Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
New AMC 309 Cinema 9 coming soon
Renovated theater will be unveiled this fall
MONTGOMERY TWP. » A multiplex chain that began in the era of silent films will be courting the modern moviegoer with luxuries that fans never could have imagined back when Greta Garbo reigned the big screen.
As AMC Theaters overhauls dozens of theaters in the chain, a local movie house is getting a monumental makeover.
The projectors came to a stop and the theater went dark in May when AMC 309 Cinema 9 shut down for a major renovation that will welcome guests to a brand new movie experience this fall, noted AMC Theaters spokesman Ryan Noonan.
“We’re getting all new plush power recliner seating, new movie screens, new sound system, speakers and concession area,” Noonan said by phone from the company’s headquarters in Kansas.
The overhaul of the 30-year-old theater at 1210 Bethlehem Pike is part of a chain-wide effort to upgrade, Noonan said.
“We’re doing the theaters on a case by case basis,” he allowed. “About 200 of our 600 locations have gone through renovations at this point and they’ve been incredibly popular. We’ve seen huge returns in terms of attendance
and feedback. It just takes some time to work through them.”
Theater capacity will be reduced by more than half, Noonan said.
“This is necessary to accommodate the larger recliners, as well as adding additional space for the recliners to ensure everyone has the most comfortable seating possible. That said, while the seating capacity decreases, we’ve historically seen a year-over-year attendance increase of between 40 to 60 percent. So there are fewer seats in the building, but more people sitting in those seats more often.”
When the renovation is complete, likely in late October or early November, the theatre will switch to a reserved seating system.
“Guests ordering their tickets online and at the box office will be able to select their seat at the time of purchase,” Noonan explained. “With the decrease in capacity and the increase in popularity, we’ve found that reserved seating goes handin-hand with these renovations.”
The theatre will also offer ticketless entry, allowing guests to download their ticket on their phones and have it scanned at the ticket drop, giving them the chance to skip the box office area entirely, he added.
Popcorn and Reese’s Pieces, those staples of the movie-going experience, will have a lot more competition from the culinary world when AMC greatly expands the possibilities for
“AMC Theatres has enhanced nearly every aspect of the moviegoing experience over the last few years and this new menu launch is a continuation of our long-standing history of innovation.”
— George Patterson, AMC’s Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage
food meant to be eaten in the dark.
AMC Feature Fare, the chain’s “new approach to enhancing menu items,” will provide “unique and unexpected offerings to guests throughout both AMC and (smaller market brand) AMC Classic theatres,” noted George Patterson, AMC’s Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage.
Menu items will range from stone-fired flatbread pizzas, Bavarian “monster” soft pretzels and premium all-beef hot dogs, to chicken and waffle sandwiches, cheeseburger sliders, chicken tenders, glutenfree snacks and the Hillshire Small Plate, featuring assorted Italian meats and cheese.
AMC locations will launch the complete AMC Feature Fare menu on a weekly basis, beginning this summer in select locations and will also be available at AMC Dine-In locations that offer a concession stand, according to a press release, which also noted that the restaurantstyle menu will be backed by new marketing innovations, including new packaging and redesigned Digital Menu Boards with spotlight animation and videos highlighting ingredients.
Also “coming soon” in conjunction with the Feature Fare menu launch are exclusive offerings available through the AMC Stubs loyalty program and the AMC Theatres social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others.
“AMC Theatres has enhanced nearly every aspect of the movie-going experience over the last few years and this new menu launch is a continuation of our longstanding history of innovation, with a tasty spin,” said Patterson. “By incorporating these new menu items together with new marketing, branding and packaging, AMC Feature Fare will feed our guests’ ever increasing hunger for unique and satisfying menu choices to enjoy at AMC.”
A press release noted that AMC, founded in 1920, is the largest movie exhibition company in the world with roughly 1,000 theatres and 11,000 screens worldwide, having “propelled innovation in the exhibition industry by deploying more plush power-recliner seats; delivering enhanced food and beverage choices; generating greater guest engagement through its loyalty program, web site and smart phone apps; offering premium large format experiences and playing a wide variety of content including the latest Hollywood releases and independent programming.”