Movie Theaters Will Be Soon Be Getting An Upgrade (1 Viewer)

[Alex...]

Regal Cinemas, the second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S., has secured $250 million to give its locations an upgrade, the exhibitor said on Tuesday.

The raise is intended to boost its already existing locations (425 theaters across the country) with enhancements like luxury recliners and other amenities.

Regal Plans to Upgrade Its Movie Theaters With $250M Capital Raise

The funds are intended to boost its already existing locations (425 theaters across the country) with enhancements like luxury recliners.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Desslar]

Regal Cinemas has secured $250M to upgrade its theaters. With the box office making a comeback, renovations, improvements, and digital enhancements are underway at more than 30 locations, with completion expected by 2025.

Box office making a comeback? Hmm… hope they are right but probably best not to be over optimistic for the long term.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

They need more true (and larger) premium screens in NYC, not the gimmicky 4DX and ScreenX stuff, and yeah, proper masking for scope presentations. Almost none of the Regals in NYC area have IMAX or Dolby Cinema... and only one all the way out in Sheepshead Bay (in Brooklyn) has IMAX, which might still be mediocre 2K, 1.9 AR IMAX -- I can't imagine that theater drawing quite that much audience for IMAX (vs the AMC ones in Manhattan or any potential ones closer to Manhattan... like downtown Brooklyn where they permanently closed the Regal I used to sporadically visit up until shortly after theater reopenings during the latter half of the pandemic).

For anyone not familiar w/ Brooklyn, Sheepshead Bay is one of the farthest neighborhoods from Manhattan (and just as far as Coney Island) w/ one of the lowest, non-inner-city living costs in NYC area -- and it'll probably continue to slip behind other areas, especially those substantially closer to Manhattan, many of which used to be inner city, but have been gentrifying...

_Man_

 

[Alex...]

More theater chains will be upgrading as well.

A group of exhibitors in the U.S. and Canada will invest more than $2.2 billion over the next three years to upgrade and modernize their theaters amid renewed optimism at the box office after a battering by Covid and Hollywood strikes, said industry trade group NATO.

The chains, representing over 1,600 locations across all 50 states and Canada, include AMC Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark USA, Cineplex, Marcus, B&B Theatres, Harkins Theatres and Santikos Entertainment. Together they handle 21,000 screens and 67% of the North American box office.

NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners) says the funds will be used on various upgrades from the latest laser projection technology and immersive sound systems to new seating, enhanced food and beverage offerings, family entertainment options like arcades and bowling, and investing in core site elements like state-of-the-art air conditioning, lighting, signage and carpeting.

Top Cinema Chains Will Spend $2.2 Billion Over Three Years To Upgrade Theaters As Box Office Accelerates

Eight exhibitors in the U.S. and Canada will invest more than $2.2 billion over the next three years to upgrade and modernize theaters amid renewed optimism at the box office.

deadline.com

 

[Carl David]

Well you Americans are spoilt.

I just want to watch a film where the spotlights are actually turned off during the movie.

And with decor that is not bright red.

Is that too much to ask?

UK cinemas are a joke outside London. I'm getting close to giving up at this point.

The incompetency is quite astounding.

One supposes this is what happens when the revenue stream dries up decade after decade.

 

[Sam Favate]

It’s nice that they’re modernizing the theaters on the inside but the outsides could really use some work. At the theaters I usually attend (both AMC, unfortunately), the buildings are literally crumbling. Inside is nice! But outside looks like a set from the old Planet of the Apes TV show.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well you Americans are spoilt.

I just want to watch a film where the spotlights are actually turned off during the movie.

And with decor that is not bright red.

Is that too much to ask?

UK cinemas are a joke outside London. I'm getting close to giving up at this point.

The incompetency is quite astounding.

One supposes this is what happens when the revenue stream dries up decade after decade.

How do you know we're spoilt, have you been in our theaters lately?

 

[Carl David]

How do you know we're spoilt, have you been in our theaters lately?

By the complaints.

I'll take a smaller screen if the lights are turned off.

 

[Robert Crawford]

By the complaints.

I'll take a smaller screen if the lights are turned off.

Perhaps you should walk in our shoes first.

 

[Edwin-S]

Cineplex!?? Upgrade their theatres? Yeah, right. I'll believe it when I see it. Cineplex is a shit company. They barely maintain their theatres, let alone upgrade them. The theatre in my city is so old and obsolete it isn't worth going to.

I've missed almost every major release this year because a theatre visit isn't worth spending money on. I saw one movie this year in the theatre: Inside Out 2 and that only because it was the only place I could watch the 3D version.

Edit: Sorry. Had to fix typos. Touch keyboards are terrible.

 

[mattbuffalo]

They need more true (and larger) premium screens in NYC, not the gimmicky 4DX and ScreenX stuff, and yeah, proper masking for scope presentations. Almost none of the Regals in NYC area have IMAX or Dolby Cinema... and only one all the way out in Sheepshead Bay (in Brooklyn) has IMAX, which might still be mediocre 2K, 1.9 AR IMAX -- I can't imagine that theater drawing quite that much audience for IMAX (vs the AMC ones in Manhattan or any potential ones closer to Manhattan... like downtown Brooklyn where they permanently closed the Regal I used to sporadically visit up until shortly after theater reopenings during the latter half of the pandemic).

