Movies go back to the basics

Remember when going to the “show” was a real event? Large theatres, well-designed with spacious seats and excellent views of a large screen? Despite the “Home Theatre” craze, those days are returning as theatre companies realize that it isn’t just seniors who want comfort and convenience at the show.

Cineplex Odeon is one of many companies now offering new state-of-the-art cinemas. The company opened an 11-screen cinema complex in Scarborough, Ontario Christmas Day, the first movie theatre in the city to feature “Sightline Seating”, stadium-style, stepped seating designed to provide unobstructed viewing.

The new auditoriums feature plush, comfortable seats equipped with convenient cupholders and a spacious 42 inches of legroom. The 2,500-seat complex is also equipped with state-of-the-art projection and digital sound and, in nine auditoriums, wall-to-wall curved screens. The new auditoriums are accessible to handicapped patrons and will incorporate chairs with transfer arms, a swing-away design that allows wheelchair patrons to sit comfortably in aisle seats. Hearing impaired listening devices with wireless headsets will be supplied free in every auditorium.

So: largtheatres, big screens…as someone once said, the more things change…