MOVIES FOR GROWN-UPS
Cineplex expands offerings
Cineplex is expanding its adultsonly cinema offerings in Metro Vancouver.
The Canadian movie theatre giant is opening two new cinemas — one in West Van and another in Burnaby — that signal its continued march toward more VIP-style service in the company’s expanding local footprint.
Cineplex recently announced plans to build a new 44,000-squarefoot cinema at Park Royal shopping centre in West Vancouver. The new theatre on the south side of the mall will have 11 screens, including UltraAVX, D -BOX motion seat technology and three VIP auditoriums. Construction is to start later this year.
Cineplex also announced plans to build another theatre, five auditoriums totalling 20,700 square feet at Brentwood Town Centre plus Cineplex’s first Rec Room location in B.C.
The Rec Room concept includes live entertainment, several dining options, a bar and amusement games. Construction on the building is set to begin later this year with plans to open in 2019.
The new VIP cinemas are part of a shift in the urban movie theatre industry that is increasingly targeting adult crowds with the same movies, without children and with fewer — and more comfortable — seats, more food and alcohol options and higher ticket prices.
The VIP cinemas have assigned seating with reclining seats. Customers can order from an expanded menu with salads, burgers and cheese plates, and a beverage menu with wine, beers and spirits. The cinema will also include a fullservice lounge.
UltraAVX auditoriums feature a wall-to-wall screen, ultra-highdefinition digital projection and Dolby Atmos surround sound. The D -BOX seats move in concert with the action on the big screen with customizable seat settings.
VIP ticket prices vary depending on the location, but typically cost about $7 more than a standard ticket.
Park Royal has been without a cinema since the early 2000s, said Rick Amantea, the shopping centre’s vice-president of community partnerships and development.
“Going back 10 years, we’ve been looking at the latest and most innovative movie theatre concepts and we’ve travelled around the U.S. and points in Canada just experiencing and looking at them,” he said in an interview.
“We feel that the notion of the VIP cinemas … caters nicely to the North Shore market. It allows people to have a more fulsome evening in terms of going to a movie, being able to reserve their seats, being able to have a light meal or a beverage before they go in, or after, or even during the movie.”
During the planning, the number of total seats at the planned complex fell from about 2,000 to around 1,200, he said.
“Same square footage, same number of auditoriums,” he said. “It’s been a considerable reduction in seating, which from our standpoint, is good because it means less demand on parking and other things.”
He said eight of the auditoriums will be used for regular non-VIP service.
“We still wanted to have a great family experience, so the other eight cinemas are more conventional in terms of stadium seating and all age opportunities.”
The cinema business in Canada has never been stronger, said Chris Wood, a principal with Northwest Atlantic Canada realty. “Like all retail, the theatre business has evolved significantly over the last 10 years,” he said in an email.
“Some single-screen theatres have closed in Greater Vancouver over the past 10 years, but a number of multiplexes have opened, such as Marine Gateway, so I believe the number of screens and overall theatre footprint has increased in Greater Vancouver over the last 10 years,” he said.
The Park Royal deal was welcomed by the Squamish Nation, which owns the land.
“We welcome this project and look forward to the installation of a significant piece of authentic Squamish Nation public art in the mall near the theatre entrance which will celebrate its location on Squamish Nation land,” said Chris Lewis, a spokesman for the Squamish chiefs and council. If the Park Royal deal happened a few years ago, the cinema probably wouldn’t have included the VIP service, said Cineplex spokeswoman Pat Marshall.
“It’s a more sophisticated experience,” she said. “When I first started going to the movies, we had a single-screen auditorium and they would have housed 1,200 or 1,500 seats.”
Over the past 10 years, urban cinemas have shifted into anchor spaces at shopping centres, taking over the spaces of large, failing department stores like Target and Sears.
“Those are disappearing and we’re replacing them, not only with cinemas but with broader entertainment options,” she said. “We’re continually being sought after to be a participant in the development of the revitalization or expansion of shopping centres,” she said.
Cineplex has 164 theatres in Canada, with about 75 million customers annually.
Marshall said many of their theatre complexes occupy spaces up to 40,000 to 70,000 sq. ft, and each theatre is customized to its particular market in terms of pricing, services and configuration. “You’re not seeing the same theatre going into every location.”
We feel that the notion of the VIP cinemas … caters nicely to the North Shore market.
RICK AMANTEA, Park Royal VP