The 400 Theater is back

By Mark Caro Tribune reporter
July 2, 2009

The 400 Theater — and moviegoing in Rogers Park — is back.That old movie theater staple of North Sheridan Road and the Loyola area — renamed for years the Village North before closing in January — reopened Wednesday night as the New 400 Theater.

It’s still configured with its four subdivided auditoriums, but administrator Jennifer Chan said a $700,000 renovation added some (though not all) new seats, new carpeting, new screens, new audio-visual equipment, new curtains, a new concessions area and — this is a biggie for patrons of the theater’s previous incarnation — a new air-conditioning/heating system. “It won’t be freezing or too hot, which was a big complaint about the previous theater,” Chan said.

Owned by the Evanston-based ADF Capital, whose president is developer Tony Fox, the theater remains a relative bargain for first-run films: $7.50 for general admission, $6.50 for students and $5 for children, seniors and matinee audiences. The opening slate: “Public Enemies,” “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “The Hangover.”

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