A grown-up night at the movies at ArcLight Cinemas

August 22, 2010

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user davethewetsprocket

LOS ANGELES, USA – Worst case scenario: the newest blockbuster you want to see cuts right into the dinner hour, so you decide to skip a meal in favor of popcorn and Milk Duds. You wait in an impossibly long line to buy tickets only to end up craning your neck at a 90 degree angle to see the screen just inches from your face. The popcorn is stale, the pack of teenagers next to you is texting and giggling, and by the time the millions of ads finally finish and the feature presentation begins, you’re about ready to just go home and watch Netflix.

Best case scenario: You go to the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood.

Leave it to the movie capital of the world to come up with movie going perfected. At every turn in your cinema experience, the ArcLight anticipates your needs. First off, each of the theaters in the multiplex (14 screens in all) offers stadium seating, so there’s not a bad seat in the house (the seats are pretty cush, too–three inches wider than standard, with six inches more leg room and “double wide” retractable armrests!). Just as they would be for a concert or play, seats are sold on a reserve basis (either online or at the box office), which means you don’t have to race in to snag a spot in the area that you want.

That’s especially important if you’re rushing to combine dinner with a movie. At ArcLight, you won’t have to cobble together a meal from the junk at the concession. At the onsite café, you can grab an Angus burger or plate of sweet corn tamales while sipping a glass of wine or gorgeous cocktail. On weekends and Thursday evenings, when they offer 21 and over screenings, you can even take your adult libation into the movie with you.

If you just want the classic snack experience, ArcLight’s elevated that, too. Popcorn comes with REAL butter, the caramel corn is freshly made, and both are served in cups rather than bags to eliminate that annoying rustling noise during movie time. Instead of sketchy hot dogs that look like they’ve been in the heating rack for days, the concession serves up gourmet sausages. All the usual candy suspects are available, but you can upgrade with gourmet chocolates, too.

Ushers lead you to your seat, and they stay on watch to ensure that noisemakers don’t spoil the experience. Do get there on time: there’s a no-late-seating policy, and the advertising-free environment means that there’s not a slew of ads to sit through before the main event. Of course, all these perks come at a premium–expect to dole out $15.50 for a Saturday night show.

For a taste of Hollywood history, catch a flick in the adjacent Cinerama Dome, a geodesic-shaped theater build in 1963 and now part of the ArcLight complex. With 800+ seats and a huge curved screen, it’s the closest you’ll get to a modern-day movie palace in Tinseltown. Just a touch more exciting than Netflix, wouldn’t you say?

ArcLight Cinemas
6360 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
(1) 323-464-1478
Website
Map
Additional locations in Sherman Oaks and Pasadena

RL contributed to this post

Learn more about ArcLight Cinemas on The Purple Passport