The Capitol Theatre

I like the *concept* of this place.  A beautiful, old theater restored to its former glory as it hosts movies and concerts in downtown Clearwater.  The execution of this I am not a fan of.  When I see that an artist I am interested in is playing here I actually cringe.  I like that the acoustics are great and you're not very far from the artist no matter where you sit (which are big plusses), but there are problems with this place.  My first concert I saw here had me sitting in a row of folding chairs they had added up front.  Not fun.  Another concert I was up in the balcony.  The seats certainly look (and feel!) like they are decades old.  I found my seat to be very uncomfortable.  For the amount of people this theater holds the size of the bathrooms is completely inadequate.  There's a good chance there will be a line for the men's room because it is so ridiculously small.  I read that soon the place will be closing for several months for renovations that will make the place larger.  I'm looking forward to coming back when the renovations are complete.

Two stars because they're at least trying. They show older movies. However ...

Movies shown here are NOT FILM. They are simply projected DVDs or Blu-Rays (so they're fuzzy on a larger screen). Sound is in STEREO, not surround. The screen is actually not very large at all.

Yes, the seats are also awful and hurt your bottom after about an hour.

Saw Labyrinth (1986) there this weekend and cringed when the pre-show cartoon was shown in the wrong aspect ratio (the image was stretched).

It's pretty obvious that these people are just showing movies from a PC on a digital projector. Is this even legal?

You can get a better experience streaming an HD movie for free at home on a decent sound system, for the same price or less.

Oldest movie theater in Florida!  Retro films, intimate concerts, & an opportunity to take the kids to a true matinee.  Priced right with great food in the Historic Cleveland District.