The Gateway Film Center, located at 1550 N. High St. Lantern File Photo.
The Gateway Film Center has been my movie theater of choice for its convenient location, cheap prices and the continuously diverse set of films it brings through the doors.
However, Gateway is different than other theaters for its atmosphere and ability to bring a little bit of everything to the table to appeal to moviegoers of all sorts.
The Good
As I said before, Gateway is cheap. Like, really cheap, in comparison to the rest of its competition. The student discount of $7.50 is a great start, but when adding in the $5 Tuesday deal and the $3 discount through D-tix, it’s almost impossible to pass up. The concessions also run lower than any of the competing cinemas such as AMC Lennox and Marcus Crosswoods, making Gateway the most fiscally understanding theater around Ohio State.
The location on High Street is another bonus, making the theater an easily accessible place if a big movie is released. The location also makes the movie theater somewhere that students can stop by after class to escape from the stresses of college life.
Gateway also does a terrific job finding movies for everyone. Where other theaters focus on the films that will make them money, Gateway’s goal, on the other hand, is to introduce the people of Columbus to a diverse range of movies, ones that would likely not be screened in the city otherwise –– often showing classics, foreign films and the critically acclaimed movies that were released in a mere three theaters worldwide.
Along with the movies you might have never heard of, you also get the big blockbusters that larger audiences need to see, making Gateway a great mix for everyone.
While I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who cares about their well-being, the fact that Gateway has the Groundhog Day Marathon, a 24-hour marathon where participants watch the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” 12 times in a row, just shows how awesome the theater is. And for those who complete the event, Gateway gives out free movie tickets for a year.
Events like these, as well as Gateway’s love of cult classics and cinematic landmarks allows for something new every day, and is just another thing that makes the theater such an unparalleled experience.
The art displayed in Gateway’s halls is a great little bonus to walk through on the way to your theater, since the pieces are almost always sure to wow with a new theme and a terrific level of artistic genius that is somehow related back to film.
The Bad
None. I mean, once in a while it doesn’t have a movie that I wanted to see, but I see as many movies as humanly possible. So, yeah, none.
Conclusion
The Gateway Film Center is the best theater for Ohio State students for a reason. The movies, the prices and the experience add up to a terrific movie theater. So for me, it’s no question: Gateway is Ohio State’s movie theater.
5 stars
