COURTENAY, B.C. – Tonight marks the premiere of the new, posh seats at the Rialto Theatre.
It’s a historic day for the Rialto as the seating capacity is reduced from 633 to 301 to allow room for the leather seats that recline electronically, with the push of a button.
Theatre-goers can be the first to try out the seating tonight for showings of Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born.
Construction started on Oct. 19, and the “Premium Recliner Seating” will be in place in all four of the theatre’s auditoriums by Nov. 19.
Additional renovations to the lobby and concession will be finished in January.
Photo by Troy Landreville/98.9 The Goat/Vista Radio
In a phone interview, Landmark Cinemas Canada chief executive officer Bill Walker told the MyComoxValleyNow.com newsroom that the upgrade was a long time coming for the community.
“We’re excited to finally have a first-class experience ready to go into Courtenay, and to elevate the status of our brand there,” Walker said.
Walker said the company is confident that the customers will enjoy the experience.
“It’s a big step forward,” Walker said.
He added that community has been very clear that a change was needed at the Rialto.
“It was just a matter of, as a small Canadian company, at some point you have to make choices and we’re just thrilled that we’re finally able to make the choices to get to Courtenay, an asset that we knew needed some investment, and we’re happy to do it,” Walker said.
Paring the number of seats in half was a necessary component of the renos, Walker said: “It fits with the way we can play movies today, and the way reserved seating allows the seats to be sold, and frankly, the way recliner seats make every seat in the house a good seat and makes it a seat you’d be okay to sit in.”
Sitting in fixed back chairs is an uncomfortable experience for many, especially at the front of the theatre, but Walker said recliner seating changes the narrative.
“I can say in a lot of these sloped floor theatres, one of the more popular places and places that I would choose to sit is down towards the front, because once you recline back and lay into that chair and look up at the big screen, it’s actually kind of a cool experience,” Walker said.
Next up is a name change. It won’t be long before the Rialto is rebranded Landmark Cinema.
“We have our new signs all rendered and mocked up to go onto the building, so we’ll be able to put a new sign up on the building and it will go to a Landmark Cinemas-branded site, just like most of our other locations,” Walker said.
