Tyler Rose Theater

Growing up on Tyler’s west side, I remember the excitement that the new 10 Screen Tyler Rose theater opened in the 90’s. It was the first major mega theater complex in the city, topping theaters with 4 to 6 screens. It felt like a grown up Dallas area Cinemaplex. There was an arcade upstairs, neon lights, and stadium style seating.

Ten years later, the Tyler Rose has lost its bloom. Maybe this is due in part to our own growing, unrealistic expectations, or the power of comparison with Theaters in South Tyler, which are far superior. Or maybe it’s just shoddy business practice.

Whatever the reason, the Tyler Rose rarely satisfies customers. If you are looking to go see a movie at this Tyler theater, you can expect the following:

• Police Officers. Yep, at this movie theater, there’s alot of action, and not just onscreen! Half the people there are loiterers, not paying customers. It can be an unnerving atmosphere. When there aren’t actual fights going on, you can bet there will be lots of teenagers being punks. Put it this way: I would never allow my daughters or my wife to go to this theater by themselves.
• Poor customer service. The theater workers are not happy to be there, and they are not afraid to prove it to you.
• A sticky floor. Yes, there were probably kids sitting in that same seat an hour ago, and yes, they spilled their drink and their popcorn. But on the bright side, you can help yourself to a handful, free of charge!
• A mediocre viewing experience. Don’t expect digital projection. Black splotches will abound.
• Audio / Visual problems. The sound is often too loud or too quiet. And at worst, the film is not set properly. Once, I thought I was watching an overly-artsy film where the director intentionally kept all the boom microphones in each shot. I thought, “this is infuriating!” Come to find out, the problem was with the projector. The movie staff is supposed to set the film in the projector to cut it off at at a certain aspect ratio. The Tyler Rose staff simply had apparently forgotten to do this. But isn’t that kind of important?
• Arctic temperatures. Last time my wife and I went to a November movie–the same night with the “boom mic” movie–we could see our breath. It’s a good thing it was a good movie.

On the bright side, a ticket to the Hollywood Rose is only $7.50, fifty cents cheaper than a ticket to Carmike 14. But if a couple of quarters is the issue, you could always go to the Times Square Cinema, which is much nicer and only costs $7.50.

Overall, the managers at the Tyler Rose have run a pretty loose ship, and it shows. That’s why most Tylerites, even those on the west side of the city, now prefer to watch movies at one of the theaters on South Broadway instead. You should, too.