Also, you won't be bombarded with commercials, because there is no pre-show advertising.You also won't have to deal with people looking for seats during the opening minutes, because there is no seating once the movie starts.
Interesting. We're not really sure how the seating things works...so if you're late you can't get in? or you just have to wait?
18 comments:
Anon (SC) - No commercials are fine, but no PREVIEWS ?
Honestly I assume commercials mean subsided prices, no? Although I guess this is being targeted to a luxury demographic.
Well, ticket prices there are $15-$20 so . . .
No one said anything about there being no previews . . . that's just crazy talk.
I saw Avatar in the VIP section on Friday night. There are no commercials (like kiss FM type music, lawyer fighting for your father's rights, and other stuff you see in AMC before the trailers start). There are trailers. Environment/building material quality wise, it's the best theater within the city, however I used to go to AMC South Barrington a lot and I actually like that suburban theater a bit better. The bar area was pretty filled, but the primetime Avatar show was not filled and half of the VIP section was empty. The online system stated the center seats were sold out, but they remained empty during the show. If you got bad seats, it kind of sucks to see the center seats open. The picture quality for 3D seems questionable as I thought watching Monsters vs. Aliens 3D in AMC East seemed better than Icon's Avatar 3D. I'm not sure if the picture was too dark, but the 3D images seemed blurred at times.
In terms of the crowd, AMC East is definitely more crowded and more alive. No hot chicks roaming around, aside from the table hostess who will instantly ignore you once you say you have no need for a table. The rest of the ICON staff was great/friendly, which was nice to see. I thought the VIP seats would have more room in between them, but they are just a bigger version of the standard movie seats and made with leather. I was expecting a big ass soft recliner chair, but that was not to be seen. Once you get out of the theater, it's dead silence at the Roosevelt Collection and just as I predicted, there are zero cabs. If you're an old folk, it's probably best to drive especially at night. I’ll return, but probably not in the VIP section. The first row of the VIP and last row of the regular seats are pretty much next to each other, so there’s no reason for me to pay more. It’s not like the House of Blues, where the balcony seats are way above the regular tickets people. All in all, it was okay.
So what you are saying is that there is assigned seating in the VIP section and that you were not permitted to move to the open seats in the center. That doesn't make any sense!
Yes, VIP is assigned seating (like Navy Pier Imax with each seat numbered) and you choose your seat. I didn't really need to move since I liked my seat. However, there were others like groups of 3 that had to seat separately, when they could have sat next to each other in the empty seats. If they asked, maybe the staff would have let them have the open seats. Not sure what their policy is.
It sounds like they have a "no seating allowed after the feature starts" policy. In which case, I wouldn't hesitate to moving into a different vacant seat.
My husband and I saw the 10:00 showing of "Up in the Air" on Friday; the theater was nearly empty. An usher announced we were welcome to change seats once the film started.
No ads-nice! Loved it.
The crowds will come, its only opening weekend. This is a great addition to the South Loop. I am going to love not having to go to River East to see a movie. And FREE PARKING! Assigned seats will come in handy when it is more crowded.
We went and saw Avatar today in the early afternoon. Hardly anyone there.
The ticket prices aren't $15-20. They're just like the regular theater ($12.50 for normal show I think, add a couple of bucks for 3-D showings...there's also a super cheap before noon option for $7.50)
Previews were extremely minimal - I think we only saw three. No ads beforehand.
My major complaint is the price of concessions. It's even more than AMC I believe with a small popcorn being around $4. Kinda disgusting (but there were numerous toppings to choose from) and other concession items that I didn't expect like tea, coffee, and frozen yogurt.
We went to the bar upstairs afterward. Great place for a date. Don't bother with the mini cupcakes. They're TINY and not worth the $6 (but tasted very good however). I'm interested to see if anyone has tried the bacon popcorn appetizer.
All in all, I really love this theater and it's going to be my main go-to when it's a night out at the theater.
Just got out of the 7:30 Avatar showing. Got tickets on Fandango and the machine spit them out in milliseconds. Didn't get any food but the signs at the concessions look like they are out of the future with the floating graphics. The lobby itself is beautiful and has a feeling of quality. The theater is also very modern and the stadium seating made it so there is not a bad seat in the house. The sound and picture were perfect and I am very excited to have this movie option in our neighborhood.
Some folks around me had the bacon popcorn and the thing really smells like bacon. It made me have a craving for breakfast half of the show.
I have not been yet, but can anyone confirm if they have ASSIGNED SEATING FOR NON-VIP seats? This is a bit ridiculous if they do, because I am bit picky on where to sit, but if I see a certain crowd in certain seats, I tend to not sit there.
although i can't speak for all the theaters, the one we went to had assigned seating everywhere (not just VIP). To be honest we thought it was a good idea so you don't have to ask people to move over etc. You can simply know where your seats are.
I saw the 9:30PM showing of Avatar last night. All seats were of the reserved variety, but I liked being able to pick my seats ahead of time "airline style."
In reply to Anon, one can hope that rude people will procrastinate and end up with seats in a worse section. At least with reserved seats you do not have to worry about random rude people deciding to sit next to you after the movie has started, or asking you to move down.
The theater was pretty full, which surprised me since the theater had so many showings and it was a Sunday night after all. There was no sign of the young movie-wrecking hooligans that some have warned about. Seeing as though this is an adult-oriented movie theater, I would think that the crowd will tend to be more mature in general.
I checked out the bar on my way out and was very impressed, as I was with the rest of the theater. I hope our neighborhood has what it takes to keep this theater in business!
Goodness... WTF, it’s only $10-20 for regular/VIP tickets! For those complaining about ridiculous this and that blah blah blah, just go watch a movie and see for your self! I have no idea what "certain crowd" some of you folks are talking about. If there's a rowdy group, tell the ushers or demand your money back. Showplace on Webster LP warns people that they'll get kicked out for being rowdy; it's probably the same at ICON.
Saw Invictus tonight at Icon. This place is FANTASTIC! From the swanky bar, to the free parking, to the modern, classy decor, to the friendly service, the comfy chairs in the theatre, etc. I could not have hoped for anything more out of a movie going experience.
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