Denver is a great city for sports and entertainment alike. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts alongside the city’s five professional sports team make for easy access to entertainment year-round. A dark horse in the entertainment realm in Denver is the vast number of art theaters in the city. Here are descriptions of a few of the best and brightest.
The Mayan
110 Broadway, Denver, CO
The Mayan is one of the most unique theaters in all of Denver. First and foremost the theater is in a great location—just down Broadway between 1st and 2nd Avenues—and the building itself is unlike any other theater in the city. The structure embodies the name of the theater with thematic interior design in both the main atrium and the theaters themselves.
An additional plus for the theater is the variation among each individual screening room. Although it is certainly more comfortable to be in the main theater, it can be a nice change of pace not to be in a cookie-cutter room each time you go back to the Mayan.
Lastly, the largest benefit of the Mayan is the quality of the movies they screen. For those movie-goers who seek out plot and character heavy films, this is the place to find the best of the best of independent films. An in-building bar is also a plus for those who are of age.
Chez Artiste
4150 E. Amherst, Denver, CO
The Chez Artiste, like the Mayan, is owned by Landmark Theatres, and offers plenty of high quality independent films for Denver movie audiences. The theater does not offer quite the same unique feel of the Mayan but rather creates a more home-sweet-home type of atmosphere.
The main lobby is small and homey, with only a minimal concession stand, which tells us that the films are the true focus of the Chez. The lobby isn’t the only offering of comfort, as the theaters themselves also offer a sense of coziness. With smaller, less stadium style theaters, audiences almost feel like they are a part of an early, or even private, screening.
Elvis Cinemas
7400 E. Hampden, Denver, CO
Elvis Cinemas offers something of the utmost importance to college students: cheap tickets. At $3.50, the price of admission is welcoming and affordable.
Of course, that discounted price comes with a catch: the movies at the Elvis are often those that have already come and gone from big-budget and independent film theaters. Showing movies that have already left other theaters is not necessarily a huge negative, and also has its perks. The Elvis may be the only place to catch a popular film before it takes a long hiatus to be released on DVD, or an award-nominated film before the big award shows.
The Sie Film Center
2510 E. Colfax, Denver, CO
The last of this foursome is the Sie FilmCenter, which bolsters a few huge assets. One of its biggest assets is its location, not only near City Park, but also in extremely close proximity to the Tattered Cover Bookstore on Colfax. For deep-thinking creatives, there may not be anything better than catching a plot-driven independent drama only to walk out of the theater and pick up a literary masterpiece only a few short steps away.
Additionally the theater offers a full bar with some local craft brews for those audience members of age.
When all is said and done, Denver certainly possesses a handful of great options for entertainment lovers. Whether you choose to take advantage of the incredible sports scene, the Center for the Performing Arts, or Denver’s art theaters, the city will not disappoint.
