“Instead guests are welcome to come here to sit, have a drink, talk about the films and relax before going in to see the movie.” “Since it’s all reserved seating now, having to show up to a movie and being in a rush to get to your seat and to save some for friends, that’s a thing of the past,” he added.

Instead of the old box office, where patrons would have to speak to staff members through thick panes of glass to get their tickets, now they’re able to walk inside the lobby to purchase their tickets face-to-face before heading into the updated AMC Marketplace for movie snacks. It all begins with a more personalized approach. In the future, he added, Universal Cinema could also become a destination for special screenings, film premieres and director and cast Q&A’s. “We wanted to bring an extension of that into the cinema to give the guests a full and immersive experience here as well,” he said during a tour of the theater.Ĭapitalizing on the numerous feature films that are created just down the hill on the Universal back lot, Pa said that he and his team made it their mission to give film enthusiasts the VIP treatment by creating an environment similar to those where directors actually screen their movies for the big executives. With the more recent additions of attractions such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the permanent Walking Dead attraction, Fast & Furious Supercharged and the Simpson’s Springfield within the Universal Studios theme park, Fernando Pa, director of design and planning with Universal Creative, said expanding that into the adjacent CityWalk was the logical next step for the company.

The Universal Cinemas has been in a soft opening since late December and will host its official grand opening in mid-March.

After undergoing a 10-month, multi-million dollar renovation, it’s now offering patrons the ultimate movie-going experience, with numerous upscale amenities and using state-of-the-art visuals and audio in each of its theaters. Universal CityWalk’s AMC Theatre, now called simply Universal Cinema, has been given an epic facelift with its new 18-screen multiplex and IMAX theater.

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