5 Best Theatres in New York (2026)

New Amsterdam Theatre is a Disney-operated Broadway house on West 42nd Street, home to Aladdin the Musical since 2014. The building dates back to the early 1900s and keeps its original Art Nouveau detailing, floral motifs and all, which reviewers single out even in a relatively compact auditorium. It runs a traditional box-office and lottery system alongside advance ticketing.

Winter Garden Theatre, run by the Shubert Organization on Broadway near 51st Street, has hosted productions from Cats to Death of a Salesman's award-sweeping 2026 revival. It's one of Shubert's longest-held venues, and reviewers consistently call out the intimate scale and clear sightlines from most seats.

AMC Empire 25 is a 25-screen movie theatre on 42nd Street, including IMAX auditoriums, and it's a different kind of venue entirely from the Broadway houses on this list, no live performances, just first-run films. It's one of the highest-volume movie theatres in the city by review count, reflecting the sheer foot traffic through Times Square.

St. James Theatre on West 44th Street, operated by ATG Tickets, has hosted Hair, Gypsy, Into the Woods, and Sunset Blvd., with Titaniqué running through 2026. Designed by the architects behind Grand Central Station, it's a smaller, more intimate house than some of its Broadway neighbors.

Regal Times Square is a movie theatre on West 42nd Street offering standard screens alongside 4DX motion-seat auditoriums. Like AMC Empire 25, it's a film venue rather than a stage house, and reviewers frequently mention it for family outings and celebrations rather than Broadway shows.