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Author
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Topic: Another Bellevue WA area Cinema Closes
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Dan Roben
Member
Posts: 155
From: Seattle, WA
Registered: May 2003
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posted March 05, 2008 09:42 PM
AMC locked the doors for the last time after the final shows on Feb 23 at its AMC/Loews Redmond Town Center 8 located in the land of Microsoft, Redmond WA.
Apparently, this time the lease was not renewed by the management of the Redmond Town Center, an upscale "lifestyle" mall. The official explanation is that an Australian based company is looking to turn it into a "dinner theater," but whehter their plans involve films was not specified. No other details were given.
In reality, the Redmond Town Center 8 is another casualty of the ultra luxurious Lincoln Square 16 in nearby Bellvue. Like a black hole, the Lincoln Square seems to obliterate any theater in a five mile radius. First it was the Galleria Stadium 11, now the Redmond Town Center. What is the next casualty? I don't think the AMC/Loews Factoria 8 in South Bellevue is long for this world.
Once again, one of my favorite theaters is biting the dust. Built by Lowes/Cineplex just prior to the insane stadium seating craze, the Town Center offered big wide screens and top-notch presentations. It was always clean and the theater employees really provided excellent customer service. Parking was easy, too. Losing this one is a real shame.
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Dan Roben
Member
Posts: 155
From: Seattle, WA
Registered: May 2003
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posted March 27, 2008 01:53 PM
It's official...read on.
quote:
Posh Redmond theater to charge $35 a ticket
By Amy Roe
Seattle Times Eastside bureau
Would you pay $35 for a movie ticket, plus extra for popcorn?
What if it guaranteed no one could kick your seat?
An Australian theater chain opening in Redmond this fall is betting affluent audiences will pay three times the typical ticket price for plush, reclining seats equipped with call buttons for service, allowing them to order gourmet food, wine and cocktails from the theater's restaurant.
Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas will open at Redmond Town Center in October, replacing the AMC theater that closed earlier this year.
It will cater to people who "don't want to go to a cavernous multiplex and be caught up with hordes of people," said Graham Burke, managing director and CEO of Village Roadshow Limited, the parent company.
"We believe we're bringing back to the movies a new audience that arguably stopped going to the movies," he said.
Exclusivity is key. Each of the eight auditoriums will have wide screens but no more than 40 seats arranged in pairs with ample legroom. The theater's restaurant and lounge will be open only to moviegoers. An online booking service will enable people to choose their seats; valets will park their cars.
The theater will offer some matinees, Burke said, with admission discounted to $20 or $25.
Village Roadshow runs similar theaters in Australia, Europe and Asia. Audiences there typically spend about $60 per person, including the ticket price, Burke said, though for most, he added, cost is not much of a concern.
Village Roadshow will open its first U.S. location in the fall in the affluent Chicago suburb of South Barrington. The company is investing more than $200 million to open 50 theaters around the country in the next five years.
Despite the U.S. economic downturn, "people are still going to top-end restaurants, still buying top-end motor cars," Burke said.
But will they be willing to pay a premium at the box office?
"The ticket price is a little shocking," said Stacey Reid, a real-estate broker at Cushman & Wakefield in Seattle.
Redmond has very high income levels, however, and Northwest consumers tend to be more willing to splurge on experiences, rather than material goods, she said.
The prestige of the new theater chain could help attract other tenants to the 10-year-old mall, which is undergoing a transition as retail leases expire, said senior marketing manager Christina Henning.
"We've been talking to some retailers for quite some time now about coming to Redmond Town Center," Henning said. "It's definitely a plus."
Amy Roe: 206-464-3347 or aroe@seattletimes.com
[ March 27, 2008, 06:59 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]
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