Fun celebrity events @ Hollywood Palms Cinema!

Update: This theater looks a bit different now as ownership changed in 2015. They still offer the same dining while you watch a movie experience. It’s still themed and they host a lot of fun events. I’ve heard that they upgraded their seating to heated recliner seats and invested in a new sound system so this theater is even better today! I can’t wait to check it out again soon.

I love the concept of a dinner and movie theater: dinner served while watching a movie is a real treat! Plus, it cuts out the hassle of having to search for a restaurant before your show! Hollywood Palms in the Chicago burbs is my favorite dinner theater. As a former Chicago local, I have visited this theater many times and continue to return with each visit back home.

With a gorgeous lobby, a creative menu, ongoing special events, and frequent celebrity meet and greets, there is no comparison. I enjoyed all of my experiences at this wonderful gem. The inside of this theater features fabulous decor including plenty of movie memorabilia. Even better, the theme resembles the iconic Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles.

A fun movie themed menu

Everything on the menu is cleverly named after a movie – i.e. “Roger Rabbit Vegetable Wrap” or “Honey I Blew Up the Salad.” The service is tremendous (professional servers who somehow manage to get you your food without interrupting the movie even while walking in the dark!), the food is actually quite appetizing, and each auditorium features a unique theme. Bonus – there is a nice bar to have a drink at before the movie too if you arrive a bit early.

Update: The menu is a bit different today. Take a look at their website for details. They do offer a pretty fantastic looking brunch menu which I would like to try out one of these days!

Celebrity Meet & Greets

This theater frequently hosts celebrity events. Years ago, they screened Back to the Future and brought in Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd for a Q & A before the film. Unfortunately, we were living out-of-state at the time so we missed out. This is one of my all time favorites – this would have been amazing to attend!

Recently, we attended a Corey Feldman movie marathon which included a screening of 4 of his popular movies: “License to Drive”, “Stand By Me”, “The Goonies” and “The Lost Boys.” What a great lineup! These just happen to be some of my favorite 80’s movies. I love this decade for movies – if you haven’t seen any of these, what are you waiting for?? I have seen all 4 of these movies countless times, but you can’t beat seeing one of your old favorites on the big screen!

All movie goers had the option of posing with Corey for a photo (for a small fee) and he also provided a brief introduction before the movie. Corey was a nice guy and I am glad that I was able to attend such a fun event! This day was so much fun and it was great to be able to meet one of my favorite childhood stars. A+ all the way! For some reason he only took his sunglasses off for a picture with me which was probably random but also pretty cool.

It’s a Wonderful Life – A Wonderful Holiday Tradition

I had the unique opportunity to see “It’s a Wonderful Life” hosted by Karolyn Grimes, who plays Zuzu in the movie. Karolyn was a really nice lady and we enjoyed listening to her experiences on set. She actually took the time to talk with you a bit. She wrote a personal message on our photo still which was nice. To this day, the photo remains an important piece of my Christmas collection.

The most unique theater in the suburbs!

I recommend checking out this theater on your next trip to the Chicagoland area! You will not find a better decorated and more unique theater experience anywhere. Now this is a theater that really has managed to execute the dinner and a movie theater concept!

Spend some time after the show browsing through the museum which houses artifacts from films such as “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With The Wind.” I always come back to this theater each time I am back home. There is nothing else like it! Also be sure to check out the sister theater (the original) Hollywood Blvd. in nearby Woodridge.

A revisit to Hollywood Blvd. in Woodridge

Update: We recently revisited the original Hollywood Blvd. theater in Woodridge in spring of 2026. We haven’t seen anything in this theater in over 10 years so it was a fun trip down memory lane. They were screening Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for the film’s 40th anniversary so I wasn’t missing out (this is probably my all time favorite movie).

They were remodeling the lobby so it was closed off (I hope they don’t change it too much) and their memorabilia museum was closed. A staff member told us that they are currently selling a lot of their memorabilia. I hope they don’t change this theater too much – it’s so old-school in a time when all theaters look the same!

I even love the old theater rooms with the rolling desk like chairs (which I know they are changing soon as they have one of their new chair models in the lobby). Each theater room is themed differently with various memorabilia lining the walls so it’s’ really a unique place.

It was pretty dark and the museum was closed, but here are a few pictures we took of the theater hallways and various memorabilia to give you an idea.

This theater also hosts a lot of celebrity meet and greets. Recently, I saw that they were screening Pretty in Pink and Duckie (Jon Cryer) was there to greet fans. This is one of my favorite movies – I definitely would have been first in line if I was in town this particular weekend.

How is the food?

The menu was a bit different than I remember, so we ordered a few appetizers. The food actually wasn’t too bad for a theater and the servings were humongous. We ordered: The Bill and Ted nachos, The Grinch dip (a delicious spinach and artichoke dip served with garlic toast), and Lord of the Onion rings.

The menu is pretty diverse and includes: burgers, salads, pizza, a large selection of appetizers, and also your standard candy and popcorn. Everything has a cute movie themed name i.e. “Abe Froman,” “Eating Nemo,” and “Chuck Norris sandwich.” They also offer a full lineup of specialty cocktails, craft beer, martinis, and wine. Check their website for special details.

Note: A one item food purchase is required per person (popcorn and candy count). I don’t mind though because the tickets here are a bit cheaper than your standard theater (matinees are only 8 bucks). Tip: You can often find special details on Groupon (we found a 2 tickets for 10 bucks promotion).

Both of these theaters (Palms and Blvd.) are wonderful things to do during the long, cold, snowy winter season. You can check out my full guide to winter attractions for more ideas on how to have fun on those all-too-often cold and overcast days. Spoiler: there’s a lot to do no matter the frosty temps!