Movie watching is all about the experience.
Early theatre operators understood this, creating massive picture palaces as a respite from normal life. For the masses, going to see a movie meant attending an ornate cathedral, with a full program of shorts, live entertainment, and a feature film. Over the decades, this magic was lost, with the theatres reduced to a simple auditorium of chairs and a screen. Granted, the movies have continued to evolve with the times, offering spectacle in state-of-the-art sound, color, and clarity—but somewhere along the way, the space lost its importance.
Yes, there have been attempts to recapture the thrill of going to the movies, from the drive-ins of the fifties and sixties to the recent combination cinema/restaurant such as Alamo and Studio Movie Grill. Now comes the newest attempt, adding upscale sensibilities to the movie experience.
The iPic Theatre opened on November 6, amid the ongoing construction of the new River Oaks District shopping center. Anyone who has driven the stretch of Westheimer between Highland Village and The Galleria over the last year will have seen the massive structure going up. For people inside the loop, iPic offers another cinema to choose from, given a healthy pocketbook.
The latest addition to the Florida-based theatre chain opts for a different kind of opulence in its approach to the movie experience. The eight auditoriums hold less people, with a general capacity of less than a hundred people, but with far larger seats.
The center area seats are more akin to a home recliner, with tables set in front, and a select area features deluxe seating pods, dual seats that offer more privacy, perfect for a date night. As with the other restaurant-style theatres, special emphasis is placed on food and drinks. A deluxe bar is located outside the auditoriums for those who want to socialize prior to their film.
Of course, this all comes at a price. Seating is reserved, advance ticket purchase recommended, and price ranges from $18 to $24.
The opening was well covered in the media, including Channel 2, Houston Press, the Houston Business Journal, and the Houston Chronicle.
Meanwhile, the long-awaited reopening of the historic DeLuxe Theatre took place on December 14, with a grand opening ceremony attended by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and other public officials. For full coverage on the reopening, see the article on the Houston Public Media website.
Cinema Houston Blog 