Cineplex offers a golden ticket
THE MOVIE THEATRE CHAIN’S VIP EXPERIENCE comes to Quebec, complete with reclining chairs and fried pickles
H ave you always dreamed of going to the multiplex to catch the new James Bond flick while sipping a nice glass of Bonterra Mendocino merlot, munching on an Angus burger and lounging in a comfy reclining chair?
Well, if that’s your dream, Cineplex has just the spot for you. Canada’s leading movie theatre chain unveiled its new VIP cinema in the retailworld-gone-nuts that is the Dix30 centre in Brossard on Tuesday morning.
The upscale four-screen complex will be open to the public as of Friday.
Cineplex already has six VIP multiplexes across Canada, but this is the company’s first in Quebec, and the first in the country to have its own entrance and be housed in an entirely separate building from the Cineplex movie house next door.
The VIP concept means you can reserve specific seats ahead of time, choose items from a menu that includes everything from fried pickles to chicken breasts with fries, and be served by Cineplex “cast members” who will bring the fare to your large, pricey leather seats. (But you’ll have to wait for that merlot: Cineplex has applied for but has yet to receive its licence to serve alcohol at the complex, which is restricted to moviegoers age 18 and over. It expects a response by Friday.)
There are some Cineplex locations in Quebec — including the Banque Scotia and Quartier Latin cinemas — where you can order alcoholic beverages but are not allowed to bring the drinks into the theatre. At the VIP cinemas, you can nurse your beer while watching the movie.
All of the other VIP complexes have been out-of-thebox success stories, said Pat Marshall, vice-president (communications) at Cineplex. “We really created the concept based on what our guests said they wanted,” she said. “For us at Cineplex, it’s all about providing our guests with a range of services.”
She said one of the things people like the most about the VIP rooms is the ability to reserve your seats online ahead of time. So you don’t need to worry about rushing to the theatre to nab a good spot.
There are four theatres with 480 seats in total in the $5.7-million, 17,000-squarefoot VIP Brossard complex, located right beside the 16-screen Cineplex Odeon Brossard multiplex.
There are six reclining seats at the front of each VIP theatre, so you can lie back and stare up at the big screen.
The lobby looks more like an upscale lounge bar than the usual multiplex setting, with nary a video game in sight and a couple of fireplaces to boot.
“It’s a very relaxing environment,” Marshall said. “It’s very soothing and sets the tone for a very different adult experience.”
But it’ll cost you. Tickets for the VIP screenings will set you back $18.75, which is seven bucks more than the regular Cineplex ticket price. And then there’s the added expense of the expanded menu offerings. An Angus cheeseburger with fries costs $12.99, an appetizer of mozzarella sticks goes for $5.69 and, if the cinema gets its liquor licence, an eight-ounce glass of Bonterra Mendocino merlot will go for $13.99.
“But we’re still the least expensive entertainment product in the marketplace,” said Daniel Séguin, Cineplex’s vice-president of operations for Eastern Canada.
“We’re not suggesting the VIP cinema is for everyone,” Marshall said. “If they want our traditional environment, they can choose that as well.”
And yes, it’s a VIP experience, but it’s still a movie out- ing — and the problem is that Cineplex can perhaps guarantee you good service, but the Toronto-based chain can’t guarantee you a good movie. So with the added costs, you’d better hope you’re getting an A-list Bond picture like Skyfall and not a C-level Jason Bourne knock-off like this year’s disappointing The Bourne Legacy. The Cineplex VIP cinema is at 9350 Leduc Blvdv in Brossard.