A look inside Kansas City’s new rooftop movie watching destination
You can find movie theaters anywhere across the United States and worldwide, but only a few cities play iconic films under the night skies.
Kansas City is now one of those cities.
Rooftop Cinema Club opened its first Kansas City location July 23 at 2101 Broadway Blvd. in the Crossroads. Up until now, that rooftop space has only been used for events.
Founder and CEO Gerry Cottle Jr., who started the company in London in 2011, previously brought to concept to Los Angeles; New York City; Chicago; Houston; Miami, San Diego; and Fort Worth, Texas.
Cottle called his creation the “ultimate date night.” A fun movie with a loved one with fun drinks, snacks, a calm breeze throughout the night and Kansas City’s skyline sitting in the background, and it’s easy to see why one would think it’s a perfect spot for lovers.
When choosing his next spot, Cottle said he took a trip to Kansas City and fell in love with the area, specifically the Crossroads.
So, we decided to see if it matched up to the hype. The Star was invited to the rooftop movie destination Wednesday, Aug. 6, to check out the sights, both on the big screen showing the 1999 romantic comedy classic “10 Things I Hate About You,” and the city’s surroundings from the fourth floor of the building.
Inside the Rooftop Movie Club
The doors opened to guests to go to the roof at 8 p.m., and I arrived around 8:10 p.m. Street parking was full and there is a nearby garage on 301-357 W. 22nd St., but at the time I didn’t realize it was open, so I spent more time searching for a place to park than needed.
Cottle previously encouraged customers to come early, socialize and play board games and cornhole, allowing visitors to mix and mingle before the lights turn off — both the lights in the concessions area and the sunlight. Guests are also encouraged to come early since seating is first-come, first-served.
You’re immediately greeted by a hand-painted mural featuring some of Kansas City’s iconic landmarks like the Western Auto sign, The Scout statue and Union Station. Other decorations include neon signs with the name of the business, a big popcorn box where the movie projector is located and a small food truck where the kitchen is located.
The crowd in attendance for Wednesday’s feature film was less into gaming and more into mingling and content capturing, many of them pulling out their phones to record the rooftop’s decorations, drink options, seating area and the skyline. Looking at the skyline from this angle captures downtown Kansas City’s essence, and the sun setting made for great photo opportunities.
Before the movie begins, you will need to pick up wireless headphones from the concession stand to listen to the movie’s audio. The headphones aren’t noise-cancelling since you could hear the sounds of cars, motorcycles and ATVs revving their engines on the streets below, but you can listen to the movie from anywhere in the venue.
Small concerns about the weather creeped in when it started to rain 20 minutes before the movie was set to start. It’s on the rooftop, so there is no protection from weather elements. Club staff had ponchos on standby and handed them out to everyone, but if the weather is a factor, come prepared with jackets.
The headphones are also optional, and if you’d rather chat to your partner or friends, you wouldn’t be interrupting anyone’s moviegoing experience since they most likely can’t hear your comments. The theater says you can talk, laugh and text to your heart’s content, but to be respectful of other guest’s experiences, especially when the movie starts. They will ask you to leave if you’re too disruptive.
There were a lot of guests for Wednesday’s movie, and a limited staff behind the counter at the bar. Another reason to get there early is to make sure you’re not waiting for a drink as the movie starts. A couple of friends found themselves in this predicament, but luckily they’ve already seen the Heath Ledger-led film.
We found open seats in the front row, and all of a sudden 97 minutes passed by and the movie came to an end.
“Super grateful to be here in Kansas City,” said Joel, the theater’s regional manager, “Thank you so much for being out tonight.”
The cost of Rooftop Cinema Club
Tickets range from $20 to $30 online, and it varies depending on the seat you choose. Each ticket is also per person.
A ticket for an Adirondack chair, which is your standard lounging patio chair with a sloped backrest and full-length cushion, costs $20, and you can get a popcorn upgrade for the same seat for $24.
An Adriondack loveseat, which seats two in the center of the viewing area and comes with a bag of popcorn, is $27 each, and a sofa seat with side tables, a central coffee table and table service throughout the show is $30.
The concession stand offers your standard movie theater snacks. Popcorn cost $6.50, while the sweets like M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, Twizzlers and Skittles cost $5.50. Drinks on hand included “Per My Last Email,” made with tequila, triple sec, watermelon moscato, jalapeño and lime ($14). Water, soft drinks beer, wine and other cocktails are also available for guests to purchase, with prices ranging from $4.50 to $14.
Food options are limited to hot dogs, bratwursts, and mac and cheese, but the Cinema Club team put their on spin on the items. The Asian dog was topped with Asian-style coleslaw and spicy aioli, packing a lot of flavor ($11), while the bacon mac and cheese looked promising, but ultimately felt like it was missing an ingredient to make it stand out ($10).
The “ultimate date night” can be an expensive one, but it’s similar to current movie theater prices that are showing the latest releases as opposed to movies that can be found on streaming services or in the $5 bins at department stores.
Rooftop Cinema Club is worth going with a group of friends, a long-term partner or someone you can comfortably sit next to and not talk to for a couple of hours. The headphones make it tough to converse with each other, which isn’t ideal for people on their first, second or thirth dates.
If you’re interested, future movies on the schedule include “Poetic Justice,” a dog-friendly screening of “Rataouille,” a singalong version of “The Greatest Showman” and “Sinners.”
