Popcorn with Your Movie? You'll Pay About $6

When watching a movie, the popcorn can be almost as important as the feature. Generally around the Piedmont area, a general admission movie ticket costs about $10, while a medium popcorn goes for about $6.

At the four-screen , 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland, general admission is $10, while matinee shows and tickets for seniors and children are $7. Features in 3D cost $1.50 more, and it’s $25 for a live opera telecast. A “regular” popcorn costs $4.50, while free popcorn is offered Tuesdays. Anchoring the Grand Avenue shopping district, the Grand Lake is well known as a sumptuous movie palace owned by local entrepreneur Allen Michaan. A Wurlitzer organ is played prior to some screenings.

The three-screen , 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, offers general admission for $10, while senior, student and child tickets and shows prior to 6 p.m. cost $2 less. A medium tub of popcorn costs $6.50. The theater, which was remodeled last year, is reportedly the oldest operating theater in Oakland, having opened its doors on Sept. 15, 1917. It offers an eclectic mix of independent, art-house and Hollywood films. On Saturday nights, prizes of film-related memorabilia and items from local merchants are offered prior to each film.

Calling itself the “best neighborhood theater in Berkeley,” the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, 2966 College Ave. (just off Ashby), Berkeley, likewise offers a diverse mix of Hollywood, independent and foreign films. Tickets there are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, children and students as well as for all films before 5 p.m. A medium tub of popcorn costs $5.25, and the theater also sells a “mini” popcorn for $3.50.

At the Jack London Stadium 9 theater, 100 Washington St., Oakland, general admission is $10.50, while 3D films are $13 and matinee and discount tickets for children and seniors are $7.75. On Tuesdays and Sundays, general admission tickets are $5 and 3D films are $7.50. A medium popcorn is $7. Three-hour validated parking is available across the street.

At the AMC Bay Street 16 Emeryville theater, a medium tub of popcorn costs $6.75. General admission tickets cost $11, with cheaper tickets offered for children, seniors, students and for all films shown prior to 3:55 p.m. IMAX and IMAX 3D features cost between $4 and $6 more per ticket. The theater is at 5614 Shellmound St., Emeryville, just north of Ikea.

Though it’s now known more for its live performances, the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway in downtown Oakland offers Hollywood films from the Golden Era in the semi-monthly Paramount Movie Classics, always on a Friday with a curtain time of 8 p.m. Spring shows include Pillow Talk on April 1, His Girl Friday on April 22 and A Streetcar Named Desire on May 20. The cost is $5 per ticket with snacks available for $3 each, including packaged popcorn from Thatcher’s Gourmet Popcorn, said Paramount general manager Leslee Stewart. “It’s a good deal for five bucks,” Stewart said. A cartoon and an old newsreel are screened prior to the film, harkening back to the days when the Paramount was a movie palace.