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Movie theaters for the post-sesh crowd

Cold AC, a reclining seat and two hours where nobody needs anything from you. Here's every screen in and around Scottsdale worth your ticket.

A movie is the most underrated move in this town. It's 110 outside half the year, the theaters are freezing, and Harkins is a hometown chain with its headquarters right here in Scottsdale, so the local screens are kept in good shape. You can see an arthouse drama at the mall, a blockbuster on a wall-sized screen up by the 101, or eat a burger in a recliner without ever standing up.

Quick ground rules so nobody's night gets weird. Theaters are private businesses and none of them allow smoking or vaping inside, and the parking garage is still public space, which in Arizona is a ticket. Sesh at home or wherever you're staying (see where you can actually smoke), then let somebody else drive. Every theater below is an easy rideshare from Old Town.

Harkins in Scottsdale: the three you'll actually use

Harkins runs most of the screens in town. All three were checked as open and selling tickets, and all of them do reserved seating, so book your seats on the app before you leave the couch. Nobody wants to be the high person squinting at a seat map at the counter.

  • Scottsdale Fashion Square

    Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square

    7014 E Camelback Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

    Fourteen screens on the upper level of Scottsdale Fashion Square, with curved screens and reclining loungers. This is the one that took over for the old Camelview 5, which Red Harkins opened in 1973 and which closed in 2015, so it carries a long legacy as the Valley's spot for foreign and independent film. You'll still get the big releases here, but this is where the weird little A24-type movies and the subtitled stuff land first.

    The location is the real win. You're steps from the canal and the rest of the Waterfront, and Old Town's late-night food is a short ride south. Movie, then something greasy, then home.

    TipGo to a weeknight indie screening. Small crowd, quiet room, the good recliners.

  • Central Scottsdale

    Harkins Shea 14

    7354 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ

    The neighborhood theater. Fourteen screens on Shea, rocker seats, reserved seating and almost zero mall drama. This is where Scottsdale locals go on a Tuesday because it's easy in and easy out, and the Scottsdale International Film Festival has made this building its home for years.

    It's not fancy, and that's the appeal. No valet, no scene, just a big screen, a tub of popcorn and a parking lot that's empty enough to find your ride.

    TipThe move for a matinee when it's too hot to do anything else.

  • North Scottsdale

    Harkins Scottsdale 101

    7000 E Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85054

    Technically a Phoenix address, but it sits right on the 101 at the edge of north Scottsdale, and everybody up there calls it theirs. It opened in 2003 with the first of Harkins' new Cine Capri auditoriums, a revival of the giant-screen Phoenix palace that got knocked down in 1998. Today the house is a 14-screen complex with Cine XL big-format showings, laser projection and Dolby Atmos on select screens, plus recliners.

    Opening night blockbusters belong here. If a movie is loud, long and full of explosions, pay a few extra bucks for the Cine XL room and let it rattle your ribs.

    TipBook the middle of the big room early on opening weekend. It sells out.

Dine-in theaters in Scottsdale: food delivered to the recliner

For the stoner, a dine-in theater is basically the dream. The munchies hit around the second act and you don't have to miss anything. Two of these are inside Scottsdale and one is a short ride west in Phoenix.

  • Kierland / Scottsdale Quarter

    Landmark Scottsdale Quarter

    15257 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 230, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

    If you're looking for the old iPic, this is it. iPic closed this eight-screen theater in early 2020 and Landmark Theatres reopened it in December 2021. It's the plush option in town: big recliners, a lounge and in-theater dining, upstairs at Scottsdale Quarter near Kierland.

    Landmark leans toward prestige pictures and grown-up movies, with mainstream stuff mixed in. It's a good date night pick for when you want the night to feel like an occasion.

    TipOrder your food early, before the lights go down. Nobody wants to flag a server mid-movie.

  • Pavilions at Talking Stick

    RoadHouse Cinemas Scottsdale

    9090 E Indian Bend Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85250

    A locally run, adults-first dine-in theater in the Pavilions shopping center by the 101. The building has been a movie house since 1989, back when it was a United Artists, and RoadHouse took it over in 2016 and grew it to 14 screens. Every seat is a leather recliner and there's a button on the side of the chair that brings a server over.

    The menu is scratch-made bar food: burgers, flatbread pizzas, root beer floats, cheesecake. Local craft beer and wine at the lobby bar. It's the most stoner-correct theater in Scottsdale and it isn't close.

    TipRoot beer float halfway through. Trust the process.

