[Film Journal]

…  Welcoming “flights of fancy” into our conversations, we begin with Rave Cinemas’ CEO Rolando Rodriguez, who is already “dreaming and thinking about what the potentials are for our buildings. Aside from the fact that first and foremost we need to show a great movie and excite our consumers about the moviegoing experience,” he reflects, “there is so much we can do beyond that. I think the potential is there for us to continue to grow.”

For Rodriguez, booth-less designs that place projectors at the rear of any auditorium are one of those no-longer-futuristic options that will change the theatre forever. “Coupled with all the technology at our disposal, what should those auditoriums look like in the future to possibly cater to alternative content?” he wonders. “What should they look like, let’s say, when catering to a sporting event? To an opera-type event?”

…

So what would that new type of dedicated space look like? “The room is flexible and reconfigurable with removable and retractable platforms,” he elaborates. “It would offer traditional seating for mainstream movie viewing. Then for alternative content, maybe there is a combination of traditional seating, and either intimate groupings for events like opera, or seating arrangements that promote social interaction like sports and concerts.” To promote the experience itself, TK Architects proposes “the addition of specialty lighting, architectural features and enhanced A/V, or even 3D…to make you feel like you are there at the event. Maybe you can sell season tickets!” Muffoletto suggests.

That would certainly represent a decided “effort to create more revenue opportunities.” For Paul Georges of Philadelphia, PA-based JKR Partners, revenue and opportunity are at the heart of theatres’ continuing evolution.  …

… moviegoing is and will continue to be about the presentation. “I don’t think everybody wants a 4D film that’s more like a theme-park set-up,” he cautions, “with seats that poke you in the back, blow your hair and where you get sprayed on. But to give people that option as part of a variety of different ways to experience a movie is the way to go. Do they want to see it in 3D, in a large-format setting, with moving seats, with food service? Yes, patrons have their choice of movies, but now and going forward they can also decide what kind of venue they want to see it in.” …

Contrary to the traditional setting of an access hallway,” the company’s Best Lifestyle Award-winning “Cybertecture Mirror“ is seamlessly blended along the walls between the auditoriums.” The mirror features “an interactive, digital interface that is able to portray live data (time, weather, location, social media) and customizable programs to moviegoers.” …

Read the full article here: http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and-features/features/technology/e3i5b8681cc03328dc1bf413217bed7c62f