Entertainment The Landmark Cinemas 10 - A New Theatre in New Westminster

milquetoast · May 15, 2012

Landmark Cinemas may not be able to change the outcome of movies, to make them funnier or scarier, but it's striving to create the ultimate experience for moviegoers.

The Calgary-based company is opening its newest theatres May 11 in New Westminster, a 10-screen complex at the Plaza at New Westminster Station. All totalled, the theatres will have 1,850 seats - big seats that lean backwards.

"Comfort," said Neil Campbell about the seats that lean back in all 10 theatres. "It's all about the customers. We have it in some others, but this is the first time we have done it in every seat in the whole theatre."

Campbell, who is a partner and chief operating officer for Landmark Cinemas, said seating is an important part of the movie-going experience.

"These are all wider seats. They are good and wide and lots of legroom," he said. "I'm 6-2 - I like good and wide, with lots of legroom to be put in our theatres."

Before moviegoers make it to their seats, they'll encounter some services that haven't been offered previously in New Westminster theatres.

"The screens are very different. They wrap around at the ends so you have as much exposure on the screen as you can in a theatre this size," said Fran Holy, the company's director of marketing and communications. "We have ultra comfortable rocking seats. They lean back so that you can enjoy yourself - not enough so you throw your popcorn back. They lean back, they are very comfortable. I think what most people are excited about is the reserved seating."

When the theatres open, people will be able to reserve seats when they purchase their tickets. Come May 17, they'll also be able to reserve their seats when they purchase their tickets online, a service being offered at no additional cost.

"With reserved seating you are not in a rush anymore. You have time to go to dinner, you have time to go to the concession," Campbell said. "You know when you walk in there, your seats are waiting."

Theatregoers will have several options available for purchasing tickets at the new cinemas; they can purchase them at automatic box offices, at a staffed box office or from the concession.

"It's one line," Campbell said about purchasing tickets from the concessions. "It allows the customer to do whatever they want to do."

With their tickets purchased, customers will then proceed to one of 10 theatres, all featuring stadium seating. The floating screens are curved and tilted in specific ways to provide the best picture quality possible.

"It's a lot of physics," Campbell explained.

Eldon Wilson, general manager of King Cinema Services, said technology has changed considerably from what was available when the theatre first hit the drawing board three years ago.

"Five years ago digital was a bad dream by somebody," he said. "It has changed so much from five years ago. Five years ago it wasn't as good as film."

Campbell said the customer is the "big winner" when it comes to digital technology.

"The picture is perfect. The sound is perfect," he said. "It is perfect for every presentation."

The small-, mediumand large-sized theatres are designed to accommodate the life cycle of movies and other offerings that may be sought by the local community. While some of the Landmark's theatres offer alternative content including ballet, wrestling and opera, it will experiment to see what works in New Westminster.

"We are community based. What works in New West is different than what works in Nanaimo," Holy said. "We know that and appreciate that. We are able to work with our general managers of each city we are in to bring the best to that community. They live in the communities, they are part of the communi-ties."

When Campbell first heard about the Plaza 88 project back in 2008, he wasn't initially keen on the concept of locating a theatre in the development. A visit to the site, and chats with developer Mike Degelder, Mayor Wayne Wright and TransLink officials changed his mind.

"We got more excited about the location. You have 1,800 condos here, basically in their home," he said. "We could have a sold-out crowd just with the people who can walk to this theatre."

Campbell said the company decided to go for it, considering the fact that New Westminster didn't have a movie theatre and the site's proximity to condo dwellers and SkyTrain. Plus, he said, it was "just weird" that a city with a population as big as New Westminster didn't have its own theatre.

"I think one of the things that has intrigued Neil and I in particular is this unique venue," said Brian McIntosh, a partner in Landmark Cinemas. "It's our first, and it's the first in Vancouver for sure where you are actually at platform level of the SkyTrain. You can speculate all you want about what that will do for your audience - we think that is a real plus for us."

As moviegoers stand inside the theatre's lobby, they can see SkyTrain cars rushing past every few minutes. Inside the theatres, however, there's no evidence of trains of any type.

"There is some additional sound concern, so we made sure there is good acoustic separation between us and the track," McIntosh said. "The other thing is there is a railway track that way, on that side. When that train whistle goes, it's loud out there. Not in here though."

Landmark Cinemas held a small community opening, including a ribbon cutting, on Thursday night. It officially opens May 11 (today) at 6 p.m.

Late Wednesday afternoon, crews continued to put the finishing touches on the theatre - polishing floors in the lobby, doing paint touch-ups on walls marked up when seats were moved in, stocking the concession, laying the last bits of carpet, cleaning up any bits of drywall dust, and preparing to train the theatre's staff on one of the most critical aspects of the theatre.

"The popcorn training happens tonight," Holy told The Record Wednesday. "There is official popcorn training - there is magic to that popcorn. It's addictive. Each theatre group has their own way of making popcorn."

In addition to a full-time manager and two assistants, the theatre will employ a mix of 40 full-and part-time personnel. Mike Sharpe, general manager, came to New Westminster from one of Landmark's busiest theatres in Fort McMurray.

"That is the entertainment there. He is used to the volume. It's important to have someone with that experience in a flagship like this," Holy said. "Mike has that experience. He also has the experience with a community that wants their movies. They want the latest and the best."

Campbell is confident that New Westminster residents will be pleased with the offerings at the city's new theatre.

"The people in New Westminster are going to be thrilled," he said. "It's a fun place to go, it's a great escape. If you're having a great day, it's the icing on the cake. If you're having a bad day, it's a great place to de-stress."

Source: http://www.royalcityrecord.com/Theatres about comfort/6603954/story.html
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meowrawrs · May 22, 2012

nice!!!!

burquitlam · May 23, 2012

what's with the dated carpet ???

jim · Oct 3, 2012

This movie theater has the worst online information ever. Its terrible and if it wasnt the only place still playing REsident evil I would boycott it for this reason alone. Still dont know how much a 3d movie costs there.

Night Of GuardianS · Oct 4, 2012

I saw the new resident evil movie there. The tickets are cheaper than metrotown, but their concession food is more expensive than expensive! They jack up the food price to make up for the cheaper admission.

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Entertainment The Landmark Cinemas 10 - A New Theatre in New Westminster

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