The lounge and bar area at the ICON theater in the VIP balcony.

I went to the new ICON theater on New Year’s Eve, an upscale movie complex in the West Loop that offers assigned stadium seating and better munchies than the average theater concession stand.  In a festive mood, my friend and I splurged and spent an extra five bucks for VIP tickets.

What does a VIP movie ticket get you? First off, it grants admission to the upper balcony — a place where the under-aged are not allowed to tread.  That’s  because the only way to get to the balcony seats is by cutting through a swanky modern lounge complete with splashy red velvet booths, great city views, and a full bar.

There’s a full menu available in the lounge — pizza, sandwiches, starters, and cheese plates — and service is fast. Most things take about 10 minutes from order to table.  I recommend arriving for your movie early so that you have time to enjoy the space and the view before the show.  Don’t worry about scarfing down your food. Although food will not be delivered in the theater once the movie starts, you can take your order in with you.

The VIP seats themselves are awesome  –  super comfy, wide, and clad in leather with extra leg room. And the way the seats are arranged, nobody will block your view. There’s a cocktail table nestled between most chairs for your food, which is served on real plates with real silverware wrapped in cloth napkins. There’s even a spot for a wine bottle, should you choose to buy one to share.

I was soon in foodie heaven — not because the food we had was spectacular (in fact, take a pass on the pizza) — but because I was nibbling on a better than decent, fairly reasonably priced (Roughly $7) cheese plate, and sipping a glass of Alamos Malbec, all while watching Sherlock Holmes on the big screen! How cool is that?

It’s very cool. And so worth an extra $5 for a VIP ticket! Another perk is that parking is free until the lot ticket booths are up and running… so get thee there sooner rather than later.  You won’t be disappointed. The ICON lends going to the movies a sense of occasion.

Kerasotes ShowPlace ICON
150 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL
312-564-2104

Note: All seating is reserved. Tickets can be bought online via Fandago, or at the theater, but wheelchair accessible seats and companion seats cannot be reserved online and must be purchased over the phone or on site. Only managers can take credit card information over the phone, so ask for one directly if you call. The wheelchair seat is just a space for the chair, so if you want to transfer, be sure to reserve an additional companion seat.