I don't write reviews. Not because I don't have anything to say about a place, but because other people usually have already said it. In this case though, I'm making an exception because everyone in the Tampa Bay area needs to know about this gem. It's on the second floor of the parking garage at University Mall. Which means you need to navigate around what is left of the mall. There's a separate entrance so you don't have to set foot in the mall itself. The decor is Pee Wee's playhouse and is just as delightful as you would think it would be. They are the top of the game when it comes to special appearances (Kevin Smith was there for two nights, John Waters, Lydia Lunch, Amy Goodman and Todd Solondz have all done Q&As there, just to name a few. Will Oldham has one coming up in September before his performance on the other side of the bay) They show the blockbusters you can see everywhere, but they mix it in with indie films and documentaries that you would have to be in NYC or LA to see otherwise. They also specialize on showing movies on FILM. If you love watching actual film, this is the place that is showing the love! The ticket prices are cheap. The seats are comfortable. The staff is absolutely amazing. The food is far better (and affordable!) than it has any right to be at a movie theater, and they bring it to your seat. There are a TON of vegan options! Which is pretty rare when it comes to going to the movies. It's not just my favorite local movie theater; it's become one of my favorite places in the Tampa Bay region. read more

This theater space has Gone Through It over the last 10-20 years. Like most malls, University has made loads of changes and is practically a ghost town while transitions happen and the theater often suffered. But Sun-Ray moving in definitely pushed it in the right direction. Now there are a few other ''dine-in" restaurants in the Tampa area and they're great, sure, but I don't want to donate plasma to be able to afford a movie and a meal. No worries about that at Sun-Ray! The food is insanely reasonably priced. No, the options aren't "heirloom tomato and burrata on a wagyu burger", but there are some really fun options and a LOT of vegetarian and vegan friendly choices. And the popcorn, man, I'd skip the movie and just come in to buy some popcorn. They have a make-your-own popcorn station for goodness sake. While one of those big chain theaters is charging you $3 for a sampler size of popcorn seasoning you can get at Walmart, Sun-Ray has an entire bar of seasonings, add ons, butters, oils... You can also load your popcorn in yourself so you can even layer the flavorings. It's ALSO super reasonably priced with one free refill included! They do also have cocktails and mocktails to enjoy your movie with a bit of fun, and they do specials to add to the bigger movies. As for inside the theater, I read a few people complain that the seats don't recline. I'm honestly okay with that because, you know...eating. And the chairs are super plush, the kind you just sink in and nestle into. I love that a lot. The spacing was pretty comfortable, lots of room for guests and servers to walk in front of you. I also really liked that instead of Big Corporation Showings before the trailers start, they were showing fun videos and local ads. To be entirely honest, I'm not likely to go back to those big name theaters very often now. I'm hooked. (And not just for the popcorn but honestly, mostly the popcorn) read more

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Wow what a great experience all the way around. You can easily park in 2nd floor behind the 'mall' and enter the theater from there. Greeted right away by the friendly hostess at the customer service desk. If you bought tickets on line you can just go to concession area to get food drinks , you look over the menu while in cue which goes very fast, and order. Drinks are made for you and you can a nice big bowl for self serve popcorn with butter or lots of flavors for toppings. All other food is brought to your reserved seat, just give them the theater and your seat numbers. Within less than 10 mins wait(we snacked on popcorn and our drinks) we had an amazing pressed cuban - delicious! And also a huge soft fresh pretzel with cheese for dipping. All for less than $30! Previews were less than 15 mins(closer to 10mins) . We will be back for sure. read more

We have not been to this theatre in over 20 years, but they were the only theatre that had a movie we wanted to see. It was previously known as University Square Cinema, and though the name has changed, it is in the same location. So it was easy to find. We bought tickets online, and only had to show them on our phone to get in. Easy! The prices were also competitive with other theatres. Our show was not in a reclining seat theatre (number 9), but the seats were comfortable & we had a table that moved in and out for concessions purchased. We ate before coming, so we did not buy any food or drink. We did use the bathrooms before the show. This is where one star comes off. They were not in the best condition, but did have toilet paper, soap and towels. Our movie had good sound and looked great. Afterwards there was a Q&A with the writer and editor. What a cool experience. However the local movie critic monopolized time with them for the first fifteen minutes, and we had to leave. We will definitely be back! read more

