AMC Lynnhaven 18 opens IMAX theater

Staff and wire report

Theater chains are striving to give ticketbuyers a lush life not normally associated with a megaplex.

The curtain rises on the latest local example today at the AMC Lynnhaven 18, which has added IMAX technology to theater No. 9.

The screen was replaced with one that is 25 percent bigger, and the sound system was replaced for custom, digital audio, according to Justin Hall, a spokesman for the AMC chain. He said the cost for a ticket there will be about $3 more. This week's IMAX-formatted feature is "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa."

Upcoming releases will include "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (December), "Monsters vs. Aliens" (March), "The Watchmen" (March), "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian" (May), "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (June) and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (July).

In suburban Kansas City, the AMC Studio 30 just added its Fork & Screen concept.

Most of the 30-screen complex still features popcorn, to be washed down with soda in theaters with masses of stadium seats, but 11 renovated and redesigned auditoriums offer - for a premium - padded recliners, alcoholic drinks and a full kitchen making Parmesan fries, Thai coconut chicken and Darkiccino chocolate brownies.

"This will be a great draw for customers who want an upscale experience," said Andy DiOrio, a spokesman for Kansas City-based AMC Entertainment Inc., which plans to include elements of Fork & Screen in many of its more than 350 theaters.

So-called cinema eateries have been around for decades, and Hampton Roads has several. Portsmouth's Commodore Theatre is at the top of the list, but others have gained ground in recent years as theater operators look for new ways to attract customers, especially older moviegoers who have more money but less tolerance for the junk food, uncomfortable seating and rowdy teenage crowds that typically populate multiplexes.

In an industry that already makes around a quarter of its revenue and about 40 percent of its profits from food, giving customers an excuse to splurge more on treats and drinks is a hefty incentive to rip out seats and go upscale.

The entrance of major chains, such as Regal Entertainment and AMC, the top two U.S. operators, will only broaden the appeal of such theaters, said Patrick Corcoran, a spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Entertainment editor Dan Duke and The Associated Press contributed to this report.