Local theater now offers stadium seating
Moviegoers on a Friday night date will find new stadium seating in the north end of the valley.
Movies 5 in North Logan introduced three of their theaters two weeks ago featuring stadium seating. The two remaining theaters will also be renovated by the end of February.
“We’re having a grand opening in the beginning of March,” said Joni Buttars, city manager for Logan Westates Theatres.
The decision came after seeing the success of Stadium 8 in Providence. Customers enjoyed their film-going experience more and complained much less after sold-out shows, Buttars said.
“We’re about bringing the people what they want,” said Tony J. Rudman, vice president and general counsel for Westates Theatres.
Students at Utah State University are excited to see the change and Westates management is as well. Residents in the north end of the valley won’t have to drive as far when Movies 5 is completed and they will enjoy their experience much more, Buttars said.
“You can sit anywhere [in stadium seating] and still enjoy the view,” said Mike Douglas, a senior majoring in marketing, finance and business administration.
Douglas has experience with theaters in Logan and in Illinois, his home state. It’s a whole different scope, he said, to compare Logan theaters with the ones back home.
“The largest theater in Logan seats 266 and the theater I worked for in Illinois seats 1,600,” he said.
Douglas said stadium seating is about the customers and their satisfaction with the film, not competition between the theaters.
“Since they’re owned by the same company, it’s just about making it a better experience for the customer,” he said.
Westates management has many renovation projects in the works.
“It’s a question of whether we’ll renovate the existing buildings or build a new one,” he said.
The Logan Arts Cinema features a diverse selection of films and caters to the non-traditional viewer, Rudman said. It has a unique design inside the theater itself and is not a priority of renovation since it’s still a comfortable film experience.
“[In regard] to the Cache Valley Mall it’s a matter of when, not if,” he said.
And in the case of Cinema 3, Buttars said, for about five years Logan City has been discussing a change. In accordance with the renovation of downtown Logan, Rudman said it’s a matter of time to decide what the changes will be.
“We’re more than happy to upgrade facilities and work with Mayor Thompson,” Rudman said.
He is meeting with Thompson later this week to discuss possibilities.
With Logan and Cache Valley continuing to improve the commercial property along Main Street, Melanie Hardcastle, a senior majoring in family, consumer and human development, feels stadium seating provides a “much better atmosphere to watch a movie in.”
“Plus, it’s keeping up with the rest of Utah because Ogden and Salt Lake have stadium seating already,” she said.
Students and people in general enjoy stadium seating more than traditional, Rudman said, and added that he is excited for the better experience Movies 5 will offer customers.
Construction of the new seating includes the laying of foam on the floor of the theater and then cement poured over the top of it.
“It’s a pretty neat procedure,” Rudman said.
The benefit to valley residents north of Logan is a large reason for the change, Buttars said, and she’s happy to experience less complaining from customers.
“It’s all about making it better for the customers,” Douglas said.
-ireneh@cc.usu.edu