I saw "Wicked" here Nov. 29 -- my first time in this theater. It may be the worst-run movie theater I've experienced in 68 years of living. I habitually arrive early, so I went into the theater and got into the refreshment line at 6:40, 20 minutes before the 7 pm show I had a ticket for (I had bought my ticket online about a week prior). It was crowded, as one might expect on a holiday weekend. And the line moved incredibly slowly: I finally had my drink and candy at 7:10, starting to worry that if I didn't get to my seat soon, I might miss the start of the movie. I glanced again at my ticket: Auditorium 5, seat E15, headed there immediately and went straight into the theater. But something was clearly wrong: The prior movie had just ended, final credits still rolling, at what was now about 7:13. And it clearly wasn't "Wicked." What the...? I looked around, didn't immediately see any helpful signage, so I asked a kid from the cleaning crew that was just entering the auditorium between shows. He said that "Wicked" was on screen 6, so I headed over there -- only to find that in that auditorium THERE WAS NO SEAT E15!!! Most of the audience was seated and trailers had started, but I had no seat. I looked frantically for anyone who looked like a manager -- no luck. So I went back to no. 5, bothered the cleaning crew again, and one of them said he could change my ticket. He looked up the show and found that a few seats were unsold, and gave me one of them. I finally got a seat -- not as good a seat as the one I'd paid for, but at least a seat -- about 30 seconds before "Wicked" started. There's no excuse for this. They had my email and had sent me my ticket that way. They could have notified anyone who had bought a ticket that the show had been moved to a different screen and seats might need to change, but apparently no one thought of it or cared enough to notify paying customers. I have no clue whether this place is always run this ineptly, but I will do my best not to find out. read more

I have just watched Avatar: Fire and Ash in 3D at the Regal theater in Hilo, Hawaii. There is Good and there is Bad. GOOD. The sound system seems improved from the last time I attended a couple of years ago. The surround spatial effects suggested to me it was a 7.1 digital system rather than a 5.1. It wasn't Dolby Atmos, however. There were no audible height sound effects. All of surround effects were spread laterally from the wall speakers located in the auditorium. BAD: It was not a premium visual presentation. Judging from the dimness of the image, with washed out color and low contrast, I would guess it was a 2K (1080) projector with aging xenon bulbs. But the show stopper for me was the lack of vertical alignment between the two images being projected for the 3D effect. This created a ghosting effect that almost looked sprocket jitter in a traditional film projector. It was clearly evident on titles with a vertical offset of a second image, It reduced the actual resolution. In my career I've worked in television and for a very large audio-video equipment manufacturer for both home and professional applications. I judged the actual image quality to be less than good 720P, much less 1080 or 4K. It was very disappointing and I pointed it out to someone at the concession stand, who followed me back to the auditorium and suggested initially I wasn't wearing the polarized glasses. It's an entirely different issue and after observing it, he said there was nothing he could do about it. I can't recommend the 3D auditorium 7 in this theater. You'll have a better experience with a standard projection. read more

This theater could definitely use some renovations. Poor overall cleanliness. The ceilings are exposed and covered in dust. Theater screens are filthy, it looks like someone threw drinks at the screen and now it's moldy. The air conditioner is very humid and stuffy. Theaters with cloth covered seats feel damp (maybe from humidity) and disgusting. I can also hear the sound of the other theaters playing during the movie. Being that it's a small town and there's only one theater it would be nice if it wasn't so dated. On the other hand the employees are always friendly and helpful. They keep the restroom and lobby area clean. The concession has a good selection of snacks and drinks including alcohol. read more

Upgrade the Theater and keep it clean I watched Bob Marley - One Love, there were a lot of empty seats at the 4:10pm showing on 02/24/24. It was a good movie, loved the soundtrack!!! I haven't been to Regal in Hilo for over two years, will I go back??? Only if they fix a couple things. Here are my recommendations. Please fix the men's urinals (only one out of the three was working), clean the bathrooms frequently and make everything automatic flush & upgrade the sinks like they do at the Airport. Upgrade the seats to recliners, make burgers, local food, or Healthy Food Options and accept Apple Pay at the concession counter. You can buy tickets online with Apple Pay, Plus I can scan my digital ticket with the QR Code Reader at the counter but you can't use technology (Apple Pay) at the concessions to pay for your food, it doesn't make sense. At this point it might be better to wait a week or two when the movie gets out on the Apple Store (new digital movies cost $19.99 and your entire family can watch it) then pay $15.00 for one seat and inflated prices on the popcorn and soda at Regal. You guys stop having someone at the box office, now you have to go to the concessions to buy a ticket. On a positive note the AC was working and it was at a comfortable temperature and the employees at the counter were very friendly. I am appreciative that there is a theater in Hilo, I know you can do better, the people of Hilo deserve it. There are theaters on Oahu that I visit frequently and have all the upgrades I talk about in this review and I pay the same price. Make the experience more enjoyable and worth the money we're spending then your sales and ratings will go up. Look forward to positive changes. read more