Sun Ray Cinema - Independent movie. - Cinema Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Great Movie experience while watching Scary Movie! The staff were super friendly as you walk in with a greeting. The concession stand had different food and drink options and I went with the Garlic Parm wings. They were crispy and delicious, would order again for the next film. read more

Sun Ray Cinema - Garlic Parm Wings - Cinema Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I will definitely make an effort to see more films here. The fact that they are focused on less well-known films as much as the first run, big budget movies is something worth supporting. I kept it simple with the chicken fingers and fries and a fountain Coke. The chicken wasn't fancy, but was tasty and well cooked (the fries too). My biggest complaint, and it's not too big, is that the soft drinks are in standard, plastic restaurant glasses and limited to one free refill. There's liquor and beer and a less than simple menu, so I don't think larger glasses and more refills on Coca-Cola products (positive points for serving Coke) should impact their margins too much. I also think the candy selection could be a bit larger, but the was a decent variety to choose from. read more

I came here for Leviticus and I kept coming back. Amazing food choices and for a great prices. I appreciate the vegan options. The bar is a nice touch and the staff is amazing. Forget about AMC this is my favorite theater to come to now. read more

This is exactly the kind of theater/entertainment we need more of. We came from Riverview to see "Nirvana the Band". What an enchanting place. Artsy touches, welcoming, affordable. Staff so friendly, popcorn and drinks in reusable vessels. Interesting film selections, comfy reclining seats in intimate theaters. We will most definitely return and most definitely recommend. read more

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Fantastic establishment. Local owners & staff that are so kind and pleasant, we were quite pleased with our experience at Sun Ray. Located in the back lot attached to University Mall, here's the deets: Park up the ramp on the second floor, enter SunRay through the exterior doors marked with theater signs into the bright green top building. Upon entry, you're looking at the check in counter where you can buy tickets or they can help check you in with your reservation number/qr if you pre purchased. When buying tix, you're selecting your seats. If you want concessions, you'll then head to your left. There's a dining area available or, you order your food from an amazing menu that features handhelds, pizza, hot dogs, nachos etc & those items will be delivered to your seat in theatre. My pizza was good! It's dough made in house, pretty tasty!! My husband ordered some variety of a chicken sandwich and it was delicious (I snuck a bite). Our 3rd party had the chicken tenders & fries. The popcorn smelled good but we needed up with food food. The theatres themselves have nice seats and swivel trays. The cost of our tickets was insanely reasonable, something like 8.00?! Sun Ray is a special place with personality and care. We will be adding this theatre to our regular preferred destination for movies! read more

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I came here to see Speed Racer on 35mm and it was awesome!! This theater has such a fun and funky vibe, with lots of unique decorations everywhere. They have a nice menu with different handheld options, and I went with a pizza. The food was actually really good and at a good price! The seats in the theater were very comfy, they don't recline but they are spacious and have a tray table as well. The screen in the theater was huge and the sound was great quality. Parking here is easy, as the garage leads right to the front entrance of the theater. The tickets are also a great price for an independent theater. I love that they do new releases as well as special events and I will definitely be coming back! read more

Sun Ray Cinema - Little Miss No Name pizza - Cinema Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Fantastic upgrade from the previous tenant. Unobtrusive food service and personal pizzas that are WAY better than they have any right to be. Theaters with screens and sound that actually eclipse the quality you'd find at AMC. Incredibly affordable in comparison, too. Unlike AMC, however, they get frustratingly few of the indie and limited releases you'd normally associate with this type of "local" theater. That's not to say they have none-- Just not as many as you'd think, and the runs some of these movies have is exhausting. It's easier to talk about problems more than positives, though. Absolutely worth your time and money. It's cool to see an owner who gives a shit about the film-going experience. read more

Not the nicest theater, but the most comfortable seats worth traveling for until they have something comparable in South Tampa. The seats recline and not just the back like at Cinebistro. If I have to sit through a long movie, it's worth the drive. They also have a huge selection of food and beverage available. read more

We come here all the time to watch movies. The prices are way more affordable than the chains and the food is more than decent! They also have reclining seats now! read more

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Love it here!! The food is delicious and reasonable priced! It comes out fresh, quickly, and hot. The only thing I didn't like this time is we were in theater 9 and the seats didnt recline. I didn't think it warranted it dropping to a 4 star but it was a disappointment. read more

