posted 04-10-2005 05:51 PM                       

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Ohio cinemas, others offer moviegoers the star treatment
Prepare to pay twice as much to be a VIP
Sunday, April 10, 2005
John Seewer
Associated Press Writer

Maumee- Cinema operators are treating moviegoers like stars, pampering them with cushy chairs, private concession stands and valet parking to keep their share of entertainment spending.

They're experimenting with VIP seating - no arm-rest sharing here - and fine dining, all at a higher price.

At about a dozen National Amusements Inc. theaters around the country, auditoriums have been fitted with wide leather seats and wall-to-wall screens, said spokesman Brian Callahan.

"If you're going to a football game, you can sit in a luxury box. If you're flying, you can sit in first class," he said. "At the movies it had been always one level of service."

Because movie houses make little money from showing films, they must turn to popcorn and soda sales for profits.

Selling glasses of wine and higher-priced seats in an atmosphere that has a country-club feel is a way to increase earnings and give people a reason to leave their home theaters for a night.

The number of people going to the movies dropped from 1.63 billion in 2002 to 1.53 billion last year as the availability of home- entertainment options soared.

The theater extras add anywhere from $2 to double the price of a regular ticket. The average ticket cost was $6.21 in 2004.

It's all about giving the moviegoer more choices, said Jason Squire, editor of the book "The Movie Business" and an instructor at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema- Television.

"You don't have to choose the deluxe environment," he said, adding that the industry deserves credit for trying to enhance the experience of going to the movies.

The National Association of Theater Owners doesn't track how many cinemas offer VIP seating. But interviews with theater operators indicate the num ber is just a fraction of the 37,000 screens nationwide.

They realize most customers, like Will Norris of Toledo, are satisfied with cinemas and won't opt for exclusive seating.

"Movie theater seats are so comfortable now anyway," Norris said after catching an afternoon showing of "Be Cool" at the Maumee 18 Cinema De Lux near Toledo.

Four auditoriums at the National Amusements cinema were transformed from the standard stadium-seating setup to one with wider aisles and seats. It costs $3 more to watch a movie in those theaters.

The added charge would be worth it, said Mike Day of Toledo, just so he could avoid crowds and their constant commentary during the film.

"Those things are what keep us from coming to more movies," he said. "That's why we come to matinees."

Matthew Harrigan, a movie-industry analyst with suburban Denver-based Janco Partners Inc., said he's doubtful that VIP seating will take off even though it's worked in the United Kingdom.

"Americans are too unruly for that," said Harrigan, who laughed at the thought of a reserved seating section in a New York City cinema on a Friday night.

"You can imagine what a mess that would be," he said.

Loews Cineplex Theaters, the nation's fifth-largest movie chain, has tried a couple of approaches to VIP seating.

Some of its theaters offer first- class seats that are sectioned off and reserved inside the traditional theater and allow those customers to order snacks from their seats.

The more exclusive Loews Club at a theater in West Homestead, Pa., offers free coat check, lounge chairs to watch the show and a restaurant that serves fresh fish and a crab and artichoke dip.

Sitting in those stuffed leather chairs costs $5.50 more per ticket.

At the Muvico Palace 20 in Boca Raton, Fla., there's a separate entrance to the 21-and-over premier seating area. An escalator takes moviegoers to a bistro and bar where they can eat dinner, have a drink or walk down a hallway to one of six balcony- seating areas.

There are love seats in the balconies, and the popcorn is free. Tickets cost $18 for evening shows, double the normal price.

"We patterned it after club- level seating at sporting complexes," said Jim Lee, a spokesman for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., based-Muvico Theaters Inc.

It opened five years ago and is packed on weekends, Lee said.

The Palace 20 is the only one of the company's 12 theaters with premier seating. Another under construction in New Jersey next to the Meadowlands Sports Complex will offer it.

Cleveland Cinemas President Jonathan Foreman said he has considered adding VIP seating at the chain's seven sites but isn't sure he could make up the costs.

Cinema seats typically cost about $100 to install, while a luxury is two or four times that amount, he said.

"It can work if you have a market that will support it," Foreman said.

Instead, he has added coffee and fresh-baked muffins along with beer and wine at some theaters.

"Anytime you can do something to enhance the viewing experience, it's certainly worth trying," Foreman said.

© 2005 The Plain Dealer.

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posted 04-10-2005 09:18 PM                       

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The number of people going to the movies dropped from 1.63 billion in 2002 to 1.53 billion last year as the availability of home- entertainment options soared.

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