Interesting to see how it is set up now since covid. Kinda sucks if all you need is movie theatre food but then have to stand in the same line as everyone else who also needs their tickets... makes time a little tight. Plan accordingly and give yourself lots of extra time. Seats are assigned which is nice. Also, my little one is still having a hard time getting through one movie so they are very accommodating when we need to step out and get refunded for our tickets after 15/20 minutes. read more

Regal Prince Kuhio - Painting for new film, Avatar. - Cinema Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The managers keep changing the theater that movies show in so when you get there, the seat you chose is completely different from the seat your ticket now represents. Please stop this tomfoolery. It doesn't even make sense. I have never once seen a movie sell out there so it's not like changing theaters to accommodate bigger crowds would make a difference. Stop ruining my experience for movies I bought tickets to weeks in advance. This happens frequently with mystery movie mondays and fathom events. Until regal finds a way to notify customers of changes like these, it will always produce rage when you change the theater to a seating chart different than the one you sold to your customer. I bought my seat for a reason. Also, please do something about all of the giant mold spots on the screens and the volume levels in theaters 1, 2, & 3 that can frequently be heard interrupting parts of your movie. read more

I have to commend this worker Yuri from Regal prince Kuhio in Hilo for going above and beyond to clean the floor after a customer spat on the floor. He did not hesitate to clean and sanitize for others enjoy. Auditorium # 4 03/31/2023 6:05pm Mahalo for keeping all of us safe. 5stars read more

It's the only big theater in town, guys! The people there, have always been nice to me. I've watched free AARP movies, there!!!

Way too cold and definitely much too loud. The seats comfortable, people working great, popcorn fresh but was painful sooo loud & cold with earplugs & jacket for 3 hour 8 pm movie. read more

We rarely go out to see a movie. However, as it was a rainy Friday in Pāhoa, we decided to catch-up on see the latest "Avatar" flic in 3D. Being that we arrived for a matinee, there was no ticket clerk; we purchased our tix at an automated kiosk just outside of an entryway (or we could've purchased at the concession stand). The theater itself was no different than any other Regal cinema I've been to. Clean; well-lit; great popcorn! All seats at this Regal are reserved; probably a dozen or so screens. The concession staff was very friendly and everyone was on their toes!! :D The digital 3D auditorium we saw the movie was very clean (it was, after all, the first show); seats were very comfortable (perhaps a bit tight). Overall, our experience at the Regal Prince Kuhio was a very enjoyable one! 4-stars for the Prince; 2-stars for the movie.... ;) read more

The AC was broken in the theater I was sweating the screen and theaters were small probably won't go back to this theater food was regular theater food but definitely disappointed read more

I dont know if I have written a review for any movie theatres in the past but here I go. Hooray for even having a cinema in Hilo. Hilo is a small city in the Big Island and theres nothing exciting here. Hey, at least theres a movie theatre that plays up-to-date movies. I dont exactly know how many screens they have but I believe 8. Most of the them are really small and..small. Compared to like AMC or even same Regal back in LA is no comparable to this one. This movie theater sucks. I dont even know if they clean up really well after the movies because last time there were rubbish under my seat and the cup holder was sticky, yuck! As for the customer service at the snack bar, theyre alright. They are fast and theyre not rude. I have no choice but to come here as long as I go to school in Hilo but I will try to avoid and go back to the mainland to watch movies in the future. read more

My Wife and I went to see a movie here a couple days ago. After buying tickets and ordering popcorn, we were told they're out of butter. Recently the popcorn at this theatre may have been changed to another brand, because it tastes like cardboard. Without butter to kill the bad taste, I wouldn't buy it. Also, half of the theatres have old uncomfortable seats. How does a movie theatre run out of Butter!! We got a refund after finding out about the butter and after finding out our movie was in a theatre with old uncomfortable seats. The people that work at the theatre have always been great, no problems there, but they really need to update the seats, change their brand of popcorn and keep butter on hand. read more

