This place was a really nice surprise! I have been to A LOT of movie theaters in my life. Being a Motion Picture Editors Guild member, many of them have been super fancy-pants theaters but I can tell you from experience, that there are worthless theaters in Los Angeles. This place is a theater/movie rental shop! Perfect. One stop movie shop. The picture was good, the sound was pretty good. I like that they encourage you to call them if you want to have a private party or screening..... The prices were a bit high for a small theater but I would rather have this place be there than not be there! read more

Cool little theater in a small town! They've recently done upgrades to the seats, so it is much more comfortable than it has ever been. Tickets are only $5 Mon-Thur. Great deal. read more

This movie theater is incredible for the vibe and experience of watching a movie in a small town with no big box stores, no fast food chains and no city grief. It is eclectic and it a theater you will never forget! We have seen many a film and enjoyed the kindness of the staff! We thank you and will be back!!! read more

We are part time residents of Idyllwild. We like to go to the Rustic to support local businesses. The addition of the cup holders, new seats, and sound system is amazing. But the first performance of the new year was a sheer disappointment. When we walked in there was a young woman behind the counter to the right of the door who never even acknowledged our presence. We had to ask if she was staff. A teenage boy (I'm guessing) was standing with her and slowly walked to the concessions counter without acknowledging us. We purchased tickets, a large popcorn, and two regular sodas. They were out of diet sodas. (Really? ALL DIET SODAS!). The theatre was freezing. People were wearing their coats and using blankets. The popcorn was stale. I even went back to the concessions stand to ask if they were going to pop some fresh. The boy said they had just popped that batch. There was no smell of freshly popped corn, and the popcorn we had was cold. Half way through the performance I needed to use the restroom. It was locked. The young woman was at the end of the concessions stand near the door texting on her phone. She didn't even look up when I approached. I had to ask if she was an employee before she told me "Then there must be someone in there." I guess I had never tried to use the restroom before while it was in use. And why would you have a lock on a public men's restroom door? There is both a urinal and a toilet so it could accommodate two patrons. The bottom line is it all boils down to REALLY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. There was no offer to help; no friendly greeting; no apology for the cold popcorn or lack of diet sodas. We have NEVER had an experience like this here. I just hope it was due to inexperienced employees, because that's the ONLY acceptable excuse. read more

A fun sleepy town cinema. When I took my family it was a one person show. The same individual ran the ticket booth, the snack bar, the movie projector and cleaned the theatre. There is no street parking but you can find parking in the back if the theatre. Also there is only one room in the theatre and it shows one of the two movies available. Like all theatrea they offset the times and which movie is showing to accommodate both movies with only one room. They also offer blankets in the theatre, at first most people thought that someone was reserving the seat but they soon realized the blanket was for the movie goers. Like any other theatre check the website for times and what is showing it changes regularly. Because there is only one room/screen/showing in the theatre get there early. We went on a random weekday and it was packed! read more

New owners (for a few months now) have renovated all of the seating and show new movies just like they do in the big cities. Small Town charm and have added "Closed Captioning" to some of the weekday showings to enhance viewing for the Deaf Community and Hard of Hearing. Great addition and sometimes the CC handheld machines malfunction. Right in the center of town and they have a great snack bar selection. read more

5 star for the experience. Just as a heads up, the seats are not comfortable, so a 2 hour movie is really felt. Loved the selection of drinks and the blankie they let you borrow. read more

Looks kind of dive bar-ish, but fun experience. My wife had been here over 20 years ago and said it looked pretty much the same. We saw Solo with about 6 other people in the theater. I agree with another reviewer about the seats being not the best, but they are just like any other older theater seats. We saw someone (probly a local!) bring their own seat cushion, they knew what's up. On the other hand the audio and video were great, state of the art. The place opens about 30 min before show time and closes promptly after. Cool guy running the concession counter up front. This place has more beer options than you'd expect, on par with many liquor stores! Popcorn was really good also. Overall fun time, we'd definitely return. read more

My mom and I really wanted to relax in our cabin with a DVD but quickly discovered that it was not worth dealing with the rudeness dished to us at the Rustic Theater. The guy at the counter was cranky and the only kindness we saw was from a sweet little cat that tried to leave as my mom opened the door. The guy yelled at my mom "Don't let the f...ing cat out." I can't believe someone would treat customers like that and expect to stay in business. We got out of there as fast as we could.... unbelievable! read more

The movie theater aspect is great it is a way bigger theater than I was thinking when I walked in. Cute atmosphere. I do think they should have a uniform since at one point the "employee of the month" was reaching to grab something and I almost got a eye full. We came in on a Friday night for a movie and the improv show. The improv show was a little over priced for that it actually was, But still fairly funny. I do think they should do an intermission or make is shorter cause I began to feel like it would never end. But over all it was a nice place I really liked that they have blankets to use in case you get cold. read more

