The Regal Mountlake 9 closed abruptly earlier this month, taking its faded neon who-knows-where. I've only been there a few times in the past couple of years, but it definitely had a worn-out quality to it; perhaps Regal was all too aware that the sparkly AMC Alderwood 16, not too far away, was siphoning off their customers.

As we wait for the arrival of the new Regal Thornton Place Stadium 14 & IMAX theater (coming in May, just south of Northgate), let's talk multiplexes. Which ones do you like best? I love the comfy seats and big screens of the Lincoln Square in Bellevue (not to mention the free parking in that weirdly labyrinthine parking lot), though it's a bit of a drive from North Seattle where I live. Downtown, I much prefer Pacific Place over the Meridian (which has too-tall seats and lousy sightlines), though of course Cinerama trumps either. Metro always has something good playing (though its smaller cinemas are very, very small indeed); Oak Tree has that one enormous screen that's fun to lose yourself in. Haven't been to the (almost) new Southcenter theater yet; any recommendations for that?

Update, 3:40 p.m.: Thanks to blog reader roachj (see comment below), we've got an update: The former Mountlake 9 will be transformed into a Cinebarre cinema; the fourth in the country and the first on the west coast. The concept is kind of like Gold Class Cinema (you can order food and drink, including wine and beer, at your seat), except more budget-conscious. A scan of the three Cinebarre theater's websites shows that ticket prices are a reasonable $10, and menu items (pizzas, wings, salads, burgers -- all with cute movie-themed names) top out at $10 as well. Food and drink is optional; there's no minimum charge. And they're pretty strict about kids, allowing none under 6 (except for a designated weekly show, "Scream Day") and those from 6-17 only with their legal guardians. The new theater is scheduled to open May 29; we'll all check it out then. Many thanks, roachj.