I would totally go to a movie theater like this. When can we get one in Ottawa? Probably not soon, but this would do well in Toronto.

And because they serve alcohol means no kids!!!

No crying babies, no teenages talking on cellphones. Yea!

Maybe, if we're really lucky, the high admission price will even keep out the (adults) who feel the need to talk back to the characters on screen.

I happen to think that regular movie theaters cost too much as it is.. I think I'll stick with Netflix.

@SkokieGuy:

Alcohol doesn't automatically mean no kids. Imagine Theaters serve alcohol and kids are still allowed inside.

Considering I go to the movies about once a year, it's not that bad a deal, and I think it would make for an interesting experience.

@SkokieGuy: UTOPIA!!!!

I'm all for theatres that allow for a better (read: quiet, undisturbed) viewing experience. I'd pay $20 bucks a seat for that.

The valet parking and blankets, however, is absolute nonsense. You're looking at at nearly $100 for a three-hour date. No way.

@SScorpio: How disapointing. So they card people in their seats? I am now making frowny face.

Just imagine... now be prepared.... but those blankets are not going to be washed between showings so you can imagine what some idiot was jacking off to some nudie part in the movie and left a load... excuse me while I go vomit my lunch.. BLAHHH! BLOAAHHQIFHdff!!!

As an occasional thing, I don't have an issue with this.

I like the idea of individual chairs and getting dinner with a movie, but I valet service and duck tacos? Meh. How about $15 for the individual chair and a regular burger?

On the other hand, everyone is broke so the timing for this kinda sucks.

There's a similar type of theater in Seattle and Redmond, WA: www.thebigpicture.net

The Seattle one has a smallish screen, but very spacious seating, and you can't put a price on being able to preorder beverages to be brought out to you at specified times.

That's funny. When I was traveling in Asia back in July, they offered the same type of "VIP" theater experience at most of the theaters in Bangkok.

There was free valet parking at the mall, and choosing the VIP seats in the theater for 300 baht (about $8.50 at the time) included being able to order your snacks on the way in and having them delivered, HUGE recliners, that reclined all the way back, blanket and pillow and you could order beer and wine, but they did not offer the "gourmet meal service".

For $8.50, I would do it again. For $35? You must be joking...

I would definitely go to this fancy shmancy theater. It would be a nice date with the Mrs. And I'm assuming that with the expensive ticket price you would get a top-quality sound system and HD quality picture, right?

One of the biggest things I miss about Living in Austin, TX is the Alamo Drafthouse. The tickets are not unreasonably more expensive, but your a decent meal and a movie at the same time.

If I had the time, I'd open something similar here in Colorado.

@Secret Agent Man:

"but your a decent meal"

That should be "you get a decent meal"

Silly to ask for $35 for this. Chicago already has a premier theater (Muvico) where you only pay $7.50 for valet parking, preassigned seating (with online selection), free popcorn and an entirely separate entry area (the whole premier is 21 and up only).

I'm guessing they planned this thing in Barrington when the economy was doing better and they thought most suckers would fall for this.

@Secret Agent Man: Yes the Alamo is awesome but you forgot the best part. Get a pitcher or a bucket of beer and it's the best movie experience ever. Except that at the end you have about 50 people stampeding to the bathroom.

I would pay a lot more than the normal ticket price if it meant that there would be no-one under the age of 18 in the theater. I would pay even more if I could go punch the face of the 14 year old throwing Jr. Mints from the back of normal theaters.

@superberg:
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a blockbuster movie,
That started from this expensive theatre,
The amenities sure were groovy.

The projectionist was a high-school flunky,
The ushers didn't rate,
Fifty patrons were seated that day,
On a three-hour date.
A three-hour date.

Um, nobody has said anything about the $ 300 bottle of Dom? Hell, Hooters used to sell wings and a bottle for $ 150, so I don't even get plastic boobs in my face for that 3 bills?

@Secret Agent Man: Totally agreed. They have something similar in Houston called the Movie Tavern. Tickets are just above what the regular theaters charge, you can get semi-decent food (think Chili's), and beer and booze, too. They take complaints seriously (no, really, they do), and will kick out unruly kids. I rarely go to the movies, but I'll make the 45 minute drive to the closest one rather than go to a traditional theater.

We have Cinetopia here in the Portland, OR area. Extra-wide leather reclining seats, more leg room, digital picture and sound, and food and alcohol (not included in ticket price) that you can take into the theater if you want. All for $10.50 (or $15 for the Living Room auditoriums).

@TracyHamandEggs!: The food isn't even included! I can not even imagine how overpriced the food will be. I will stick to parking my own car, sneaking snacks in and if I am lucky sneaking into another film.

As I said when news about this first came out, one of the biggest problems with this idea is that the movies that might be worth paying $35 for are not the movies with the biggest audiences. You can view their current showtimes at goldclasscinemas.com -- are there really a lot of people who want to pay $35 a ticket for [i]My Best Friend's Girl[/i]?

That being said, it does sound nice and if I lived near such a theatre, I can definitely see myself going there a few times a year, for the movies I'm really looking forward to.

@nate4096:

How could I forget the booze? You're right... add a few (dozen) beers to the mix and Indiana Jones 4 would have been downright tolerable.

@MayorBee is getting what plants crave:

LOL!!! Thanks for the laugh!
Although the other people in the office are now looking at me funny....

@MayorBee is getting what plants crave:
REALLY???
I'm going. I have a friend who lives in Houston and I should SO go visit her and we should go. That is awesome.

@SkokieGuy: Arclight in LA has a no kids policy in the alky theatres. I'm in!!! I also think (I hope??) those willing to pay that much are more likely to shut up and enjoy the movie without bothering others.