Rustic Theatre is pretty nice for the size of the town it occupies, and it usually makes good choices for its single screen, but they have serious heating issues. In the winter, no matter how warmly bundled, it is still too cold in the theatre to stay there long enough to catch a movie. Seriously, a little investment would create a lot of return! read more

I love this place! It's like going to a friend's house to watch a movie. The sound system is good and the movies are first rate. Everyone is friendly and we all visit before and after the movie. If you get a little chilly, they provide you with afghans to warm to up. read more

Wow....have a little less of a personality why dont you. Guy at the counter was super rude. I guess i dont get why you would be rude to customers that keep you in business. You must have a very sad life. The only reason its a two star is the movie. read more

Have lived in this mountain for 14 yrs now and i love it but when it comes to this theater I have a lot of issues first of all the guy they have working there is very rude, last night my husband & I really wanted to go to the movies & enjoy it with all the trimmings but we were very turned off by the fact that mr. Personality was very sick & sneezing all over with out any regard to his surroundings.....my husband & I thought? Really him touching our food, not.... I wish the owner would hire someone friendlier to greet his patrons, and maybe he would not have such a bad turn out, last night we saw lawless & there were only 3 people including us. I give one star for the movie only. read more

Cute vintage theater with newer audio video and great popcorn. Vintage seating has no drink holders, but they do have lap blankets for those frosty days. read more

Great little theater in Idyllwild with first run movies. Also you can rent movies from here too.

This theater was built in 1954 and the moment you walk in, you would feel like you live in that era, hence the name Rustic Theater. But don't let that fool you because the screen and the sound system have been upgraded. It won't rival the newest theaters but good enough to watch a movie. They do play current movies and the admission is inexpensive. read more

Nice people newer movies blankets people don't know about the parking in the back great!!!

Just so unique. The kids loved it. It is a small town theatre...and you can imagine how that is. The staff seem to all be best friends, they look at you like "oh jeez another damn tourist" but that's kind of part of it's charm. GO when you're in Idyllwild if you have kids..they will never forget the experience! read more

Well what can I say.... This place is great.... We went last week on a mid week day and there was only one person working Nd she handled up stairs down and DVDs she did it with a smile and still had time to talk to people and answer everyone...everyone got there tickets and food before she started the movie to make sure everyone got it.... She explained that she was short handed and paused the movie... Once everyone was happy with there soda and popcorn the movie started.... There was a tall teenager with her, her son maybe???? He jumped behind and helped with popcorn and soda and with a smile and was a big help.... The men's bathroom was leaking and this boy ran over and cleaned it up and as I watched him come back he washed his hands.... Our 4 year old son could t make it to the end of the movie and the teenager said to my son lets play a game and before I knew it my son was playing a game and the lady in the lobby said please go back and watch the movie , came out and my son was chilling out in the lobby watching a cartoon with the teenager... Everyone is happy and goes beyond there duties ... We will be back for the summer.... Awesome place and staff.... Love it read more

This place was beyond words in a good way the staff seemed like family or best friends but they they seem to enjoy there jobs . The lady behind snack bar was dressed up she sat oct is for dressing up. Now the man behind ticket line didn't seen as happy he was in the mad hatter but the ladies ruled him out. He was nice and explained how and why they play the movies . The lobby felt like a living room all dressed up in fall. Staff was so kind sweet Best popcorn ever. Cost for tickets and food less than anywhere else. The energy there was great. We are coming back to see what they are dressed up as next week. read more

A great movie house and a landmark in Idyllwild for decades. Wonderful staff and very reasonable prices.

Staff is really nice and cheerful. The problem is about 13% of the screen is cut off. The top 10-13% is cropped (at the source) as in, if they tilted down it would still be "cropped", so there is no headroom, you can see heads cut off obviously in films. This is consistent as I saw Wonder Woman there, AND The Last Jedi months later. Its a shame and very obvious. read more

The sushi is amazing! Jamie is a fantastic sushi chef! Came in on the opening weekend, and I will definitely be back. My favorite is the tsunami! So good! Great job guys! read more

Love that we have a local theater. The movies rotate through pretty quickly so of you want to see something, I've noticed Rustic moves through them in a week or so sometimes - so just a heads up when planning. Cute, old theater and love that they incorporate the kids movies in their line up too. read more

The Rustic is one of my favorite tabs of "the Idyllwild experience." The theater is warm and cozy in the best way; there's a terrific, reasonable snack bar in the lobby, as well as seating, games and checkerboards available while you wait. Though the heating and air-conditioning keep the theater itself very comfortable in summer and winter, the management has seen fit to retain a delightful, popular holdover from draftier winter days: light blankets to snuggle up in while you watch the movie. Ticket prices, while not as low as they once were, are still a bargain ($9 for adults, $7 for kids under 12 and over 60). Movies are always first run, usually pretty evenly divided between PG-13 action/adventure ("The Avengers") and more adult-themed offerings ("The Help"). Offerings usually change weekly, though unusually popular fare might hang around for two. There are matinees as well as evening shows on weekends. Never crowded, always fun. We love taking our kids or going for a date night. read more