For anyone not familiar w/ Brooklyn, Sheepshead Bay is one of the farthest neighborhoods from Manhattan (and just as far as Coney Island) w/ one of the lowest, non-inner-city living costs in NYC area -- and it'll probably continue to slip behind other areas, especially those substantially closer to Manhattan, many of which used to be inner city, but have been gentrifying...
Mit dieser Version des Spiels müssen Sie sich nicht anstrengen, um unbegrenzte Ressourcen zu erhalten, da sie Ihnen alles bereits ab dem ersten Level bereitstellt https://nullbrawl.com.de/. Ist das nicht spannend? Sie müssen nur das Spiel starten und können sofort mit allen freigeschalteten Gegenständen experimentieren.
_Man_

thank you so much for your suggestion

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Just what we need, turning movie theaters into another Dave & Buster’s.

 

[Jake Lipson]

If they want to improve movie theaters for regular customers, the first thing I would do is return to masking the screens properly. All theaters including the multiplexes used to do this, but now only my arthouse does that.

I saw Whiplash at my current multiplex ten years ago and the screen was masked properly. I'm going to go back to the same theater to see it again for its re-release this weekend. But now they don't mask the screen, so it will appear letterboxed. This is just lazy. I still go to the movies because it will be better than watching on my television. But it could be better if the multiplexes wanted to put in more effort. But they don't. It's not like the purpose of a movie theater is to show movies or anything. Oh wait. It is and they don't care.

The second thing I would do is cut down the number of trailers and other garbage in front of the movie. I don't mind seeing trailers, and I think seeing them is part of the experience of going to the movie theater. But it doesn't need to go on for 20 or 25 minutes. This would be more respectful of patrons' time and might even help squeeze in an additional showtime or two if the movie is short. But of course they won't do that either.

 

[Sam Favate]

The second thing I would do is cut down the number of trailers and other garbage in front of the movie. I don't mind seeing trailers, and I think seeing them is part of the experience of going to the movie theater. But it doesn't need to go on for 20 or 25 minutes.

Yup. It was a full 30 minutes at my showing of Beetlejuice recently. (I checked my watch.) That’s 30 minutes starting at the posted start time for the movie, not to mention all the commercials and nonsense before the start time.

 

[Worth]

…I saw Whiplash at my current multiplex ten years ago and the screen was masked properly. I'm going to go back to the same theater to see it again for its re-release this weekend. But now they don't mask the screen, so it will appear letterboxed. This is just lazy…

I agree, but I think part of the problem is that now there’s an entire generation that’s come to believe letterboxing itself is cinematic.

 

[Jake Lipson]

now there’s an entire generation that’s come to believe letterboxing itself is cinematic.

That doesn't mean the theaters shouldn't do the best they can to present movies. There's also a generation that doesn't mind watching movies on their phone. Ted Sarandos, who runs Netflix, was talking in an interview about how his son watched Lawrence of Arabia on his phone and framed that as a positive thing. And yet, movie theaters still exist because they are better than watching a movie on your phone.

They can be better about masking the screen too. Somewhere along the way, the multiplexes just decided they don't want to do this because it's easier if they don't.

 

[TravisR]

This is pre-Covid but the one theater around me that had masking screwed it up enough (the masking would be set for scope but the movie was flat so it would be playing on the curtains) that I was glad when it stopped working or they stopped using it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

the masking would be set for scope but the movie was flat so it would be playing on the curtains

That is extremely poor management. They should be doing it and doing it correctly.

 

[Wayne_j]

My favorite theater to go to has been around since the mid 80s and they never had masking. It does help that it isn't arena seating so they can really cut down on lights in the auditorium (Only light comes from reflections from the screen and the emergency exit) that helps keep letterboxing or pillar boxing less visible.

 

[Jason_V]

Ya know, I think about this every week when I go to the movies. I would kill for some kind of an enclosed bubble for my party that has it's own temperate control and plexiglass walls. Why? I'm sick and tired of hearing the idiots behind me or in another part of the theater talking through the freaking movie.

I know this is never going to happen and I know why. But I'll live with the improper aspect ratios or whatever else if I could block out all the other moviegoers.

 

[Mark Booth]

The biggest upgrade AMC, Regal and the rest could make to their theaters is to learn a lesson from Alamo Draft House and starting kicking people OUT of the theater for excessive talking or ANY use of their phone during the movie. Once the coming attractions roll, phones must be kept silenced and out of sight until the end credits roll. If not, out the door they go, never to be allowed in the theater again.

Every theater should have spotters at the back, constantly watching for violations. If someone absolutely needs to use their phone, they should get off their ass and leave the theater before bringing the phone out of their pocket or purse.

Mark