Penn Cinema Riverfront
14 screens plus Delaware's only IMAX, free parking, and a $4 Wednesday kids series — the Riverfront's reliable indoor anchor.
401 S Madison St, Wilmington, DE 19801 · On the Wilmington Riverfront — minutes from downtown
Hours
Hours not posted
Last checked 2026-09-13
- Cost
- Standard first-run pricing — varies by showtime and format (IMAX costs more); check the site adult · Standard child pricing; Summer Kids Camp shows are $4 flat child
- Best for
- 3+
- Indoor / outdoor
- Indoor
- Typical visit
- 2-3 hours with previews and a snack run
Held at 3 by the rule, not the venue: it is a 15-screen first-run multiplex with "the state's only IMAX Theatre", but the official pages state neither reclining seats nor a kids' programme.
The Quick Version
- • First-run multiplex on the Wilmington Riverfront: 14 screens plus Delaware's only IMAX theatre.
- • Summer Kids Camp (2026): every Wednesday, June 10 through August 26, at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm — $4 tickets, no booking fees.
- • A sensory-friendly screening option runs at the 10:00 am Kids Camp show every week.
- • Parking is free — surface lot at the theater plus the Commuter Lot on Beech St across the street.
- • The default rainy-day move: pair a matinee with the Riverwalk or the Children's Museum two minutes away.
Best Ages
3+
Plan For
2-3 hours with previews and a snack run
Adults
Standard first-run pricing — varies by showtime and format (IMAX costs more); check the site
Kids
Standard child pricing; Summer Kids Camp shows are $4 flat
What to Expect
Penn Cinema Riverfront is Wilmington's first-run multiplex — 14 auditoriums plus the only IMAX screen in Delaware — sitting right on the Riverfront a couple minutes' walk from the Children's Museum and the Riverwalk. As a building, it's a standard modern theater: clean, roomy, easy in and out, with free parking that removes the usual downtown-movie friction.
What earns it a spot in the family rotation is the Summer Kids Camp: every Wednesday from early June through late August, a kid-aimed movie runs at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm for $4 a ticket with no booking fees. The 10:00 am show always carries a sensory-friendly option, which makes it one of the few reliably low-stakes first-movie experiences in the area — if your kid needs to narrate the whole film or take a lobby lap, Wednesday morning is the crowd that understands.
The IMAX is the other lever: for the once-a-year big release your elementary kid is counting down to, this is where Delaware sees it. Book those seats ahead — IMAX showings for major family releases fill first.
The location does the rest of the work. A morning movie plus a Riverwalk stroll, or the Children's Museum before an afternoon show, turns a two-hour movie into a full Wilmington day without moving the car.
Who It's Best For
Preschoolers: the Kids Camp movies are aimed squarely at them, and the 10 am slot fits nap schedules. Elementary: first-run animated releases, and IMAX becomes the big-occasion treat. Tweens: the full first-run slate. Under-3s: depends entirely on your kid's tolerance for a dark room.
Highlights
Summer Kids Camp ($4 Wednesdays)
Ages 3-10Kid-aimed movies every Wednesday, June 10 – August 26 in 2026, at 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. $4 tickets, no booking fees. The cheapest air-conditioned two hours of a Delaware summer.
Sensory-friendly screenings
Any kid who needs a gentler theaterThe 10:00 am Kids Camp show each week has a sensory-friendly option — a genuinely low-pressure way to try a first movie.
Delaware's only IMAX
Ages 6+The big-occasion screen for the releases that deserve it. Book ahead for major family premieres.
What to Skip with Little Ones
- • IMAX with toddlers — it's loud and immersive by design; start them on a standard screen.
- • Big-release opening weekends if crowds stress your crew — the Wednesday series is the calm entry point.
Logistics
Admission
Adults
Standard first-run pricing — varies by showtime and format (IMAX costs more); check the site
Kids
Standard child pricing; Summer Kids Camp shows are $4 flat
Under
Check with the theater for lap-child policy
The Kids Camp $4 ticket with no booking fees is the family value play. IMAX carries a premium — save it for the movies that earn it.
Getting There
Parking
Free surface lot at the theater, plus the free Commuter Lot on Beech St across from the cinema. Overflow: free 2-hour lot across the Market Street Bridge near Tubman-Garrett Park.
The theater lot handles normal showings fine; it's only tight when a big release stacks evening showtimes. The Beech St Commuter Lot is the easy fallback.
Entrance
Single main entrance off the lot on S Madison St. Flat, stroller-easy approach.
Parent Logistics
Flat entry and wide lobby. Strollers park along the auditorium walls or in the lobby — staff are used to the Kids Camp stroller fleet on summer Wednesdays.
Standard multiplex restrooms off the lobby.
Not verified — plan a car change as backup if you're bringing a baby.
Indoor.
Food & Snacks
Full concession stand — popcorn, candy, drinks. Standard movie-theater pricing.
Snack strategy: The concession line before a 10 am Kids Camp show is short; the popcorn-for-breakfast Wednesday is part of the ritual. Water bottles in the bag for the ride home.
Pro Tips
- ✓ Summer Wednesdays: the 10 am Kids Camp show plus a Riverwalk picnic lunch is a complete morning for under $10 a kid.
- ✓ The sensory-friendly option is at the 10 am show specifically — if that's the draw, don't book the 6 pm.
- ✓ Kids Camp is popular with camp groups — arriving 15 minutes early gets you seats together.
- ✓ Pair with the Delaware Children's Museum (2 minutes away) — museum first, movie second works better than the reverse for wiggly kids.
When to Go
Best Time to Visit
Wednesday mornings in summer for the $4 Kids Camp. Otherwise weekday matinees — weekend-evening crowds are the standard multiplex experience.
Seasonal Notes
The Summer Kids Camp series runs Wednesdays from early June through late August (2026: June 10 – August 26, 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, $4). The 10:00 am show each week has a sensory-friendly option — lights up, sound down.
Rainy Day?
This is the rainy-day plan. On a washout summer Wednesday, the 10 am Kids Camp show is the best indoor value in the city.
While You're in the Area
Delaware Children's Museum, the Riverwalk, Constitution Yards, and Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park are all within a few minutes' walk. Frawley Stadium is next door for an evening Blue Rocks game.
Upcoming Events
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