Theaters rebound as stadium seats provide a big lift.IF it's not coming to a theater near you, than chances are 3 that theater is in trouble. Less than eight years after AMC Theatres This article or section has multiple issues: * Its tone or style may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. * It reads like an advertisement and needs to be rewritten in a neutral point of view. opened the first stadium-seating auditorium in Dallas, the simple innovation of putting each row of seats on its own tier has upended the competitive balance in the local movie theater industry just as it has done in cities nationwide. In Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County, home to the nation's most voracious film audiences, stadium seating has pushed a new wave of theaters to the top of the box office heap and left others, from Burbank to Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. , scrambling to catch up. There are at least 337 stadium-seating auditoriums in L.A., almost half of all theaters in the county (and with the exception of the IMAX IMAX Noun a film projection process that produces an image ten times larger than standard screens, all built since 1996). And more are on the way, including 16 in Burbank that will open this year, 14 scheduled to open in Culver City Culver City, city (1990 pop. 38,793), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1917. It is a center of the U.S. motion-picture industry, whose roots in the city date to c.1915. Its chief manufactures are rubber products and computers. next year and others in the works for Santa Monica and Century City. Simply stated, stadium seating has become the determing factor in who's hot and who's not in the local exhibition business. "If a theater does not have stadium seating, it's perceived as an 'old theater,' even if it's not that old." said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, a box office tracking firm. "For a lot of people, the theater they are going to is as important a decision if not more important than the film they are seeing." The success of new venues like Pacific Theatre's highly regarded complex at The Grove at Farmers Market is also credited for helping boost film attendance. Jack Valenti, president and chief executive of the Motion Picture Association of America, acknowledged the importance of stadium seating last week at a trade show when he announced that 1.64 billion movie tickets were sold in 2002, a 10 percent jump over the previous year and the most since 1957. Echoing the sentiments of many, Valenti praised stadium seating for "allowing me never again to have to stretch my neck and bob and weave
Ironically, these same venues that are considered industry saviors were partly responsible for a flood of bankruptcies that swept the exhibition business in the late 1990s. Saddled by long-term leases on older theaters, no less than 10 chains went under between 1998 and 2001, as a rush to expansion left them overextended overextended, adj 1. the situation occurring when a prosthetic appliance is inadvertently constructed in such a way that part of the oral mucosa is injured by the appliance. adj 2. during a time of declining movie attendance. Many older theaters have since closed due to reorganization and lease expirations and a number of big exhibition competitors have swallowed up smaller rivals. The shakeout is especially visible in Westwood, where Mann recently closed two poorly performing theaters (one has since reopened as a Landmark screen), and where United Artists Theatres (now owned by Regal Cinemas) has also pulled out. Those closures reduced the number of screens in the area to ll from 18 a year ago. Overall, however, the industry is considered to be in better shape than at any time in the past decade -- and stadium seating is a key part of that resurgence. Clear lines of sight make all the difference, said Mark Zucker, executive vice president of worldwide distribution for Sony Pictures Releasing. "Everything that is built now has stadium seating," Zucker said. "How many times have you gone to the movies and been stuck behind someone who is tall or has big hair? Stadium seating solves that problem." To some extent, moviegoers are paying the price. Although ticket prices nationwide inched up by just 2.7 percent in 2001 (to $5.81), according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the MPAA MPAA abbr. Motion Picture Association of America , most venues in Los Angeles raised prices by up to a dollar during the year, to $9.50 to $10.50 during a weekend evening show. Catching up Because of the high cost of land in Los Angeles and the difficulty of finding suitable locations for modern megaplexes, the stadium-seating boom came here relatively late, working its way in from the suburbs. So while AMC (Advanced Mezzanine Card) See AdvancedTCA. , the region's largest exhibitor, has had stadium seating at its complexes in Norwalk and Woodland Hills for several years, it is still working to get Century City up to date. "Real estate is not quite as easy to come by in Los Angeles. We have not been able to build out as rapidly as we have in other areas," said Rick King, spokesman for Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). , Mo.