The Monterey Park AMC has free parking, fantastic food options, and often plenty of seats
AMC Atlantic Times Square 14
450 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, 91754
Pros: You can always get a ticket, free parking, great food
Cons: No IMAX or Dolby Cinema
We hear in LA have an embarrassment of riches for many things, and one of them is we have so many incredible movie theatres, some over 100 years old with character, history, and style.
Instead of going to those, how about a deep dive into the most basic bitch generic soulless corporate multiplex chain that nearly went bankrupt a few years ago if not for some meddling kids on reddit.
As a long time AMC Stubs A-List member, I feel like it’s ok to sacrifice some features for others, especially when cost is at hand. Right now you can see up to 4 movies a week at any of the AMCs for $30 a month.
So if you see 4 movies a month it cost you $7.25 a film. A steal!
For that price you can go to any AMC in California. These are the ones just in LA County. (Distance from Hollywood & Vine)
AMC The Grove 14, Los Angeles (4.5 miles)
AMC Universal Cinema at CityWalk Hollywood, Universal City (4.8 miles)
AMC Century City 15, Los Angeles (7.1 miles)
AMC The Americana at Brand 18, Glendale (8.1 miles)
AMC Burbank 16, Burbank (9.2 miles)
AMC Burbank Town Center 8, Burbank (9.4 miles)
AMC Burbank Town Center 6, Burbank (9.5 miles)
AMC Santa Monica 7, Santa Monica (12.6 miles)
AMC Atlantic Times Square 14, Monterey Park (13.1 miles)
AMC Montebello 10, Montebello (15.7 miles)
AMC Santa Anita 16, Arcadia (17.8 miles)
AMC Marina Marketplace 6, Marina del Rey (18.0 miles)
AMC DINE-IN Marina 6, Marina del Rey (18.2 miles)
AMC South Bay Galleria 16, Redondo Beach (20.1 miles)
AMC Northridge 10, Northridge (22.3 miles)
AMC Norwalk 20, Norwalk (23.9 miles)
AMC DINE-IN Topanga 12, Canoga Park (24.3 miles)
AMC Fallbrook 7, West Hills (24.9 miles)
AMC Porter Ranch 9, Porter Ranch (25.0 miles)
AMC Del Amo 18, Torrance (25.4 miles)
AMC La Mirada 7, La Mirada (27.4 miles)
AMC Covina 17, Covina (28.1 miles)
AMC Puente Hills 20, City of Industry (28.4 miles)
AMC Rolling Hills 20, Torrance (29.2 miles)
AMC Glendora 12 @ 210/57, Glendora (31.1 miles)
AMC Marina Pacifica 12, Long Beach (32.0 miles)
We will be going to each of them and return with a detailed review including photos.
AMC Atlantic Times Square 14, Monterey Park (13.1 miles from Hollywood & Vine)
The rooms are not fancy, the arcade is a nice thought, the parking is free, the restaurants in the little complex are incredible, but best of all, it’s hardly ever sold out.
Sometimes there’s only 4-5 people in there with you – for big titles!
For that reason it makes me fearful that it will be taken away one day. But one thing it offers that many don’t: non-English captions on certain films, and typically at least one Asian film in its native language.
There’s a bunch of second-rate claw games, a half-empty arcade, and a basketball shooting thing that makes you wonder: is this for real? Are you even trying?
And it’s been like this for years, very few changes. The Dig Dug machine has been there forever. No one plays it. No one played Dig Dug when Dig Dug came out!
Outside the theater is a narrow outdoor mini mall with a Daiso, an LA Fitness, a head shop that sells enormous tanks of nitrous, and so many delicious places to eat including Yumlong which someone in line told me beats the pants off Din Tai Fung – and it’s cheaper.
Yumlong is to the south of the AMC past the Maid Cafe.
The Hong Kong Cafe is on the far north of the complex. It’s loud, oily, fast, and pretty pretty good.
Also in the complex are Atlantic Seafood Restaurant, Happy Family Restaurant, Phoenix Food Boutique, OK Cafe, One Zo Boba, Sunmerry Bakery, Grab A Crab, East Town Hot Pot, Big Way Hot Pot and 1919 Noodle Express
This is a solid, casual, perfectly fine option if you really want to see a movie the weekend it’s just come out but you don’t want to sit in the front row at Universal.
Or a great place if you don’t want to be around a lot of people.
In summary: this is my favorite AMC even though it’s not the closest to me. So what. A half hour from Hollywood. No biggie. And in the rare chance I must see a film in super incredible audio and cinematography then I’ll consider somewhere else.
There’s a Ralphs a block away with a taco truck at the curb. If you’re lucky there’s another guy who sells freshly squeezed lemonade.
The garage is hell though. Easy to get lost in it. Black hole or something probs.