Focus on elevating movie experience

Focus on elevating movie experience

Laser projectors, chairs that move with the action on screen and more than 1,000 recliners are coming to a theatre near you.

If St. Vital is nearby, that is. SilverCity St. Vital Cinemas underwent its largest renovation since 1998, bringing it in line with Cineplex’s model to make movie-going an experience that can’t be replicated at home.

“That is a laser auditorium, it is an AVX auditorium, it is a Dolby Atmos auditorium, it is a D-Box auditorium, it’s a 3D auditorium,” listed Kevan Cabral, the location’s general manager, of Auditorium 1.

He passed the centre’s arcade — 55 games with prizes for the taking — and entered the first theatre.

Rows of black recliners faced a wall-to-wall screen. In the back, chairs can move in harmony with scenes being shown.

Sound comes from the ceiling and the sides.

The experience isn’t entirely new, Cabral noted. All the recliners — 170 in that theatre, about 1,100 overall — are new.

Having a second theatre with a similar screen and sound is also new. And the Barco laser projectors that emitt films to the UltraAVX screens are novel for a Manitoba theatre, not just St. Vital. (Cineplex touts UltraAVX screens as those with the “most powerful picture quality.” It has two screens of the kind in St. Vital.)

“This is some brand new technology,” Cabral said of the laser projectors. “It’s kind of like the newest wave.”

St. Vital is among the first Canadian theatres to adopt the technology. The projectors look similar to large black rectangular boxes.

“It provides, honestly, stunning, crisp images that could rival any TV at home,” Cabral maintained.

St. Vital has two of the projectors, but is keeping older versions for eight other auditoriums. The laser types use less energy, don’t need to vent their heat and are therefore more environmentally friendly, Cabral explained.

Cineplex started renovating the 38-year-old theatre in August; work ended in November. The theatre originally opened with six screens in 1985. In 1998, Famous Players took over and increased the number of screens to 10.

Cineplex bought the site several years later but largely kept the infrastructure the same, Cabral said.

“Until we got the recliners, we had the original 1998 seats,” he noted. “Really, it’s been a long time coming for a lot of our guests.”

He didn’t know the cost of renovations. A Cineplex spokesperson declined to provide financial details.

The changes come after Cineplex opened its first Junxion at Kildonan Place, which blends aspects of the VIP theatre with games and entertainment found at The Rec Room, another of the chain’s offerings.

A recent investor presentation by Cineplex showcased how the Canadian company has transformed from a “pure play theatre and cinema media company” to something more diversified.

It has theatres, gaming hubs, Scene+ points, its own in-theatre advertising and food services.

Movie attendance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, but it’s been increasing since the pandemic’s end, third quarter results show.

Box-office revenue has also increased since the pandemic hit — $596 million in 2023’s third quarter, compared to $461 million overall last year. Money spent per patron averaged $12.56 last summer, up from $10.63 in 2019.

Cineplex’s revenue is on the upswing when combining all its sources, its financial statements show.

“I think it’s wise,” Brenda Austin-Smith said of the changing model.

Movie theatres must “elevate the experience” to compete with streaming services at home, the University of Manitoba English, theatre, film and media professor said.

“I don’t think they can go down market and make it cheap,” Austin-Smith speculated. “There is nothing cheaper than staying at home.”

Ticket prices at St. Vital have barely increased, said Cabral.

A general ticket for a motion seat in the UltraAVX theatre cost $23.50 Friday. A general ticket in one of the theatre’s UltraAVX recliner seats cost $17.50. A seat in a non-UltraAVX auditorium — still a recliner — cost $12.50.

Austin-Smith expects a future similar to the present, where both movie theatres and streaming services are used. She’s among the theatre attendees to cautiously return post-pandemic.

“Everything old is new,” she said, considering the blend of movies, food and games. “We’re going back to cinema as an embedded technology.”

The first public movie screening happened at the Grand Café in Paris in 1895, not a theatre, she noted.

Bri Redhead visits SilverCity St. Vital Cinemas whenever she gets the chance. She’s been around for the renovations.

“I think it’s really cool,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s more spacious, and there’s more leg room, and… the TV screen kind of looks bigger.”

Alexa Seeliers, 23, still prefers Landmark Cinemas — the Grant Park theatre added recliners in 2017.

“I’m glad they finally got the newer seats,” Seeliers added about St. Vital, minutes before heading to watch Priscilla with a friend.

Cineplex has five theatres and The Rec Room in Winnipeg. The St. Vital location, one of Winnipeg’s largest, employs 75 people and spans more than 67,000 sq. ft.

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