Have you ever thought about your favorite spot to sit at the movies, and what makes it the best? Do you have a method to your madness, or are you just grabbing whatever you can when the option to pre-purchase isn’t available? I have my preferences, but do you?

There are different philosophies on choosing the right seat. Roger Ebert liked to sit in the back near the exit so he could get up and use the restroom without disturbing anyone. He could also spy on his partner Gene Siskel from this position and gauge his reactions. Alonso Duralde of TheWrap liked the aisle seat for legroom or the lowest row of raked seating. As a young moviegoer, I was once a diehard “back of the theater” kid but would eventually experiment with different locations (and even flirted, briefly, with the third row to be different).

For every perfect seat, there’s also a terrible seat. And every theater has them. I desperately wanted to dig into this more, but it’s a little rude to plop yourself in different spots when a movie is playing, so I reached out to a couple of local theaters and asked them, “Could I come in, sit in a bunch of seats, and rank them?”

Shockingly, the request was met with excitement. After spending a lot of time doing this, I realized a ranking would be nearly impossible. Instead, I wanted to highlight some of the best and worst seats you could sit in at some of our iconic local theaters.

First, let’s meet the cast of characters. The Oriental Theatre is heaven for Wisconsin cinephiles, and has been since 1927 when it showed the Colleen Moore film Naughty But Nice. It’s what we think of when we think of a “movie palace.” This beautiful theater has three auditoriums. The main house, the Abele Cinema, is breathtaking. Also worth mentioning, the Oriental is the only theater in Wisconsin and one of 20 in the country that is equipped to play 70mm film year-round.

Next, we have The Downer Theatre. It’s one of my favorite locations, and I’ve probably spent more time at the Downer in college than any other theater. It originally opened in 1915, it’s Wisconsin’s oldest still-operating movie theater, and, as of 2026, is officially owned by Milwaukee Film. Anyone who has been to this theater knows it’s a bit quirky, but that’s precisely why I love it. There are two auditoriums, and the South Cinema is the only cinema I know of that has a 1.66:1 screen (European widescreen; look it up). Note: This theater doesn’t have seat numbers, so I had to make them up.

Finally, the Avalon Atmospheric Theater. It’s nestled in the heart of downtown Bay View and has been an iconic fixture of the neighborhood since it opened in 1929. This building was designed by Russell Barr Williamson (an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright), who also designed the Rave/Eagles Club building. It’s actually the theater where I saw Batman Forever when I was 5, which was my first movie. The Avalon is notable for its Spanish-style auditorium, which was designed to evoke the feeling of watching a movie outside under a starry sky. The effect is made complete with twinkling lights built into the ceiling to give that starry-night vibe.

Photo: Jason Hillman / LMNHILLSTUDIOS

My Favorite Seats

ORIENTAL

My favorite seat is actually consistent amongst all the Oriental auditoriums. Not sure if it’s luck or just incredible theater design, but it’s Row H, smack dab in the middle. It’s close without being too close, and the edges of the screen sit nicely within the peripherals of my vision. Speakers are placed behind the screen and out of sight, but I like to imagine I am getting a nice, even layer of sound from them. The issue with these big, beautiful movie palaces is they were built pre-sound, so multi-channel audio wasn’t on their mind. I don’t always feel like I can hear the surrounds as well, so I make up for it by engaging heavily with the front speakers.

I also need to take a moment to discuss the balcony. Row AA is arguably my favorite seat when I’m up there because you’re as close as you can get, and you’ll have the best audio experience. I learned while touring the theater that the balcony has a separate audio system, calibrated specifically for the higher seating. It was a night-and-day difference when it was demoed. The surround speakers came to life, and a separate set of speakers hidden behind the screen was activated that are pointed directly at you. I love and appreciate this.

DOWNER

The South Cinema of the Downer is a wild room. It’s the auditorium with the aforementioned 1.66:1 screen, and it’s what creative director Susan Kerns referred to as “being reminiscent of a shotgun house.” It’s also got a walkway down the center, which I’ve always liked because it means I can have a center seat and an aisle seat. Be still my heart. Row H is my pick, and those are the seats nearest the exit doors, which means you have nothing directly in front of you and you get the most legroom.

