I remember a time when Lafayette had an abundance of movie theaters. There’s 5 right off the top of my head that I can remember going to as a little school child. Let’s get nostalgic, people! Here’s 5 movie theaters that Lafayette used to have, and the stories that go with them.

My dad took me to see A LOT of movies when I was young, and still does to this day. I definitely get my love of movies from him. The majority of these stories are from when he and I went “to the show” together, unless otherwise noted. I hope you enjoy this list, and it brings back some fond memories.

  • 1

    Westwood Theatre

    The Westwood Theatre was located at 2439 W. Congress St. It only had one screen, but it was HUGE! At least it was to me as a kid. I remember seeing a handful of movies there. I saw Waterworld with Kevin Costner (DRY LAND IS NOT A MYTH! I’VE SEEN IT!). My uncle’s girlfriend at the time took myself and two cousins to see it. I remember liking it (I was 12, dammit! Don’t hate me!). I also saw Terminator 2 there. I got a sweet glossy of the movie poster with the ticket! I saw one of the Matrixsequels there as well. Unfortunately, the Westwood showed it’s last movie, Secret Window with Johnny Depp, and closed down on April 15th, 2004. The building was later demolished. Now it’s just a grassy knoll.

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  • 2

    Acadiana Mall Cinemas

    There are unfortunately ZERO pictures of the mall theater… if you have one PLEASE send it to us!

    The Acadiana Mall Cinemas was probably where I saw most movies as a kid. From Willow (man, I wanted to be Madmartigan so bad!), to Super Mario Bros. (I thought it sucked, even as a kid. RIP Bob Hoskins) to Under Siege with Steven Segal. It was in the food court of the mall. Right across from that giant ass Burger King! There are a few distinct things I remember about this theater. One being the upstairs bathrooms with the really weird and out of place carpet. The second being the chairs. They had a feature that would let you “lean” back if you wanted…or didn’t want. They just kinda clunked back and forth whenever they felt like it. Over and over again throughout the whole damn movie. Maybe that’s why they closed… those moving chairs, and the horrid carpet leading to the upstairs bathroom.

    acadiana mall Jared P./yelp
    acadiana mall Jared P./yelp
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  • 3

    Carmike 10

    Carmike 10 was located at 501 Acadiana Mall Circle. It was “behind” the mall. Or on the side. Or something. This was one of the newer theaters in town. It opened in 1997. At that time, the Acadiana Mall Cinemas was still open. One thing I remember is going to see Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery with some friends. But I thought they were going to the mall theater. This was before cell phones, and when they didn’t show. I didn’t really know what to do! I had already been dropped off. So I ran across the mall parking lot to the Carmike. Thankfully, they were there, and Mike Myers made two more Austin Powers movies.

    It turned into a furniture store… it’s real crowded over there now, y’all.

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  • 4

    United Artists Theaters/Ambassador 10

    I’m actually not even sure if that was the official name, but that’s what I remember it as. This theater is technically still in operation. There were more screens added, and the name was changed. I remember going to see the very first The Fast and the Furious movie there. After the movie, there were so many donkeys doing donuts in the parking lot and just speeding the hell off. It was ridiculous. It was somewhere around 2007/08 when it finally became the Grand Theatre 14.

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  • 5

    UA Northgate 8

    There’s no pictures of this one either :(

    UA Northgate 8 was located at 100 Castille Ave. I saw some damn fine films at the UA Northgate 8. I saw both Wayne’s World movies there. I saw The Crow there. And I went to my first ever “night movie” there. Meaning, my first movie I saw in theaters after dark. It was to see Batman Returns. I never understood why they even had movies that late before that day. Oh yeah, I also saw Surf Ninjas there. One thing in particular that I remember about that theater is that the arcade was on the outside of it. Weird…It was closed and eventually torn down. There’s an Affordable Rent to Own now in its place.

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