Apparently great responsibility comes with great power. For iPic Theaters, the power to deliver a unique movie-going experience comes with equally great responsibility to do something no other multiplex or cinema house on the Westside is doing.
Indeed, the guests of iPic Theaters will likely enjoy a movie-going experience with the feel of a lounge or stylish hotel. On May 2, iPic Theaters will open its tenth location in the shadows of UCLA, where guests trekking to the six-screen cinema house in Westwood can enjoy watching films with a gourmet meal while sitting on a plush leather seat.
Opening the iPic Theaters’ Westwood location is The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Thomas, and Jamie Foxx.
The new iPic Theaters opens its newest location at the old Avco Center movie theater on Wilshire Boulevard and features six screening auditorium and 424 seats.
Guests will be able to choose from Premium or Premium Plus seating. The Premium ticket includes large leather seats and the ability to eat food and drink ordered from Tanzy Express inside the auditorium. For Premium Plus patrons, guests will enjoy reclining and oversized leather chairs, popcorn, pillows and blankets, and in-seat service call buttons.
Just outside the auditoriums are two Tanzy Express locations – one on each of the theater’s two floors – and offers artisanal Italian dining featuring locally sourced fare by chef Sherry Yard. A few concession items will hail from Yard’s Helms Bakery.
Customers with Premium tickets will be able to order food at the Tanzy Express concession stand and take the food inside the auditorium.
Those with Premium Plus seating can actually order from their respective seats and do so at any point of the film.
There is also a full-service bar at the theater with cocktails presented by award-winning mixologist Adam Seger.
According to Seger, while there are certain signature drinks available at all iPic locations nationwide, each theater also have their own unique cocktails catering to the area’s specific demographics.
Speaking of demographics, iPic’s vice president of marketing Jim Lee told Westside Today the boutique theater chain caters to a very specific clientele.
“We looked at the demographics of the area and it fit our market,” Lee said of bringing iPic Theaters to Westwood. “We do skew very high female. Women love our theaters. We’re not a teenage location; the age groups goes from 20 to 60. This was a great market for the theater.”
Lee said iPic Theaters looks for older cinema houses capable of fitting six to eight screens but is either closing down or in need of being upgraded. The Avco Center 4 movie theater, which housed four auditoriums, was one of those outdated multiplexes in Los Angeles that fit iPic Theaters’ ideal locations to upgrade into a luxury cinema house.
The new iPic Theaters, opening almost 30 months after the Avco Center 4 shut down, will features six auditoriums seating between 44 and 108 guests, with films presented in 4K Digital Projection with Dolby 7.1 Channel sound systems.
Also, according to Lee, movie timings are spread out so as to not overcrowding the theater at any given time. Further, with many patrons able to order food directly from their respective seats, the concession lines are not expected to be long, either.
“We take all the stress out of going to the movies,” Lee said. “You’re not dealing with large crowds. Our auditorium sizes are intimate but at the same time it’s a shared experience. You can sit back, relax, and have a great evening.”
All seats can be reserved ahead of time via iPic’s online reservation system, or moviegoers can simply download the iPic App to their iPhones.
Guests can also relax at one of the handful of lounges within the cinema house.
For those who want to enjoy a full-scale meal either before or after a movie screening, there is a full-service Tanzy restaurant located adjacent to the first-floor lobby. (The restaurant officially opens May 12).
While The Amazing Spiderman 2 christens the iPic Theaters in Westwood, moviegoers can already book tickets for the May 9 opening of Neighbors (starring Seth Rogen) and Godzilla (with Bryan Cranston) arriving the following week.
An exclusive membership program is also available, offering iPic guests discounted pricing, priority notification of tickets available for sale to blockbuster movies, access to exclusive movie screenings and the ability to earn points toward iPic Member Reward programs.
iPic Theaters hails from an entertainment company based in Boca Raton, Fla. There are currently nine theaters with 67 screens within the theater’s system, including venues in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
New iPic Theaters are soon arriving in Manhattan, New Jersey, Houston, and Philadelphia, according to Lee.
The iPic Theaters will be located at 10840 Wilshire Boulevard. An iPic is currently located in Old Town Pasadena.
For more information about ticket prices, membership, and dining options, please visit the iPic Theaters website at www.ipic.com.
