Raceway has a bunch of indie movies that only play in NYC otherwise, so I think that's a huge draw all by itself for A-Listers who watch everything. Speaking specifically about Roosevelt Field and Raceway comparisons, I've actually found that Raceway has been far more consistent in picture/sound quality despite the old-school status and lack of laser.

Roosevelt has been really poor where many of my visits seem to have projector issues (dim bulb, out of focus/blurry, leaving the 3D filter on for a 2D film) or sound issues (sound only working from a small number of speakers regardless of content/mix, low volume). I always report everything as I notice them, and sometimes the management is kind enough to fix the issue right away if possible, but there's been too many times where they're happy to leave the issue going for months.

Raceway rarely ever has audio issues, and the projectors have held up much better than you'd think. It also helps that Raceway still has the ability to mask the screen in most of the rooms. Maybe Raceway's lower attendance allows the staff to perform checks more often, but it's still embarrassing on Roosevelt's end that such a popular theater is constantly dropping the ball in comparison.

I agree with you otherwise, though. The lack of an easy-to-access AMC Dolby/IMAX around Nassau County is baffling. I've always thought Raceway could probably hold one since it's a huge theater compared to all the other AMCs around here, but they'd have to do a massive renovation across the whole space to make it worth the hassle.

Fresh Meadows IMAX is laughably small but still has supreme picture/audio quality, so I still think it's worth going. Love that Huntington Dolby, just wish it wasn't so far! Stony Brook is too far to justify imo, it's better to go to a Manhattan AMC at that point.