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Luxury seats key to renovated suburban movie theaters

Hundreds of the traditional folding theater chairs are anchored to the concrete floor of Carpentersville Cinema 12 Theatre's largest auditorium.

With shared armrests and cupholders attached to the seat in front of them, patrons have little space to call their own.

Only a few auditoriums over, the concrete floors are covered with plush, dark-blue carpeting, and the foldable chairs are replaced by "zero-gravity," dual-motor luxury recliners - state-of-the-art seating that will soon be installed in all the theater's auditoriums. It's part of a $1 million renovation that Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson believes will make the theater successful for years to come.

"Comfort is the No. 1 thing you can offer your guests," Johnson said. "We've done all sorts of technology upgrades, but when it comes down to it, the biggest thing that gets people into the theater is comfort."

That's part of a nationwide trend, which also includes more food and beverage options, and specialty auditoriums and mega-screens, such Marcus Theaters' UltraScreens.

Locally, the AMC Lowes Streets of Woodfield 20 theater in Schaumburg underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation this year, adding dining areas, alcoholic beverages and recliners.

Cinemark's new West Dundee location will open as part of an overhaul of Spring Hill Mall with Luxury Lounger chairs in all eight auditoriums.

The Marcus Corporation has invested more than $100 million into theater renovations in the past two years, said Lindsey Weix, communications and media relations specialist.

"We're really trying to enhance the moviegoing experience (and) make it about more than just popcorn and a movie," she said. "It's a whole concept of making the ultimate night out under one roof."

Its Elgin location, for example, received a facelift this year with new DreamLounger recliners and higher-quality food options, such as pizza and meatball sandwiches. Elgin and its Addison theater now offer cocktails, beer and wine.

And at Gurnee Mills Cinema, Marcus recently opened a 4Dx auditorium - second of its kind in the country. There, sights, sounds, motion, and even smells are incorporated into the experience. Subtle special effects, such as wind and rain, will sync up with the movie.

"The reason behind that, as well as the rest of the renovations we've been making, is to take the moviegoing experience from what it used to be and making it more of an entertainment destination," Weix said. "It's a more memorable experience."

'Needle mover'

  Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson stands amid the traditional chairs that will be replaced by luxury recliners at Carpentersville's Cinema 12 Theatre. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

Classic Cinema's Johnson recognizes that every movie theater is unique; the specialty food and beverage options in one location might not be as successful in another, he said.

At family-oriented Cinema 12 in Carpentersville, for example, a self-serve Icee machine is targeted for the lobby, while alcohol sales are out.

Luxury reclining seats, however, have become universal - an integral part of any theater upgrade, Johnson said.

"Every theater company has a concept they're working on," he said. "But this is the needle mover. This is the one that everybody is focused on at this moment."

Years ago, he added, industry trade shows would be filled with digital projection tools and other up-and-coming technology.

"Now it looks like a furniture show," he said.

Because recliners take up more space, luxury seating renovations reduce a theater's capacity by about two-thirds, Johnson said. Cinema 12 Theatre's overall seat count will decline from 2,617 to 889.

"You had three times the seats, but you weren't filling them with the exception of large releases. So why not eliminate some, make the rest comfortable and fill them up?" Johnson said. "That's the thing that's hard to try to get your arms around."

So far, he said, it's been successful.

In the year since Classic Cinemas' North Riverside Luxury 6 theater underwent its seating upgrade, ticket sales have increased by 50 percent, Johnson said. Attendance, too, has skyrocketed from about 200,000 patrons a year to 320,000.

That has enabled the chain to not increase prices, despite the upgrades.

"You're getting 100,000 more people a year in one-third of the seats," he said. "It didn't make any sense to me, but the numbers are staggering."

Dining in

  Food from the Salt Sports Bar can be brought into the iPic theater in South Barrington Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Adding a restaurant and bar to a movie theater may be new to some corporate chains, but it's a concept Hamid Hashemi pioneered almost a decade ago.

In 2006, the founder and CEO of iPic Entertainment LLC opened his first dine-in movie theater, where food and beverages could be ordered and discreetly served to movie-watchers sitting in luxury recliners.

Locations in Bolingbrook and South Barrington opened shortly after.

"When we started this concept, our competitors thought this was crazy. How do we take a theater with 500 seats and make it profitable?" Hashemi said. "Fast forward years later, and this is kind of the norm. We're flattered that everybody recognizes that this is the way to go."

Hashemi isn't intimidated by theater chains adding more food and beverage options, he said. iPic has a full-size kitchen and bar, a full menu and award-winning chefs, he said. Each seat has a button that will call a server. Pillows and blankets are offered during the show.

  Moviegoers can relax with a drink at the Salt Sports Bar, part of the iPic theater in South Barrington. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

"We're always looking at how to enhance our own and our guests' experience," Hashemi said. "There's a lot in terms of what's distinct and unique about the concept."

Billed as "the ultimate movie experience," the iPic experience does not come cheap: Tickets are $16, with a $9 upcharge for the "premium plus" seating.

Donnacha Kenny, who runs marketing and design at Naperville's dine-in Hollywood Palms Cinema, also is confident niche theaters will maintain their popularity.

"So many people look at movie theaters as, 'What is the most convenient and nearby place for me to get that product?'" he said. "We want it to be a destination."

Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville is a dine-in theater with a full restaurant and bar - a concept that several movie theater chains are starting to adopt. Courtesy of Hollywood Palms Cinema

Hollywood Palms strives to do that, he said. The theater, which opened six years ago and was recently bought by Star Cinema Grill, has a classic Hollywood vibe, and each auditorium has a different theme.

"The restaurant-in-theater experience," Kenny said, "is the future of cinema."

'No better experience'

Ten years ago, when Kenny was working at another chain, he might have been doubtful about the future of the movie theater industry.

With increasing ticket prices and theaters showing the same movies and offering the same foods, there was nothing making the experience more welcoming, he said.

"People are always looking for something a bit better than what people are normally used to," Kenny said.

In 2006, 75 percent of adults preferred watching movies at home over going out to the movies, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Ticket prices and convenience were among the main reasons. First-release DVDs and recording devices like TiVo were popular, as was Netflix as a mail-in service.

With live streaming capabilities, Kenny said, watching movies at home is even easier nowadays - which is why he's thankful that movie theater chains started to make some improvements.

"Movie theaters aren't necessarily fighting against each other anymore," he said. "They're fighting against guests choosing other places to go. They're fighting against the option of staying home and watching Netflix."

Theaters also started instituting loyalty programs and specials like Marcus Theatres' $5 Tuesday deal.

At Hollywood Palms, patrons can choose from a full menu and have food and beverages delivered to their seats as they're watching a movie. Courtesy of Hollywood Palms Cinema

Those changes, theater operators say, bode well for the industry.

"I'm glad movie theaters are being kept around," Kenny said. "There's a 40-foot screen in front of you, and you're surrounded by 200 people who are there to share the experience with you. There's no better experience than that."

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