-based AMC, which has built or converted slightly more than half of its 234 screens in L.A. County to stadium seating. It costs about 30 percent more per seat to build auditoriums with stadium seating, but King said there is no debate about the demand. "The response has been overwhelming to stadium seating," he said. "They are more expensive to build. But not only do they generate more business, they help build moviegoing frequency in an area." AMC is by no means alone in its drive to convert theaters to stadium seating, even profitable ones. "A few years ago it was considered a high-end amenity, but no longer," said Jennifer Maguire Hanson, spokeswoman for National Amusements National Amusements, Inc. is a privately owned media and entertainment company based in Dedham, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone. Inc., which owns The Bridge: Cinema de Lux at Howard Hughes Center in West L.A. "People want it and they have come to expect it as part of their movie theater experience." Although exact box office totals for individual theaters are closely guarded, it's little secret Pacific Theatres' ornate 14-screen complex at The Grove has become the highest grossing theater in the county since it opened last year. Other high-grossing theaters include The Bridge, Pacific's 14-screen complex at Paseo Colorado in Pasadena, Mann's Chinese 6 on Hollywood Boulevard For uses other than the original street, see Hollywood Boulevard (disambiguation). Hollywood Boulevard is a boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and the 16-screen Pacific complex at the rebuilt Sherman Oaks Galleria Sherman Oaks Galleria is a shopping mall and business center located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California at the corner of Ventura and Sepulveda Boulevards in the San Fernando Valley. Locals colloquially refer to the mall simply as "the Galleria. . All those opened in the past two years and all have stadium seating. Some of the larger projects underway or being planned in Los Angeles include: * Burbank: AMC is replacing a 14-screen complex in Burbank Village with a 16-screen theater with stadium seating. The $35 million project, which received $9.2 million in city assistance, is scheduled to open this summer with 4,200 seats. * Century City: As part of an overhaul of the Century City shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into , AMC intends to move and possibly expand its popular but outdated 14-screen complex to the southwest corner of the property next to Macy's. No construction date has been set for the new complex, in which all the auditoriums would have stadium seating. * Culver City: Originally designed for 10 screens, Pacific Theatres has upped the total to 12, all with stadium seating, at a project planned for Culver City's Town Center. Groundbreaking is scheduled for April. * Santa Monica: In a bid to increase traffic on surrounding streets and make the theaters more competitive, Santa Monica city officials and three theater chains -- Mann, Loews and AMC -- are discussing plans to relocate all three complexes or some combination of the three from the Third Street Promenade The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian street in Santa Monica, California, United States. It is considered one of the premier shopping destinations in West Los Angeles and frequently draws crowds from all over Los Angeles County. . One location being discussed is the southeast corner of Arizona Avenue and Fourth Street. Keeping up Of the three theaters on Third Street Promenade, only the AMC complex has stadium seating. But even that venue is not considered up to date. Santa Monica City Councilman Michael Feinstein insisted that for the health of those theaters, and for the downtown shopping area, it was essential to build new complexes with the latest amenities. "We have to think about their survival in the long run," Feinstein said. "I believe these theaters are challenged and I think (the theater operators) see the writing on the wall." In the Century City shopping center, owned by Westfield America Inc., the proposed mall redesign was spurred in part to keep moviegoers and other shoppers from driving to The Grove. Along with major department stores This is a list of department stores. In the case of department store groups the location of the flagship store is given. This list does not include large specialist stores, which sometimes resemble department stores. , nothing generates traffic through a mall like a popular movie theater, said David Polomo, general manager of Paseo Colorado. "It's very important for the center," Polomo said of the Pacific Theatres complex. "Above all, people want comfort when they go to the movies, luxury seating and wide screens. You need that." But while local moviegoers are a discerning bunch, it's unclear how much