The Movie Tavern at Brookfield Square in Brookfield, Wisconsin opened to the public on Friday, October 11, 2019.

We attended a media preview of the theater and took dozens of photos, many of which you can see on the Photo Gallery page. We also bought tickets for Gemini Man in 3D+ in HFR on Friday, so we could experience the theater for ourselves, which we will recount in a forthcoming article.

Located in the Brookfield Square shopping center on Moorland Road near I-94 about eleven miles west of downtown Milwaukee, the theater is the latest location for Marcus Theatres Corporation, the dominant movie theater operator in the southeastern Wisconsin market. It is, however, the first Movie Tavern location in Wisconsin for the company, and the first it has opened since it acquired Movie Tavern in February 2019.

To see what's playing and when, and to buy tickets online, please visit the Showtimes page for the Movie Tavern at Brookfield Square.

A Tour of Wisconsin's First Movie Tavern

Upon entering the theater on the south end of the shopping center (where the former Sears store was before it was demolished), you are greeted by a row of self-service kiosks with a ticket counter at the end. Opposite the ticket counter is a large bar that serves a wide variety of beers, wines, and mixed drinks while guests can watch any number of games on several large-screen TV's, as well as a projection screen for the featured event. Wall-mounted games provide additional distractions and a heated patio area offers additional seating options.

Walking through an archway leads moviegoers to the concession stand, which offers the usual snacks and beverages which are dispensed via traditional self-service fountains (no FreeStyle-like custom mixing machines).

In contrast to the company's Marcus Bistroplex Southridge, which takes food and beverage orders in the auditorium (it's been described by some as a restaurant that shows movies), guests at the Movie Tavern order their food and drinks from the kiosk when they purchase their tickets, at the bar while enjoying drinks before the movie, or from the concession stand. If it's not available immediately, guests can choose when they would like their order delivered. 

All eight auditoriums are located on each side of a wide central hallway. Each is numbered, with a large display screen showing the available seating. An additional beverage station is also available, so refills are possible without making a long trip back to the concession stand.

Every auditorium is equipped with laser-powered Digital Cinema Projection systems and all the seating is Marcus' DreamLounger powered recliners that can be reserved when you purchase your tickets. Each seat has a tray that holds any food items you may purchase, and cupholders abound, so you're never short of a place for your drink.

The first auditorium to the right is the SuperScreen DLX, which is one of Marcus' premium large format offerings that provides larger screens (this one is about 50' wide), heated DreamLounger recliner seating, and a Dolby Atmos sound system.

A few auditoriums have what someone at the theater called "snuggle chairs" in the front row, which are built to hold two people similar to a love seat. As such, these tickets can only be purchased in pairs. The photo below is in auditorium #8 (pardon the pre-opening construction dust).

Choosing Which Marcus Theater to Attend

With the Marcus Majestic Cinema of Brookfield a mile to the west (an example of one of their traditional movie theaters, but their flagship location in the Milwaukee Metro area, with two UltraScreen DLX auditoriums, a Take Five Lounge for casual dining, Zaffiro's Express for pizza, a Reel Sizzle diner-style grill, and three Big Screen Bistro auditoriums that offer in-theater dining) and the Marcus Bistroplex Southridge about eight miles to the southeast, which offers a restaurant-style experience while watching a movie, the question for moviegoers is, "Which one to choose?"

I asked Rolando Rodriguez, chairman, president, and CEO of Marcus Theatres how moviegoers should differentiate the choices of Marcus Theatres locations available to them. His response was that the while their many of their traditional movie theaters offer expanded food items for sale and DreamLounger seating, and the BistroPlex offered in-theater dining service, the Movie Tavern answered a desire for moviegoers to combine "the best of both worlds" by ordering restaurant-style food and have it delivered to your seat.

I also asked about whether the BistroPlex concept would be merged into the Movie Tavern concept, and Rodriguez said that they evaluate which of their models works best in each situation, and did not see it as a single-solution strategy.

Conclusion

I think Marcus has done a great job with their first Movie Tavern location in Wisconsin. It delivers a wide variety of amenities that we think people will like, and its convenient location should please those in the surrounding area. The decor is very pleasing and doesn't seem like it will become dated quickly like some theater designs do. Whether or not the signature tavern section of the theater will attract non-moviegoers will be a test of time, but I definitely see its potential as a welcome respite to weary mall shoppers looking for some rest and to catch up on a few games as well.

The Brookfield Square shopping center has not had a movie theater in 30 years, when the Brookfield Square Cinemas I & II closed in 1989. Neighboring the mall was the Bluemound Drive-In, which closed in 1981.

Moviegoers in the area have plenty of choices, with the Silverspot Cinema at The Corners in Brookfield just a few miles west down I-94, the Marcus Majestic Cinema of Brookfield another mile further down the freeway, and several others a few more miles in each direction.

To see what's playing and when, and to buy tickets online, please visit the Showtimes page for the Movie Tavern at Brookfield Square.