  • Biltmore, Phoenix (10 minutes west)

    AMC Dine-In Esplanade 14

    2515 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016

    If both Scottsdale dine-ins are sold out, this one sits on Camelback near the Biltmore, an easy straight shot west from Fashion Square. Fourteen screens with seat-side food service. The first five auditoriums are Cinema Suites for 21 and over, which is exactly where you want to be with a full belly and no kids kicking your chair.

    It's built on top of a parking garage, so give yourself an extra few minutes to find the entrance.

    TipPick a Cinema Suites showing. Adults only, quieter room.

IMAX and the biggest screens near Scottsdale

Scottsdale doesn't have its own IMAX. For the full IMAX thing, you head south to Tempe. For a really big screen without the drive, Scottsdale 101's Cine XL room (above) is the local answer.

  • Tempe (20 to 25 minutes south)

    Harkins Arizona Mills with IMAX

    5000 Arizona Mills Cir, Tempe, AZ

    Harkins' only IMAX house, in the Arizona Mills mall off the I-10 and US-60. Harkins started running the IMAX screen in late 2009, opening it with Avatar in 3D, and it's still the place Valley film nerds go when a director shoots for IMAX. The rest of the complex is regular screens with stadium seating.

    It's a haul from Old Town, so this is a planned outing, not a whim. Make it a group ride and grab food in Tempe after.

    TipFor an IMAX-shot movie, book the center rows a few days out. The edges of a screen that big are rough.

Free outdoor movies in Scottsdale (in season)

In the cooler months the City of Scottsdale throws free movie nights on the East Bowl lawn at Scottsdale Civic Center in Old Town, at 3839 N Drinkwater Blvd. They've done holiday classics around December and family nights in spring, with food trucks selling snacks. Bring a blanket, show up early for grass, and keep an eye on the city and Scottsdale Arts event calendars, because the lineup changes each season and registration is sometimes requested.

One thing to know. A city park is a public place, and lighting up there is a ticket in Arizona, plus it's a family crowd. Sesh before you leave, walk or ride over, and enjoy the movie with a clear conscience and a big bag of popcorn.

How to pick the right theater for your night

Want subtitles, a slow-burn drama or the movie everybody on your feed is arguing about? Camelview. Want a blockbuster at full volume? Scottsdale 101. Want to eat a full meal without getting up? RoadHouse or Landmark. Want zero hassle on a random weeknight? Shea 14. Need actual IMAX? Tempe.

Plan the ride both ways before the sesh starts. All of these are mall or shopping-center theaters with easy rideshare pickup, and a movie ending at 11 is a perfect handoff to the late-night spots on our munchies guide. First trip to Arizona? Our first-timer guide covers the basics of buying and where you can legally partake.

Questions people ask

What happened to the iPic in Scottsdale?

iPic closed its Scottsdale Quarter theater in January 2020. Landmark Theatres took over the same space at 15257 N Scottsdale Rd and reopened it in December 2021 as Landmark Scottsdale Quarter, with recliners and in-theater dining.

Is there still a Studio Movie Grill in Scottsdale?

No. Studio Movie Grill's Scottsdale theater, its only one in Arizona, shut when theaters closed in spring 2020 and never reopened. For dine-in in Scottsdale today, go to RoadHouse Cinemas at the Pavilions or Landmark at Scottsdale Quarter.

What's the best movie theater in Scottsdale?

Depends what you're watching. Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square is the best for indie and foreign films, Harkins Scottsdale 101 is the best for blockbusters on a huge screen, and RoadHouse Cinemas is the best if you want to eat in a recliner. Shea 14 is the easiest on a weeknight.

Is there an IMAX theater in Scottsdale?

Not inside city limits. The closest Harkins IMAX is at Arizona Mills in Tempe, about 20 to 25 minutes south. Harkins Scottsdale 101 has big Cine XL auditoriums with Dolby Atmos if you want a big screen closer to home.

Did the old Camelview theater close?

The original Camelview 5, opened in 1973 next to Fashion Square, closed in December 2015. Harkins replaced it with the 14-screen Camelview at Fashion Square inside the mall, which keeps the same focus on independent and foreign film.

Can I smoke or vape weed at a movie theater in Scottsdale?

No. Theaters are private businesses that ban smoking and vaping, and the parking lot or garage counts as public space, where consuming is a ticket under Arizona law. Sesh at home before the movie and grab a ride over.

Does Scottsdale have free outdoor movies?

Yes, in the cooler months. The City of Scottsdale has hosted free movie nights on the East Bowl at Scottsdale Civic Center in Old Town, with food trucks on site. Check the city and Scottsdale Arts calendars for the current season.

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