Featured presentation: ShoWest shows off the latest in theater enhancements

Kirk Baird

Thursday, March 25, 2004 | 8:12 a.m.

For most of the decade, box-office numbers for U.S. cinemas have set records. There's a reason. Audiences like the movies that the theater is playing and they like the theaters in which they're playing, said John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners.

American movie companies, and now around the world, are building movie theaters with stadium seating and digital sound systems. The experience of going to the movies is the best it's ever been.

As is evident at the 30th annual ShoWest Convention, that experience is getting even better.

ShoWest, which wraps up its four-day run today at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas, is the largest event in the world for the motion-picture theater industry.

While it's becoming known for its sneak peeks at upcoming movies and appearances by A-list stars, such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Christopher Walken in 2003 and Jude Law and Halle Berry this year, it's really the trade show that's most important at ShoWest.

The trade show is where theater owners can see and purchase the latest and greatest in theater seating, film and digital cinema projection, auditorium lights, signs - even candy, popcorn and beverages.

If it involves a cinemaplex, it's at ShoWest.

Among this year's highlights:

Quick concessions

As if waiting to buy tickets at a cineplex isn't bad enough, the concession line is often worse.

Which is odd.

There are usually not many snack options: candy, popcorn and a soft drink or bottled water. Add the choice of butter topping with the popcorn, and the options become slightly more complicated.

Still, what should be an ordering process of less than a minute is often dragged out by an indecisive concession patron. Coke or Diet Coke? Butter or no butter? M&Ms or Reese's Pieces?

Radiant Systems feels your pain. And, more importantly, it has done something about it: the Radiant Concession Kiosk.

A 3-foot-tall metallic box with a nifty touch-screen monitor on top, the kiosk allows theatergoers to purchase their tickets and order concessions in advance.

There's no need to wait in line to order. Simply walk up to the Radiant Concession Kiosk, buy the tickets and order that medium Coke and a large popcorn. You can even upsize for a quarter more.

After you pay, the kiosk prints out a ticket and electronically sends your order to the concession stand. Then, with your concession ticket in hand, you can avoid the food line and walk straight to the "express lane," where your order will be waiting for you.

In a test run by Muvico Theaters at a 24-screen megaplex in Baltimore, the wait for concessions was reduced by 10 minutes or more by those who used the Radiant Concession Kiosk.

"Theaters are frustrating on Friday and Saturday nights. You wait in line to get tickets, then you wait in line again in a more time-consuming line for concessions," Chris Lybeer, president of Radiant Systems, said.

"(The Radiant Concession Kiosk) is more efficient for patrons of theaters and more efficient for theater operators, who can free up labor for more customer service."

The kiosks are designed for either indoor or outdoor use and have been battled tested in extreme conditions in such cities as Duluth, Minn., and Phoenix.

The Radiant system also works with Fandango and other Internet ticket sales outlets, so tickets can be purchased online and picked up at a kiosk.

Lybeer said Radiant plans to expand into theaters nationwide.

Lounge-plex

In an attempt to appeal to a more upscale clientele, many theaters offer a VIP service. This usually includes a secluded room from the main auditorium in which to watch the movie, tables to hold the food and drinks and even a waiter to take food orders.

All great amenities, sure. Perhaps the best perk, though, is in the seat itself, as demonstrated at ShoWest by several companies. Among them: EuroSeating and Inorca.

Tom O'Hara, Inorca's North American director of marketing, sales and consulting, is convinced.

Inorca offers "the best seat in the house."

It's difficult to argue.

Inorca has taken an already upscale line of theater seats and connected them with a handy wooden table for a stylish, comfortable and convenient moviegoing experience.

The chairs are upholstered in leather that covers the padding, which is a "memory foam" designed to contour to body shape and size for a better, more personal fit. Once the seat is unoccupied, the foam quickly returns to its original shape.

O'Hara said Inorca created the chair-table combo specifically for ShoWest.

"They put something together to bring it to the show to see if anybody liked it," he said.

So far, several theater owners have expressed interest.

The concept of an upscale cinema isn't new, having first been applied in other entertainment venues, such as sporting events, O'Hara added.

"It was brought in to the motion-picture industry by a few theater chains who wanted to differentiate within their marketplace," he said. "Something that would draw in patrons."