I hate valet parking

$35 is ridiculous for that. In Wichita, KS we have two theaters with oversized seats (they don't recline) with armrests that go up, waiter service, and booze priced just like any other theater (~$9 per ticket). With the added service of valet parking, reclining seats, and blankets and slippers, I would expect it to be a little higher, but not four times the price.

@MayorBee is getting what plants crave: We also have 2 Alamo Drafthouses in Houston (West side and Katy). There's also a similar theater down south of Houston in Webster called the Star Cinema Grill. I haven't been there yet, but I'm guessing it's about the same.

Meh, if I want blankets, I have them on my couch at home. The fridge is about eight feet away from the couch, and I don't have to stop watching something to make food. My TV is big and shiny, there are no screaming children, nobody drumming on the back of my seat, no cell phones ringing, and nobody in front of me constantly poking their friend and loudly going, "WHAT? What did he say?! Who's that guy?! I thought he was dead!!"

Besides, $35? I went to a theater in the Dallas area once that didn't have the valet parking and slippers, but had the seats set up with a small table area in front, kinda like a bar, and had wait staff that would come by and see if you wanted anything. The food was a bit more pizza and burgers than duck tacos, but the ticket price was normal, the service was nice, and it was fun. That I'd go to for movies that are better on a huge screen, but my duck taco better come wrapped in a $20 if I'm paying $35 just to see a stinkin' movie.

Hell, Congress could have added this in as yet another Pork Barrel project on the bailout package and we could have subsidized this business venture too !

I won't pay 10+ dollars now to sit in a theater ... even if I could afford 35 dollars I'm not willing to dispose of the few disposable dollars I do have in that manner.

I go out to the movies about once every two years, so if I get to not stick to the armrests and actually hear the movie without listening to the asshole directly behind me on a cell phone, sure, why not?

Of course, if it's a once-every-two-years option for everyone, these theatres won't last long.

I will stay at home and snuggle on my own couch with my own blanket and slippers while watching on my affordable flat screen tv, thank you very much.

There's an AMC Premium Theater in Framingham, MA that is just about right, I think - $18.50 for cushy, preassigned seating, unlimited popcorn and soft drinks. Food and alcohol are extra. The best part is that it's 21+. There are some movies (especially the popular PG-13 movies, when they show them) where it is TOTALLY worth paying the extra to not have any teenagers in the audience.

I would rather just splurge on a good sound system, a nice TV, and an HD source rather than curse at myself for being 10 minutes late to the theater that charges $35/ticket... and I *would* be late cause my friends are never on time and the traffic gods are always against me.

Wait, I already did spend too much getting a nice home entertainment system... I'll stick with Netflix, gotta love being able to pause the movie.

mmmm duck tacos
Thats all I want
maybe they will have pop cavier with butter made from the milk of mountain lions.

I think it's a fine idea for a once-every-now-and-then kind of thing. On a regular basis, though? No thank you.

Ugh- South Barrington. South Barrington is a suburb of McMansions with new rich, who think that money buys them class.

Here's an example (can't find link): A family bought a house next to his son's high school, so his son could park in the driveway and walk to school. All the student parking spots were taken.

BOT- I think some of the extras (slippers) are frivolous and don't add real value to the experience. If they can drop the price into the high teens or low 20's it might be worth it.

We have a "Premium Cinema" here in Massachusets, about a 20 minute drive from our house. $15 a head gets you leather seats, two of your own armrests, a tray table, THX spec theater, a full bar (for pay, not included) and included soda and popcorn. (I was going to call it 'free soda and popcorn', but it's not really free, you pay for it with your ticket.) On the rare occasion that we go to the movies, it's either the PC or the IMAX theater across the street from it. $15, to me, is a small price to pay for a kid-free environment, filled with patrons that paid a premium to see the movie, who are far more likely to sit quietly and watch, turn their cell phones off, and generally act more like human beings than the great unwashed at the mall gigaplex.

i might pay $35 to have a nice, enjoyable time with my schmoopie, but for $35 dollars, the movie better be beyond awesome.

Bottom line: no matter how great the "experience", this concept will crater unless the quality of their movies is uniformly excellent. Based on a quick perusal of the last 50 films to have nationwide distribution... not gonna work.

$20 for that, max. I'd pay good money for good food and some nice tables to eat them on (opposed to my lap), but $35 + food for just a movie is crazy. Give me more than just the movie. Like no ads, maybe a short feature, etc.

I'm up for it only if that $35 includes bouncers with a borderline-nazi-zeal for rule enforcement. If I'm spending $35 to watch a movie with some amenities, I better not be expected to put up with people talking to the screen, loudly to each other or to whoever they are on the phone with.

@SkokieGuy:

I've an AMC theater here in Columbus that serves alcohol and allows children :) The part that actually sucks is that you have to purchase it separately, so you have to stop at BOTH concession stands.

@Secret Agent Man:

No amount of booze would have made that oozing, bloody, partial-birth abortion tolerable.

@SkokieGuy: whole chain of theatres in raleigh NC that serve beer and wine - kids are allowed, no problems. i would guess that for weekend matinees of cartoon movies - the beer is a big benefit for the parents

i have a super favorite movie theatre near me. second run movies and some special events [serenity on the big screen for charity!!]

tickets: $4.50

serves: beer, wine, wings, burgers, pizza, subs, ice cream, cheesecake

seating: comfy rolling padded swivel chairs and individual tables in a tiered layout so you don't have anyone's head in your view

and my personal favorite [waits for the lambasting] : smoking section for all shows starting after 9pm

no, you don't get brought a blanket, but you could bring your own. and you'd know it's clean if you washed it yourself

as for the theatre in the article? for $35 i better get to take the plastic wrap off those slippers and take them home when i am done. naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasty