WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET YOU OFF YOUR SOFA AND INTO A MOVIE THEATER?
In the battle for eyeballs, lures include luxury seats, themed cocktails and more and better food
The recent grand unveiling of Universal Cinema after its multimillion- dollar renovation was a true Tinseltown affair.
After cutting the ribbon for the flagship AMC theater near Universal Studios Hollywood, celebrity guests such as Steven Spielberg and Jordan Peele hit the Director’s Lounge, which now provides full bar service and gourmet food. All 18 auditoriums boast Dolby Atmos surround sound and laser projection, viewed from 1,930 luxury recliners.
It sounds like Hollywood extravagance, yet movie theaters nationwide are touting similar state- of- the- art amenities to attract customers in the face of stiff entertainment competition from streaming services and mobile devices.
Box office reached an all- time high of $ 11.37 billion in 2016, thanks to rising ticket prices, but attendance essentially is flat: 1.33 billion tickets sold last year, up only slightly from 2015’ s 1.32 billion, according to comScore.