This may be the worst first run theater I have ever visited. Old seats. Cup holders don't fit the large drink cup. Noisy patrons who have their cell phones out. Poor sound quality. Sigh. The absolute worst... Upgrade to the large soda, the clerk says. You'll get free refills during the movie, she says. Then when I come out for a free refill, no staff to be found. NONE. The speakers in the theater, last one one the right, had a rattle that was heard almost constantly. Very distracting. I always try to find a positive in a business, but I have nothing good to say. Even the employees were mundane. Lacking in smiles or personality. read more

Regal Prince Kuhio - Lights out at refill time - Cinema Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Workers are fantastic. They were friendly, fast and accurate. Theatres are great. The rooms are nice and big. The seats are comfortable and the arm rest is perfect with the cup holder for my drink. Everything and everywhere looks very clean, including restrooms. While I appreciate the air conditioning, it could be a little colder. Prices for the movie and all drinks and food are extremely overpriced. read more

Movie theaters are one of the cheaper entertainment options an individual, friends, or a family can do together anytime they want. For one thing, it keeps you interested in the gossip your friends, family, and co workers have over the latest movies out in theaters. I know I have seen a movie here at the Prince Kuhio plaza years ago when I was relatively new to traveling inter island for fun. On this most recent trip to Hilo, I had enough time to kill here at the mall, where I would just see a horror movie and have no problems sleeping that night. Needless to say, that kind of didn't happen. I arrived here around 2pm and walked past the movie theater entrance. I had time to kill before dinner time, so I'm like, what the heck. See that new horror flick before it goes on dvd and out of sight and out of mind. This movie theater is relatively small, boasting about 9 screens within a small room full of seats. One theater probably has room for about maybe up to 200 people per show. The seats are basically comfortable, much like airline seats, but a bit more comfortable when you can watch your movie without it being too annoying or frustrating when you have to squirm around in your seat. The Regal theaters inside the Price Kuhio plaza here in the heart of Hilo town is what you would call basic but nice to have for the local people and visitors alike who want to watch the next good flick. Regardless of your reason to come here, quite possibly your new favorite movie is a visit away to this regal cinema in Hilo, Hi. Add popcorn and a soft drink for an memorable treat. You know the saying that movie concession stands are generally overpriced? I'm not exaggerating one bit. But if you have to have candy, popcorn, or your favorite beverage with your movie, the staff here at this Regal Cinema location is friendly and the service is good try average at the same time. It's just concession snacks, not a meal, although you probably can overkill on the snacks to make it a meal, can you? On this visit though, I opted out of the concessions, since I had a nice lunch at the Burger King nearby. The theater lobby was clean and the decor was nice, for a movie theater company of its size. They do a good job of providing a service to the community. Movies tend to give us an escape from the real world and that's what makes them lucrative. Escaping into the movies is great, even though it's for 2 hours and it's an option for anyone and everyone to check out if you are bored and have nothing really better to do with your weekend afternoons. Or weekday evenings too! Regal cinemas at Prince Kuhio Plaza is located at 111 E Puainako Street in the heart of Hilo town. They accept major credit cards, which is always a good thing, so you don't have the hunt down a atm machine on a whim. The parking options are good, but best bet is to get here early so you can avoid the crowds. Not sure if the Hele On public transportation system makes a stop here at the Prince Kuhio plaza on a daily basis, but I was basically in a rental car for the weekend, so that was nice. The movie experience here at the Regal Cinemas was pretty good. There was about 6 movie previews before the movie started. I started to groan after the 4th one, but it was nice to be able to see new stuff before deciding on whether or not I would like to go and see it sometime down the road. For the most part though, I saw the 2018 sequel to "The Strangers", a horror flick that seems to have no real plot line, other than a slasher flick reminiscent of "Friday the 13th" and "Jason Vorhees". Still, horror is horror no matter what it is. The movie itself was a little less than 1 1/2 hour. No real basis for a story, just another slasher movie to make a few million at the box office. The ambiance of the theater i sat in was nice and it was air conditioned. It seemed to be an average experience here, and after all, it was just the movies. Nothing fancy or different than any other movie theater elsewhere. While you can upgrade some stuff, like the seats and the food options, you basically are just watching a movie. The prices here are good for the matinee. Around $10 before 4pm was a good incentive for me to enjoy and indulge, since I usually don't watch movies in the theater. This experience was nice and average. 3.5 stars for the overall experience. Didn't have the concession snacks. Dude at the entrance ripped off my ticket and pointed me to the correct entrance. Average and yet refined at the same time lol Support local! C read more

