Published Jun 16, PM. Photo by Prayitno via Creative Commons. LAist relies on your reader support, not paywalls. Freely accessible local news is vital. Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today. Monthly Donation One-Time Donation. What questions do you have about film, TV, music, or arts and entertainment? Theaters' investments in food, comfort and convenience aim to create loyal customers, Ulama said, particularly among the important demographic of people who go to the movies at least once a month.
These frequent moviegoers represent just 11 percent of the population but 51 percent of all tickets sold. At least some efforts seem to be paying off. Among the various upgrades that the theater AMC chain has made in recent years is to replace the seating in 70 theaters with recliners, including eight in the Chicago market, said spokesman Ryan Noonan.
Though the recliner conversions resulted in a 50 to 60 percent reduction in the number of seats available in those theaters, they on average have seen attendance go up 65 percent, Noonan said. The chain is now in the midst of a limited nationwide rollout of Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime, which made its Chicago debut this summer at the Westfield Hawthorn shopping mall in Vernon Hills, an experience that offers immersive Dolby Atmos sound, a laser projector for a super-sharp images and seats that rumble and pulsate with the on-screen action.
ArcLight does not have rumbling seats. Founded in , the brand, which is owned by Pacific Theaters, was a pioneer of the enhanced movie experience, among the first to introduce reserved seating. ArcLight expanded beyond California for the first time last year with a theater in Bethesda, Md. Visitors to ArcLight's NewCity location will find no box office. If you don't reserve ahead online, you can still buy tickets at touchscreen kiosks and from tablet-toting greeters. A theater greeter introduces each movie, and only three previews play.
A no-late-seating policy means stragglers will have to wait for the next show or return another time if they arrive after the feature begins. The auditorium theater was known for its slightly-pricey tickets, a complete lack of advertisements before movies, a strict limit of three movie trailers per screening and its addictive caramel corn, which was made in-house daily. Unfortunately, audiences won't be able to return to any ArcLight theaters—in Chicago or elsewhere.
Deadline broke the news that all ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres locations owned by the same parent company won't be reopening—at least not under their current ownership. All ArcLight theaters have been closed since the onset of the pandemic last March and the Chicago location has not reopened with the limited attendance currently allowed under the city's Covid guidelines.
There's speculation that some or all of the ArcLight theaters may be sold to another operator and could reopen, whether under the ArcLight banner or another name entirely. For now, we'll fondly remember the towering wall of movie posters, comfortable seating and surprisingly decent cocktails served at the ArcLight bar, while we hold out hope that someone sees fit to reopen the theater—or at the very least divulge the secret caramel corn recipe.
Beyond costs of rent and stocking up on food and beverage, theaters face an uncertain landscape. Studios continue to push back their biggest blockbusters, on which theaters depend for survival. The companies that backed theaters are probably also looking at a future in which more movies go to streaming services and fewer films get long, exclusive windows on the big screen before people can watch them in their living rooms.
This despite the recent box office success of Warner Bros. The National Assn. Many operators applied for PPP loans, which came with restrictions.
However, the application portal set up by the Small Business Administration crashed when it opened last week, leaving shuttered venue operators in the lurch, as outlets including Variety have reported.
Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso has said he wants to keep the projectors rolling. Few expect the entire chain to be sold in one piece, given the complications of dealing with multiple landlords.
Instead, the theaters are expected to be unloaded piece by piece. Netflix has been the object of speculation on social media as a possible savior of ArcLight Hollywood and the Dome, following its purchase of the landmark Egyptian Theatre.
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