The 20 Largest Movie Screens In Seattle #

Tired of watching movies on video, where the image is squished down to Lilliputian proportions on your TV screen? Does a mondo close-up of Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt make you happy? Look no further. We've rounded up the largest movie screens in the Seattle area and ranked them from one to 20 based on square footage. But first, a few reminders:

One, the movie image rarely fills the entire screen because most screens were designed to accommodate the proportions of both Cinemascope and flat film formats.

Two, the theater's size and how close to the screen you sit can add or take away from that big-screen effect.

And three, screens are ranked strictly by size. We're not saying one theater is better than another, just BIGGER.

1. Puget Park Swap & Drive-in, 128th Avenue Southwest and I-5, Everett - 50 feet tall, 175 feet wide; 700-car capacity. (Closed for the season.) 2. Valley Drive-in, South 277th Street and Auburn Way North, Auburn - 55 feet tall, 125 feet wide; 478 car-capacity (Screen No. 4; this particular screen is closed for the season). 3. Boeing IMAX Theater, 200 Second Ave. N., Pacific Science Center, Seattle - 60 feet tall, 80 feet wide; 411 stadium seats. 4. Omnidome, Pier 59, Seattle - 180-degree-dome, 52-foot diameter and 3,600-square-foot area; 230 stadium seats. 5-7. Valley Drive-in, South 277th Street and Auburn Way North, Auburn - 47 feet tall, 100 feet wide, 565-car capacity (Screen No. 1); 34 1/2 feet tall, 90 feet wide, 499 car-capacity (Screen No. 3); 36 feet tall, 80 feet wide, 348- to 565-car capacities (Screens No. 2, 5, 6). 8. Cinerama, Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street, Seattle - approximately 32 feet tall, 90 feet wide in Cinerama format (30 by 66 feet for regular screenings); 803 sloped seats. (Opening in April 1999.) 9. Southcenter, 15700 Southcenter Parkway, Tukwila - 32 feet tall, 80 feet wide; 1,228 sloped seats. 10. U.A. Cinemas, 2131 Sixth Ave., Seattle - 28 feet tall, 66 feet wide; 803 sloped seats. 11. Lewis & Clark, 15820 Pacific Highway S., SeaTac - 30 feet tall, 60 feet wide; 1,063 sloped seats. 12. General Cinema Pacific Place 11, Sixth Avenue and Pine Street, Seattle - 25 feet tall, 65 feet wide; 600 seats. (Opening in November.) 13. Grand Cinemas, 18421 Alderwood Mall Blvd., Lynnwood - 26 feet tall, 58 feet wide; 755 sloped seats. 14. (tie) Factoria Cinema, 3505 128th Ave. S.E., Bellevue - 23 feet tall, 51 feet wide; 700 sloped seats (Screen No. 5). 14. (tie) Oak Tree, 10006 Aurora Ave., Seattle - 23 feet tall, 51 feet wide; 600 sloped seats (Screen No. 3). 16. U.A. Cinemas, 2131 Sixth Ave., Seattle - 25 feet tall, 45 1/2 feet wide; 542 sloped seats (small screen). 17. Northgate, 10 Northgate Plaza, Seattle - 22 feet tall, 47 feet wide; 1,290 sloped seats. 18. Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle - 21 feet tall, 44 feet wide; 500 sloped seats. 19. Egyptian, 801 E. Pine St., Seattle - 18 feet tall, 38 feet wide; 650 sloped seats. 20. Crest, 16506 Fifth Ave. N.E., Seattle - 18 feet tall, 37 feet wide; 300 stadium seats.

# Note: Screen sizes for Regal/Act III Theatres were unavailable at press time and are not included in this list.