They say you get 50% off on popcorn but they don't know how to do it. The service is atrocious. This place needs to be over hauled. This is a great example of what not to do. Worst theatre service in the world. I highly recommend to not visit this theatre. read more

Review #4 for 2018. The movie theaters at Prince Kuhio Plaza aren't much, but they're what we got in Hilo. Here are some pointers for your visit. - If you're going to a showing of a popular movie in its first week of release, show up at least 45 minutes ahead of time. There will be a line to get your ticket and then a line to get into the theater that forms along the opposite wall. - If you're ordering snacks at the concession, send most of your group into the theater to save seats for you. No need for everyone to wait in line, and if it's a popular movie you will get crappy seats or be split up if you wait too long to go in. - Moviepass works here! I got one recently, and it's totally worth the investment. - Get a Regal Club card. After seeing a few movies you get a free popcorn/soda upgrade. And after a few more you get a free popcorn/soda. My brother is saving his points, though, for tickets to Universal Studios. - Butter, condiments, and napkins are on the left side of the lobby. - Large sodas and large popcorns get a refill. read more

Aside from being dirty and freezing cold, service is horrible here. Pretty sure the young ticket clerk with short hair hates her job. Went to the theater today but the showtime we got from the website is different from the ones posted at the ticket counter. When asked the clerk about it, her answer was "Well the internet is different from real life". WHAT?!? Really wish this wasn't the only theater in this town. read more

Comfy seats, good parking. Only drawback: no assigned seats. It's first come, first serve. Screen and sound are good though and there's a food court and restaurants right outside the theater. Tip: If you're a movie pass holder, you have to go to the window. read more

Outdated. I've been to a lot of small town communities which have a lot less of the population here and it is a bit sad seeing that this movie theater lacks pretty much everything. When I say everything it doesn't have variety to the menu, the rugs seem like they have been there through various storms and flooding as it does smell funny, the chairs feel very unsanitary, so do the floors it feels as if there's so much soda and food spilled that it would just rip your shoe clean off your feet. Customer service isn't there at all the person taking the order for tickets at the ticket counter reflected the condition of the over all place, pretty bad. The popcorn was stale and seemed left out for a while as it tasted like cold cardboard. The audience didn't seem to care either as kids were brought into a PG-13 movie, babies crying, and people using their phones and talking. One of the worst experiences ever in this very out dated movie theater. I saw they were able to add a brand new Zippys's to the mall but failed to update the theater as it is the only one on Hilo. I would highly suggest stay at home and watch Netflix kind of deal than go here. read more

Movie was QUIET. Weird smell. Didn't feel like I was "at the movies" at all. Very disappointed that this is the movie theater I'll be forced to attend for the next few years. They need new management. Someone who cares about movies & their customers. AND THE SCREEN WAS DIRTY!!!!!!!! read more

This movie theater isn't luxurious or anything, but it's clean and does the job. It has a small arcade area with games like Stacker. The bathrooms are meh, but they're clean enough. The popcorn is made with butter and coconut oil, which is on the healthier side. read more

Needs to be remodeled badly and i dont understand why they stop playing movies around 8pm even though they stay open till 11pm im local it never changed since i was a kid. Please remodel were willing to pay more on thicket prices just get some beter chairs change the carpet up grade please read more

We have NO OTHER CHOICE IN HILO!!! Old run down yucky dirty sticky stinky place to go to watch new movies. It is what it is!!! I do recall the old Waiakea theaters or even the cheap Kress cinemas weren't THIS bad!!! Hopefully someone wise enough will construct a proper large screen movie theater in the near future and keep it clean. read more

Pretty terrible theater. Oh well, there's only one in all of Hilo. You can hear the kids next door in at the indoor playground or whatever it is through the wall in one theater. When it's quiet you can often hear other movies. Once when we went the light was turned on in the projector room and lit of the screen with a weird glare most of the time. Another time the sound was messed up and so loud I could barely stand it. Asked them to turn it down and they never did, but the girl at the concession stand confirmed that the sound was messed up and too quiet on previews so they had to crank it all the way up and would forget to turn it back down. It's lucky for them they are the only game in town.... I guess. read more

