I'll wait for Pay per view instead

From today's Palm Beach Post-

WEST PALM BEACH — Coming soon to Muvico Parisian 20 at CityPlace: Moviegoing without teenagers.

Muvico Theaters is working on a plan to revive "Premier" seating at CityPlace, according to officials at the Fort Lauderdale-based company.

Muvico Parisian 20 at CityPlace tried Premier seating when the center opened in 2000. But it ended a year later because the seating was only in four theaters and because there was no real exclusivity.

To do this, Muvico will split the popular multiplex in half. The 11 theaters upstairs will be for adults, and the nine downstairs will be for all ages.

Premier tickets cost more than regular-priced tickets — as much as $18 — but company officials said they offer patrons several perks: Valet parking, reserved seating in extra-wide chairs, free popcorn, access to a bar — and no one under the age of 21 in sight.

The change, expected to take about six months as issues such as price are worked out, is intended to attract more adult moviegoers.

"Teens are a huge audience, but with that audience comes teen issues," such as cellphone use during movies, Muvico President Michael Whalen said this week.

"We think there's another audience that wants to watch a movie in an area with no kids," Whalen said. "We're missing a big part of the audience that would go (to the movies) more if they had a better experience."

Movie theater attendance has been declining nationally, as many older adults opt to watch DVDs at home. Locally, Muvico Parisian is facing competition from new theaters, such as the 16-screen Cobb Theaters at the Downtown at the Gardens shopping center in Palm Beach Gardens. Whalen said attendance at Muvico Parisian is down 2 percent this year, compared with flat box-office sales nationally.

Some how I don't see many people putting up the cash Muvico is asking for. The few extras get aren't worth the extra $20-30 I or the average moviegoer would have to dole out just to see a movie. Anyway, the wife and I don't go to the movies that often or to City Place in general. Five times or less in a year.

Muvico will be opening a new complex in 2007 about four miles from my home. I won't pay $18 a ticket there either.

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