New York Needs Dinner at the Movies Too!

By Katey Rich

Cinematical had a pretty harsh take on Variety's article about the Village Roadshow upscale theatres coming to the U.S. They and their commenters pointed out, rightly, that the people who can afford a $35 movie ticket can probably afford the home theatres that pull people away from the cineplex to begin with, and the promised amenities of digital projection and 3D features are becoming more and more common in regular theatres as well. Sure, food served at your table and comfier seats are great, but are they good enough?

For me, the more important question is one raised by New York magazine's Culture Vulture: When are we New Yorkers going to see some of this action? The rollout will apparently include New York eventually, but the current focus is on wealthy suburbs of places like Chicago, Seattle and Dallas. Of course, as I mentioned in this morning's post, the trend of food service with your movie and high-class amenities has been in play for a while now, and theatres across the country are drawing people in on the simple promise of making moviegoing as much of a treat as, say, going to a play.

But New York, the supposed cultural mecca of America, has seen none of this. With every article Film Journal has written about new theatres that feature bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and whatnot, I've seethed with jealousy. New York has some of the best independent theatres in the country, and places like the Angelika serve delicious food in their cafe, while venues like the Lincoln Plaza appeal to older moviegoers who don't tend to talk the whole way through Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Yes, in New York moviegoers really have it easy, with virtually every American release available in locations all over the city. But what about the fun stuff?

I'm still not totally convinced the $35 movie ticket idea can fly, given how good at-home theatre systems are and how much complaining there is about what it costs to go to the movies to begin with. But the dinner-and-a-movie concept is wonderful, and it works whether you're eating beer and pizza or sushi and wine. A favorite theatre of mine, Asheville, North Carolina's Brew and View, sells $2 tickets to second-run movies and sells you pizza in the back that you can bring to your seat. That's actually cheaper than the usual dinner and a movie, and a whole lot more fun too-- sure, it gets a little raucous, but you paid $2! Village Roadshow has a great idea, and may find success, but that's not the only way to do it. Let's see a little more creative thinking, a little more thought on what else brings people to the movies, and maybe some thought that New Yorkers might like some dinner with their movies too.