Place is small and definitely felt dirty in the theatre. I was itchy the moment I sat down. This theatre is in the Hilo Mall and close by Macy side. read more

Unfortunately this is the only theater this side of Big Island. I've come a few times. You'll want to watch your movie when it first comes out in hopes that they're showing it in the more updated theater with the leather seats that semi-recline. Other than that you'll probably be put into an outdated theater with the velour seats and will most likely hear either the theater next to you or the store in the mall on the other side. When we watched Coco we heard Thor in the next theater. When we watched Christopher Robin we could hear the bounce castles and kids screaming through the poorly insulated walls. The prices are average for movies nowadays but for the quality of the experience they're basically ripping you off read more

If you're on the East side of the island and you want to see a movie, this is it. I don't mean "this is the place you want to see a movie at," I mean "this is the only place you can see a movie at." It's small. It's dirty. The people aren't happy they work there. Unless you absolutely have to see the movie (i.e. Harry Potter), wait til the DVD. Once a woman was breastfeeding while she took our tickets. Oh, and the preteens LOVE to answer their phones during the movies here and don't seem to register when you throw popcorn or even pennies at the back of their heads. Go figure. (But fair warning, if you're in the theater and do this, I'm upping my ammo to quarters....covered in acid...and lava.) The extra star is for existing on this side of the island, because many things don't. So that in itself deserves some credit. While I'm at it I might as well mention that for whatever reason the bathroom floors are strategically overpolished in just the precise spots so that your reflection is totally clear while going potty, if you catch my drift. Someday, Hilo will get a nice movie theater, and I will wither from happiness, and pay libations to the gods, and frolic in confetti. Until then... read more

Caution! My family and I were fine going into the theater but noticed multiple bites as soon as we got out. All three of us had the same bites. Based on browsing Google, the amount of bites, size, and appearance, we concluded they were bed bug bites. Hopefully we're wrong because we love Hilo. read more

A few years ago i watched the final harry potter premiere here. Was great. Got here at 7am and got front of the line. Fast forward star wars 2015. First 20 people here. We are not allowed to line up neatly along the wall. Instead we are forced into a giant glob with no direction two hours before the movie. Cant sit. No room. We arent even along the wall with the theater entrance. We're on the opposite wall. What? There is no sense in it at all and not fair to people who get here first. I cant stand unorganized events. The hate is indeed flowing through me. read more

For all you rich tourists, why go to a movie in Hilo instead of walking on the beach and hanging out in WalMart? Our theater is for locals. I read more

Went to see brick mansions with Gail. We haven't been here in a while, seems like there's been some changes besides the cost of a ticket! The customer service has improved, all of the employees we met were very friendly. The floors wasn't sticky, and the seats were clean. Plenty of parking due to it being Sunday evening. By the way, being from kona, I would recommend the Keauhou cinemas as a west side option. To me, its the cleanest cinema on the big island. read more

Love the upgrades and improvements. The prices is well respected if had more incentives and rewards for the members. read more

New chairs and renovations are making this theater so much nicer than it used to be! It's no longer smelly and I've never been bitten by anything. The staff is always super nice, even before the reno. My only wish is that there were more choices when it comes to food and beverages. read more

Had to update my review and bump my rating an extra star... Why you may ask? Because they now serve beer and wine! ... This made sitting through my Little Ponies far more bearable... God bless you Regal. read more

What's the sense of purchasing the ticket on the Regal app if I have to stand in a line at the concession stand to check in!!! This is dumb!! read more

It's not bad but I believe it's the only one in the area that plays a lot of mainstream films. I came on Christmas Eve so pretty much everything else was closed. It's standard pricing, around $10 for adults and there a a decent number of screens. Large parking lot. read more

Didn't know that they had a remodeled mall in here! This Regal theater is small but just enough for this little town. The theaters are small also, but with the "new" chairs. I like the stadium seating---Regal is always a favorite of my family. Matinee is $8 and evening prices are $10. They have military discount pricing at night. Sorry to see that the previous reviews aren't so great. We had no issues. Staff were very friendly. read more

The attendant behind the counter had no regard for the customers waiting in line. She insist on talking story with the person she is helping . UM HELLO!!!!!! People are waiting . I was extremely irritated but I didn't say anything . read more