AVALON

There are a pair of seats that really stand out: Row H, seats 9 and 10—the date night chairs. I love this spot because my wife and I can sit next to each other, share a Bavarian pretzel, and feel like we’re at a private function. The main house of the Avalon has an unusual layout. Because of that, this wonderful spot exists. I think more cinemas should have little spots like this that allow for alone time while being in a crowded theater.

The Best Seats

I know what you’re all thinking: “Michael, how can there be a best?” Well, because THX tells me so! THX is a company that specializes in optimizing audio and visual quality for home and theatrical uses. THX recommends a viewing angle of 36 degrees from the nearest seat to the screen. So, I brought a tape measure and we figured this out.

Photo: Jason Hillman / LMNHILLSTUDIOS

ORIENTAL

The Milwaukee Film website states their screen dimensions are 39.35 x 20.5 feet, which translates to roughly 22.53 feet diagonally, or 270.4 inches. Now, the Oriental can do screen masking that allows for aspect ratios as small as 1.19:1 and as large as 2.76:1. I went for an all-around size of what would equate to about 1.85:1 just to keep it simple, as each aspect ratio could have a different seat. Knowing this, and using a viewing distance calculator, it’s roughly about 59 feet back from the screen, which puts us at Row J! This goes for both the Lubar and Herzfeld cinemas as well, despite being different-sized screens.

DOWNER

The good ol’ Milwaukee Film website comes in clutch again. The North Cinema has a 34 x 14 foot screen, while the South Cinema has a 24 x 14.25 foot screen. Using the THX Calculator for the North Cinema, that gives us roughly 56 feet back from the screen. Wouldn’t you know it, yes, it’s Row J again! I did measurements in both the North and South cinemas and found this trend continues again. Row J is only two seats behind my preferred seat, which honestly made me feel good.

AVALON

The Avalon was a bit more tricky because I didn’t have screen measurements to go off of, so I used my handy-dandy tape measure and did them myself. (Much thanks to the amazing staff for indulging me.) I was able to find out that the Avalon’s screen is 40.5 x 22.78 feet, which translates to roughly 46.46 feet diagonally (roughly 557.52 inches), which means the sweet spot is 62.3 feet back from the screen, giving us Row D. Once again, we’ve got that sweet 36-degree viewing angle. It’s a little further back, but you really get to take in the beautiful Spanish-inspired architecture while you watch the movie. Given that was the original intent, I was quite happy sitting here and truly got that “movie under the stars” aesthetic.

Photo: Jason Hillman / LMNHILLSTUDIOS

The Worst Seats

I tried my darnedest to find objectively bad spots in every theater. That being said, there aren’t many truly movie-ruining seats in any of these theaters.

ORIENTAL

The worst seats are unfortunately in the Abele Cinema, and it’s all because of the size of this room. The Lubar and Herzfeld auditoriums are far more uniform and have a lot more “good” than bad. Objectively, the worst spots are Row B, seats 11 and 12. These are the side seats in the Abele, on the far left and right. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather not see the movie if I were stuck here. Don’t believe me? Give it a shot.

DOWNER

The Downer is actually pretty solid for seating, but there are two seats that are the absolute bane of my existence: Row A, the far right and left in the North Cinema. Not only is this a front-row issue, but I simply don’t fit. At all. I think the seats are actually smaller than every other seat. Is this possible? I couldn’t squeeze in. Not to mention, a part of the wall comes out and gives you obstructed knee room.

AVALON

Ignoring my rules for front rows, the worst seat in the Avalon is actually the back row (which is actually Row A in this theater). Not visually—that’s actually quite decent—but the audio is bad. The Avalon has capabilities for 7.1 audio, but if you sit in the back row you get none of it. The surround speakers are in front of you by a couple of rows, the back speakers are above you, and since you’re under an awning, you don’t hear them.

Honorable Mention Best Seat

JASON HILLMAN’S BASEMENT

While not one of the historic local theaters, I felt it was worthy of mentioning. If you ever get a chance to go to Jason Hillman’s basement and watch Bad Boys on his 110- inch screen, I highly recommend it. There’s a ratty old couch that is perfectly comfy, and Jason always offers a snack and some tea. While this may not be the most impressive space on the list, it reminds you what’s really important on a movie night: friendship. Any movie, no matter how good or bad it may be, is made instantly better if you’re comfortable and surrounded by loved ones. Any space can be as grand as the Oriental or the Avalon with the right company and some killer snacks. If you can’t make it out to a gorgeous theater, find your own Jason Hillman and watch a movie.