The comfiest seat in the house

The rise of streaming is forcing movie theaters “to go upscale to survive,” said Erich Schwartzel in The Wall Street Journal. U.S. cinemas, which had the lowest attendance last year since 1995, are “tearing out seats and replacing them with luxury recliners” and adding high-end food-anddrink options to lure people out of their living rooms. At the 14-screen Palace Cinema in Sun Prairie, Wis., loveseatstyle seats are 5 feet wide and entrées such as pesto primavera pasta are available during screenings. Other theaters are adding full-service bars and children’s play areas. The three biggest movie chains—AMC Entertainment, Regal, and Cinemark—“have each dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars” to renovations. Brian Schultz, whose company Studio Movie Grill has renovated old multiplexes in nine states, says moviegoers love the high-end additions. “People are staying for hours,” he said.