all, even for a Saturday night. It seems like more people utilize the kiosks to buy tickets versus talking to a real live person. Once you pick your flick, you choose your seats and your tickets are printed. Super simple. I do like this revolution of assigned seats — you know whether or not the theater is super packed ahead of time, and you don’t have to stumble around in the dark to find your seats.
It was dark when we entered, but they do a great job of marking the seats so you know where to go. The aisles are also wider than usual, so even when we had to pass someone’s seat, they didn’t have to get up to let us in. This is a big plus if you have friends or significant others with long legs.
The theater itself was clean, the screen was clear and the sound had that great boom I’m looking for when watching a movie. If I was in the area, I’d make this my first choice, but for now, it will have to be my out-​of-​town movie night whenever I’m in town. Adults for a PM screening were $ 15.50. Just so ya know.

I’m 36 years old… my remaining time on Earth shrinks every passing second, but I really wanted to see the Avengers 2 opening weekend.
$ 19 is a lot of money to see a movie, and I could’ve saved $ 5.25 by going to Reading Cinemas instead. But unlike Arclight where you can reserve seats online, to get a good seat in the middle at Reading, I would’ve had to get in line 45 – 60 min early. Now if I was still a poor minimum wage earning 18 year old and still had an extra 18 years to live, this would make sense to save $ 5.25. But as a 36yo, 45 – 60 min for me now is better spent walking my dog, taking in a yoga class, writing Unilocal reviews, or making out with the wife. I’m certainly not rich, but the extra $ 5.25 for a reserved seat at Arclight is worth the extra money.
But for $ 19 a ticket, shouldn’t they have enough staff to clean out the trash bin in the men’s restroom? (see photo)

The Arclight, a small California chain, has become my favorite theater. Their prices are competitive and the ambiance is pretty cool. They show first-​run films along with some goodindie pictures. A good selection with competitive prices.
A few special notes: the Arclight has one theater with a full Dolby Atmos audio system, which really changes the moviegoing experience. I believe it’s theater 7.