of a premium they are willing to pay for stadium seating and other amenities like reserved seats, lobby bars, cushy cush·y adj. cush·i·er, cush·i·est Informal Making few demands; comfortable: a cushy job. [Origin unknown. chairs and drink holders. At Pacific's new theater brand, ArcLight Cinemas, introduced last year in a complex adjacent to the refurbished Cinerama Dome, seats go for as much as $14. The complex does offer top-of-the-line projection and sound and a variety of creature comforts not found at other theaters, but traffic has not been as heavy as at other stadium seating venues. Pacific officials could not be reached for comment. Just as a new wave of theaters comes into its own, a number of older venues appear to be in danger of closing as patrons abandon them. Among the theaters thought to be struggling are the AMC (formerly General Cinema) theaters at the Hollywood Galaxy complex, the Loews theaters at the Beverly Center The Beverly Center is a shopping center in Los Angeles, California, United States. Description The Beverly Center is a monolithic eight-story structure located at the edge of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, California, between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards. and in Santa Monica, AMC's Beverly Connection at La Cienega There are at least three places with the name La Cienega (from the Spanish La Ciénaga: swampland, marsh or bog): "What ends up happening is that a new theater will draw business away from older theaters in a geographic area," said Bob Laemmle, owner of Laemmle Theatres, a Los Angeles art house theater chain. "There should be a shakeout. I'm positive the Galaxy will disappear when its lease expires. And is there a reason for the Beverly Center (theaters) and the Beverly Connection? With the Grove, I don't think so." RELATED ARTICLE: Box Seats First-run theaters are moving to stadium seating. AMC Theaters Ownership: AMC Entertainment, Kansas City, Mo. Theaters (L.A. County): 18 Total screens: 234 Stadium screens: 128 Total seats: 46,800 * Stadium seats: 25,600 * Locations: Century City, Westwood, Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. , Hollywood, Santa Monica, Woodland Hills, Long Beach (2), Burbank (3), Sherman Oaks, Covina, Pasadena, Montebello, Puente Hills Puente Hills is a chain of hills in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California. It lies to the south of the San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona Freeway (California State Route 60), to the east of the San Gabriel River Freeway (Interstate 605), to the north of , Torrance, Redondo Beach Redondo Beach (rĭdŏn`dō), city (1990 pop. 60,167), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1892. Once a commercial port for Los Angeles, it is a residential and resort city with a protected harbor and an excellent marina. Regal/United Artists/Edwards Ownership: Regal Entertainment Group; Knoxville, Tenn. Theaters: 16 Total screens: 151 Stadium screens: 75 Total Seats: 30,200 * Stadium seats: 15,000 * Locations: Marina del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
Mann-Theaters Ownership: Mann Theaters Inc., Minneapolis Theaters: 15 Total screens: 86 Stadium screens: 43 Total seats: 17,200 * Stadium seats: 8,600 * Locations: Westwood (5), Santa Monica, Hollywood (2), Culver City, Granada Hills, Agoura Hills, Glendale (2), Van Nuys, Tarzana Laemmle Theatres Ownership: Laemmle Theatres, Santa Monica Theaters: 9 Total screens: 37 Stadium screens: 7 Total seats: 9,054 Stadium seats: 1,091 seats Locations: West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, downtown, West Los Angeles
Landmark Theatres Ownership: Landmark Theatre Corp., Los Angeles Theaters: 6 Total screens: 10 Stadium screens: 0 Total seats: 2,000 * Stadium seats: 0 Locations: Westwood, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles (2), Santa Monica, South Pasadena Loews Cineplex ** Ownership: Loews Cineplex Entertainment, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Theaters: 6 Total screens: 59/2 IMAX theaters Stadium screens: 21 Total seats: 11,800 * Stadium seats: 4,200 * Locations: Universal Studios, Century City, Beverly Hills, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, Baldwin Hills Pacific Theatres/ArcLight Cinemas Ownership: Pacific Theatres Corp., Los Angeles Theaters: 14 Total screens: 170 Stadium screens: 121 Total seats: 34,000 * Stadium seats: 24,200 * Locations: Hollywood (2), El Segundo, Commerce, Northridge (2), Sherman Oaks, Fairfax District, Pasadena (2), Lakewood (2), Manhattan Beach, Chatsworth The Bridge: Cinema Du Lux Ownership: National Amusements Inc.; Dedham, Mass. Theaters: 1 Total screens: 17/1 IMAX theater Stadium screens: 18 Total seats: 3,700 Stadium seats: 3,700 Locations: Promenade at Howard Hughes Center * Estimate based on the industry average of 200 seats per screen. ** Includes partnership with Magic Johnson Theatres at Baldwin Hills. Source: Listed theater companies. Andrew Fixmer |
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