Landmark Cinemas 8 St. Albert is only one day away from debuting its first-ever movie, Black Panther. The eight-auditorium theatre will fill a gap for area movie-lovers that has existed since the Grandin Theatre closed in 2014.
While the 32,000 square-foot theatre doesn’t have AVX or IMAX, they do show 3D movies. All eight screens are standard, but the experience is far from average.
Lauren Stonier, general manager of the facility, said the theatre’s leather reclining La-Z-Boy chairs will offer a premium movie-watching experience.
“Each set of chairs is a love seat,” she said, adding that the arm between each set of seats can be lifted up and tucked between the two chairs. “It’s a game-changer. You won’t want to see a movie in any other theatre except a theatre that has these seats.”
Landmark Cinemas is the second largest motion picture theatre company in Canada, with 44 theatres throughout Western Canada, Ontario and the Yukon Territory.
For those who have sat in the chairs at other Landmark Cinemas in the past, these chairs are slightly different.
Instead of the typical black cup holders, the black leather chairs have chrome ones. Stonier said this will help people see where they’re placing their drinks.
The chairs are also assembled piece by piece, so parts that become damaged can be instantly replaced. That includes damaged cushions as well as any mechanical parts.
This is the first Landmark Cinemas in Canada to be built from the ground-up with the reclining chairs.
Those wondering about space should know the theatres have been developed with fewer chairs and more space around each chair than a typical theatre. The smaller auditoriums only have 100 seats, while the larger ones have 128 seats.
The Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre in Edmonton, in comparison, has over 300 non-reclining seats in a large auditorium and around 180 non-reclining seats in a smaller one.
In the new theatre, the space between the chairs and aisles is wide enough that you can extend the chair all the way without blocking views or walkways. People can still walk along the aisles in front of the chairs and behind without people having to move their chairs to an upright position.
Accessible to everyone
Stonier said the entire theatre was built with accessibility as its first priority. Besides the steps in the auditoriums, the building is devoid of any barriers for people in wheelchairs or with other disabilities.
“We believe that everybody should be a movie-lover and enjoy movies, so we made it as easy as possible,” she said.
From the moment someone in a wheelchair enters the theatre, they’ll be greeted with lower counters at the ticket desk, the concession stand and the condiments table. The new automated pop machines also adjust for those who can’t reach its touch screen.
Stonier said the entry to the washroooms does not have doors, so those who have a difficult time opening them need not worry.
Each auditorium has three wheelchair priority spaces with the reclining seats – designated as ‘companion seats’ – next to them. The accessibility seating will have to be booked ahead of time by speaking with the management team.
For those who have a difficult time seeing and hearing, Stonier said each movie can be watched in closed captioning. People who have hearing difficulties can read captions on a small device provided to them, while those who have a hard time with sight will hear a voice over a headset narrating what’s happening to set the scene.
“You can enjoy a movie even if you have a hearing impairment or a vision impairment,” she said.
This is the first time Stonier has been involved with the building of a brand new theatre. She has worked as a manager for seven years, and was previously the manager of the Landmark Cinemas 7 Spruce Grove.
“I’m excited, everything is coming together very quickly and it’s going to be a really exciting opening,” she said.
Landmark Cinemas will be an exciting addition to St. Albert for those who have missed having a theatre in the city.
Grandin Theatre was demolished in 2014 after Amacon started developing the land where the Grandin Parc Village is now located along Sir Winston Churchill Avenue.
Over the last few months Landmark Cinemas has been promoting its grand opening on Facebook. The posts have been met with excited responses from people waiting in anticipation for its opening.
“I’ve got my tickets to Black Panther for opening weekend – can't wait! So pleased that you’ve come to St. Albert,” wrote Laura Oladokun on the cinema's public page.
Others joked that they would most likely fall asleep in the chairs while watching a movie.
Another feature of the theatre is how people can purchase tickets and food before arriving for their movie.
Tickets can be reserved on an app called ATOM. Within the app they get to choose their seats and purchase their food in advance. When they arrive at the theatre they can ‘check in’ on the app.
Staff will then prepare their food so it’s ready for pickup, surpassing the long lineup at the concession stand for those who didn’t order food in advance.
Ticket prices are set at a local level, which means the cost of a ticket at the St. Albert theatre will be equal to the Cineplex in north Edmonton.
For more information or to book tickets visit https://www.landmarkcinemas.com/showtimes/st-albert.
