And I still think $10 is outrageous for a movie ticket.  Especially with the talkers, cell phone checkers, texters, seat kickers, etc., that add their special brand of annoyance to the movie-going experience of today.  While theater owners and managers are currently facing a dilemma in creating a positive experience for their patrons, a new brand of movie theater is coming to the U.S.  Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas, originally founded in Australia in 1997, are coming to America complete with all of their luxury amenities, along with a $35 cost per ticket.

Complexes will boast theaters that have reclining armchair seats with footrests, digital projection, a lounge and bar serving cocktails and appetizers, concierge service and valet parking.  And forget about popcorn, soda and Milk Duds; Gold Class Cinemas will serve made to order foods such as sushi prepared from on-site chefs, brought to your reclining seat by a waiter.

The plan is to construct 50 Gold Coast Cinemas across the U.S. over the next five years, with the first two opening in October in South Barrington, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and the Seattle suburb Redmond, Washington. I’m certainly all for improving the theater experience, but at what cost I’m not sure. After spending $35 for a ticket, I’d certainly have to cut out my $4 Reese’s Pieces and $10 popcorn/Coke combo…or make that my (sure to be even more expensive) California Roll and Prosecco.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 11:16 am and is filed under Luxury Entertaining, Luxury Lifestyles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.