The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns were especially bad for the movie theater industry. Flagship Premium Cinemas in Palmyra is trying to bring people back to the theaters with FPX MovieLab, which provides a private space where customers can use the big screen to watch a movie, log into their streaming services, or plug in their gaming console on the big screen.
Of Flagship’s 18 theaters, Palmyra’s is the first one to see this new concept.
Paul Wenger, president of Flagship Premium Cinemas, said the movie theater industry has had to come up with innovative ideas to bring business back during and after the pandemic.
“Our industry was mandated to close, and so our industry did everything we could to try and interest people in coming back to the theater,” he said. “We did everything from curbside popcorn to BOGOs, and the only concept that really had any traction was private rentals.”
LebTown had an opportunity to visit the theater for a “now playing” showing.
The private rental space has 18 seats — five chaise lounges, seven theater seats and six cushioned barstools.
Included is a popcorn machine and butter for customers to use. Guests can also bring outside food or drinks or use the fountain soda machines across the lobby.
There is a stocked fridge and a candy selection, though taking from those will bring an extra charge. With a private bathroom in the back, moviegoers can go through the entire movie theater experience in just one room.
Now playing movies cost $300 plus a $10 ticket fee per person. For hourly rentals, the first hour costs $200 with no per-person ticket price and every hour after is an additional $100. $10 per-person tickets start at the two-hour mark.
But Wenger said they did a lot of trials before finally starting to charge.
“We wanted to let people in to experience the room, just to find out, just to take surveys, and in some cases, we were just dragging people out of the lobby and saying, ‘How would you like to go see it privately?’” he said. “Most of the feedback we got was very minor stuff, and overall, people loved the room.”
Wenger said they’re now charging for the room and have a staff member in charge of it. That staff member walks the moviegoers through the different areas, explaining the seats, how to hook up to the iPad in the back, and how to control the volume. They also check in periodically to offer assistance — such as refills — so customers don’t have to miss their entertainment.
He said so far, almost all of the feedback has been positive, and they’re already seeing a few repeat customers.
“We’ve been going very slowly, and people are embracing it, and they love it very much,” he said. “Most of the feedback we got was very minor stuff.”
Why Palmyra’s location?
Wenger said it’s because of the theater’s success, even coming back out of the pandemic-era shutdowns, along with a good location and staff.
“We had the perfect room for it, and we have some really good management — something like this is going to require some really good attention to detail,” he said.
Booking information is available online, where customers can reserve their times and pay.
Details available on the website say the theater receives a schedule of now playing movies each week on Monday stating which movies will be playing the week’s upcoming Friday until the next Thursday.
Coming soon movies aren’t available until bookings are confirmed for the Palmyra location with the film studio and public tickets are available.
“This timeline can vary, some films may be available for early presale while others may not be confirmed until the week prior,” the website states. “Film availability is subject to change on a weekly basis so advance sales may be limited.”
Hourly rentals can be booked no sooner than one day in advance and no more than 90 days in advance.
Palmyra’s location is the first to experience the MovieLab, but Wenger said they’re looking at expanding into some of Flagship’s other locations or adding more private theaters in Palmyra’s Flagship if there is enough demand.
“It is sort of a science project for us, and we think it’s going to work long term,” he said. “The hardest part is getting people to understand what MovieLab is.”
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