Popcorn, snacks, comfy seats, big screens and low-lit rooms.

Movie theaters are a popular form of entertainment with students. For a new student, unfamiliar with the area, the question pertaining to theaters is which of the two in Wichita Falls — Cinemark or AMC Classic Sikes Center — will give them the better experience.

Though I have had good experiences at both theaters, the obvious choice of the two is Cinemark.

Both cinemas are part of well-established movie theater franchises and both provide different film-watching experiences. Cinemark is located on the corner of Kell Blvd. and Kemp Blvd. and is a good-sized location. It is a standard movie theater with around 14 screening rooms. For the most part, Cinemark is relatively clean and has comfortable seating. If a movie is showing both here or at AMC Classic Sikes Center, I always choose this over the latter.

AMC Classic Sikes Center is located in the Sikes Center Mall on Midwestern Parkway. With only 10 screening rooms, AMC Classic Sikes Center is smaller in comparison to Cinemark. AMC Classic Sikes Center is exactly what you would expect from a movie theater located in the mall of a small town in Texas — the screens are small, the layout is dated and often the theater isn’t as clean as its competitor. There is a stale stench in the screening rooms and the seats aren’t entirely comfortable.

I rarely ever watch movies at AMC Classic Sikes Center, but have gone to watch movies that were not showing at Cinemark, such as “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2” to “Birdman: Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance.” Though my experience was not terrible, the movies help distract from the venue, I do not recommend anyone go out of their way to watch a movie in this theater.

Throughout this summer we have been treated to a plethora of quality films. To me, the true standouts are: It Comes at Night, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Baby Driver, and War for the Planet of the Apes. 

It Comes at Night is a tense thriller about two families trying to coexist in an apocalyptic world. The movie boasts great performances, a good sense of atmosphere and beautiful cinematography.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the latest Spider-Man reboot pitting him against the villain, The Vulture. The film is an incredibly funny comedy that has great heart and character to it.

Baby Driver is a heist movie brought to us by talented film director Edgar Wright. The movie is incredibly entertaining, has a killer score and is extremely well-directed.

War for the Planet of the Apes, the final entry in the recent Planet of the Apes franchise. This movie is a beautiful, poignant film that not only is a fitting end to the Planet of the Apes trilogy but also a great film on its own merits.

As for the films that we have to look forward to in the coming months, it looks like the horror movie season is about to be upon us with two of the biggest releases expected to It and Annabelle: Creation.

If you’re ever curious as to whether a movie you were thinking of watching is worth your hard earned money, check out the weekly paper for my review of the latest films.

Listings for local movie times found here

Tyler Manning is a mass communication junior.