EuroSeating has been in the business of creating and selling upscale cinema-style seats for several years in Europe.

This year, however, marks the first time EuroSeating has sold its products to U.S. theaters.

While EuroSeating offers several varieties to choose from, perhaps its most notable line of upscale seats is the VIP, an all-leather recliner with an electronically adjustable back and footrest.

"It's like flying in first class," Rodrigo Garcia, EuroSeating export manager, said.

And just like Inorca's deluxe seating, the VIP features a wooden table that connects the seats, which can be customized.

It's no wonder the VIP is popular not only for theater owners but also for Hollywood moguls looking to spruce up their screening rooms and even homeowners wanting to create the ultimate home-theater experience.

"It's a show-off for the industry," Garcia said. "It's a real luxury."

Candy goodness

It's a little-kept secret that, for theater owners, most of the money comes from concessions. Look at the markup on the products and it's easy to see why: $3.75 for a large Coke, $4 for a large popcorn and $2.50 for a bag of M&Ms.

In rare instances, the price is worth it. Especially when it's a novel candy or beverage you can't buy at any ol' convenience store.

Pucker Powder is such a product. Billed as "candy art," Pucker Powder is best described as Pixie Stix meets sand art.

Start with a plastic tube and hold it under the Pucker Powder flavor dispenser. There are 16 flavors to choose from. Among the more popular: sour watermelon, sour green apple, sour fruit punch, sweet blue bubble gum and sweet strawberry.

Fill the tube with a single favorite favor, or mix and match for a colorful -- and flavorful -- assortment.

Bruce Goldstein, co-owner and sales manager of Creative Concepts, which makes the candy, said Pucker Powder was introduced five years ago. It wasn't until last year, though, that the sugar candy appeared in a cinema: an Imax theater just outside Yellowstone National Park.

The candy proved so popular, the IMAX manager suggested that Pucker Powder expand to other theaters.

Already, the candy is in several Las Vegas locations, including Circus Circus, Excalibur, Fashion Show mall and the Galleria at Sunset. And next week it'll be available at the Wet 'n Wild water park.

Goldstein said it's the candy's "interactivity" that makes it so popular.

"Kids love to make their own things. They also get to experience (Pucker Powder) by eating it," he said. "And adults say, 'Oh my goodness, Pixie Stix. I get to make my own.' They get brought back to their youth."

Drinks

Candy isn't only something you eat. At ShoWest it's also something you drink.

Kraft Foodservice is combining its long-popular LifeSavers candy with a slushy. The result is an icy beverage with a different taste.

Among the flavors: LifeSaver Green Apple, LifeSaver Tangy Tangerine, LifeSaver Watermelon, LifeSaver Pina Colada and LifeSaver Banana. Also included are Kool-Aid Cherry, Kool-Aid Tropical Punch, Kool-Aid GrapeBerry Splash and Country Time Lemonade.

Jay Fagnano, regional account manager for Kraft, said the drinks are the company's way of expanding its product line into a growing market.

The concoctions are made from a powdered soft drink mix -- two mixes per batch -- that are then frozen. Once the sugar molecules in the soft drink freeze, the liquid becomes slush.

But don't compare the LifeSaver slush to its Icee competitor.

"Ours is a thick ice product," he said. "Theirs is more of an air product."

While the LifeSaver slush is sold only in only a few theaters nationwide, Fagnano said he hopes to quickly expand the client list.

"I had a guy come in from Minnesota. He said he wanted to buy another machine -- his third. He said he sells 100,000 cups (of the LifeSaver drinks) every year," Fagnano said. "I told him I want him to give a customer testimonial to other theater owners."

For those looking for more of a kick than a LifeSaver drink, FlavorRage may have the answer.

The FlavorRage is actually a standard fountain drink dispenser, only with the addition of various syrups, such as cherry, vanilla, lime, lemon and chocolate. Using a FlavorRage, customers not only can mix their drinks -- including Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite or Minute Maid Orange -- they can also add the different syrups.

While the soda dispenser was designed more for convenience stores than cinemas, two theater chains have installed the device in their cinemaplexes.

"It's the ultimate 'suicide' machine," said Vince Giblin, vice president of national accounts for Lancer, which makes the FlavorRage.

"Kids love it."

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