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Upscale theater opens in Redmond
posted by
danpetitpas
on
November 6, 2008 at 10:55 am
REDMOND, WA — Gold Class Cinema, formerly an old AMC theater, has been extensively remodeled into a luxury movie house with valet parking and a ticket price of $32, ($35 if you order online). It opened last Friday.
The theater features seven screening rooms with no more than 40 seats each, all widely spaced with shared tables between them. Upscale handheld food is served with crab cakes going for $17, a New York strip-steak sandwich going for $19, and a bottle of wine going for between $30 and $695.
Ironically, the theater is just a few steps away from The Big Picture, which features small, elegant screening rooms showing first-run films with a full bar and waiter service. The Big Picture is mostly booked for private events and does not serve food other than popcorn. It is open to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays and tickets are $11. There is a second Big Picture in Seattle.
The Redmond Gold Class Cinema is catering to adults over 30-55 years old. It is operated by Village Roadshow which operates 12 theaters in Australia, Singapore and Greece. Earlier this month, it opened its first US theater in South Barrington, IL, and it intends to open 10 additional theaters in the US in 2009.
Read more in the Seattle Times.
Comments (5)
What a wasted idea. I predict this theater will fold in a year.
In my opinion, the Alamo Drafthouse looks more practical then the Gold Class Cinemas because it is just a gimmick catering to the rich.
The theatre was originally a Cineplex Odeon build in the mid ‘90’s. Remember, the $32 ticket appears to be JUST the ticket. They have the new Bond film coming. Why any studio would want to book their film here over the nearby Bella Botega 11 and have hundreds of seats available is beyond me. Makes the Arclight seem like a bargain. For $32 at the Arclight, you can have lunch and a drink at their cafe AND a movie ticket.
You would hope this does better than their theatre in the Chicago Market. Barely 300 people a weekend.
Does my $700 bottle of wine fit in the cup holder?