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This is a gem of a movie theater. Independent cinema is hard to find and I'm glad I found this place. I don't think people normally order drinks here at the bar. When I ordered they didn't include ice which I found odd. And I ordered a second time from someone else and same thing no ice. Not sure what maniacs are ordering room temperature liquor, but I'm not there yet. It's ok ice on the side is an option and then I just poured it in. read more

Had a great time visiting Sun-Ray Cinemas last night for the first time. It was Tapped Out Tuesday so all movies were $5 - a great deal. Please note that the theater is on the second floor where the old theater used to be. And don't walk through the mall - go through the other entrance. Yes, I got lost more than once. LOL! The food was good and very affordable. All popcorn sizes are refillable once, and same with drink refills. Loved the DIY popcorn bar. To eat, we got the vegan cookies and cream milkshake, vegan cheese pizza, soft pretzel with vegan queso, a medium popcorn, and a diet coke! As you can tell, we are vegan and SO appreciate the MULTIPLE vegan options at this theater. They are labeled, too! It was my first time at a proper dine-in theater and I was impressed. Vegan junk food at the movie theater is great. The staff were incredible! We were greeted warmly by Jill who gave us the rundown on the theaters and which food was popular (and vegan!). Josh took our food order at the counter. He was so kind. And lastly, David, the chef, delivered our food to our seats with such thoughtfulness! We really had a great time. I can see us coming back for $5 Tuesdays, especially when they show movies that AMC does not show. Love the independent feel of the place. read more

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Absolutely LOVE that movies that they show. Especially the Uncomfortable Brunch series. I also got to meet John Cameron Mitchell there and nearly ran into Matt Lilliard. Also, their food is SO good. read more

Tampa is lucky to gain Sunray cinema after my home city of Jacksonville lost it. They are still hosting fun events so we made the drive to see Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy show some films. The new location is a lot bigger than it was before. They still have a big menu to eat including lots of vegan options. I miss when they hosted the drive in events in Jax during the pandemic, but great gain for Tampa. read more

Sun Ray Cinema - The big titty Darcy drink - Cinema Near Me - Tampa, Florida

This theatre is awesome! They always have fun events and reasonably priced movie tickets. They also do $5 movie tickets on Tuesdays! read more

Sun Ray Cinema - Cinema Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We visited Sun Ray Cinema while we were in town on a rainy day and loved it! The place was super clean, the atmosphere was great, and the chairs were really comfortable. They also had a big selection of vegan food choice, which was a huge plus for my child with a dairy allergy. The staff was awesome. The only hiccup was that I didn't realize it's not directly connected to the mall and got a bit lost. I called, and the gentleman who answered was incredibly helpful and explained that the entrance is on the second level of the parking garage at the green walkway. Once we found it, everything was great. Such a fun movie experience! read more

The food, service, and theatre are fantastic! Sun-Ray has a great selection of current blockbusters and movies that are further along in their cycle. I've had several of their menu items and each has been great. Their pizza dough is fantastic! read more

Attended friends and family screening of "Jellyfish Season". Theater was wonderful, sound excellent, food delicious and company well above average to superior! read more

Very comfortable reclining seats, food delivered to your seat, mixed drinks. Had a good time read more

I love this cinema. The seats are comfy, the tickets are affordable, the food is DELICIOUS, AFFORDABLE & GETS DELIVERED TO YOUR SEAT!! The workers are so kind, and I love the theming of the theater. Pee-Wee is my childhood so I love the Photo Booth. We came a few months ago and I'm so happy to see this place picking up traction. Also, those under 18 must be supervised, so no teenagers ruining the movie experience (finally). We've cancelled our AMC passes, we're Sun Ray people now read more

Affordable, cool atmosphere, popcorn seasoning, not the normal movie experience felt more like an old school theater vibe.

Just starting out so it's not in the top shape it will be in as they transition from the old set up, but the decor is AMAZING and can't wait to see it finished. Love watching movies here :) read more

i must say, Ive been in Tampa all my life with is almost 5 yrs. and Ive been to several theaters, but sunray has one of the cleanest public restrooms Ive seen in a very long time. And this is com from someone who has OCD and do even like using public restrooms. and although as a woman Im always sure to pro myself throughly while using it, I was shock at how clean it was. and it wasn't one time I seen it clean it was more than one visit there. great job read more

they have installed new sound system and it is incredibly loud. it is painfully loud.. dont waste your money unless you are half deaf..