After a two-month delay from its planned Dec. 9 opening, the LOOK Dine-In movie theater in Dobbs Ferry opened on Feb. 10. Brian Schultz, CEO and founder of Dallas-based LOOK Dine-In Cinemas, told the Business Journal that the delay was due to Covid and supply chain issues.
The new theater at 1 Hamilton St. in Rivertowns Square is in a location that previously had been operated by iPic Theaters. It had been closed by iPic in November 2019 when the company restructured. The theater has eight screens and an overall seating capacity of approximately 800. In addition to offering patrons food and drinks at their seats while the movies are being shown, the facility has separate bar and restaurant spaces.
The Dobbs Ferry opening comes at a time when the data firm Comscore is reporting the total domestic movie theater box office in 2021 was $4.58 billion. It doubled 2020’s total but was down nearly 60% from 2019.
The opening pictures at Dobbs Ferry included “Death on the Nile,” “Moonfall,” “Marry Me,” “Jackass Forever,” “Parallel Mothers,” “Sing 2,” and “Spider-man: No Way Home.”
The menu offers a wide range of beverages, including cocktails, wine and beer. Salads, wraps, sushi, St. Louis BBQ ribs, chips, dips, cheeses, pizza and, of course, popcorn are among the food items offered. Thad Kelly, the company”™s executive chef, is charged with crafting the menu and monitoring overall quality and service.
The LOOK Dine-In chain currently has one theater in Arizona, four in California, three in Texas, and one in Florida in addition to the Dobbs Ferry site. Schultz said they plan to expand to more than 20 locations during this year.
“We look at this as a community-based theater and we want to serve this community with any kind of content, meetings, food that they really want,” Schultz said. “You don’t see us going into big malls where there are 50 theaters around. We go to places that actually need a great theater.”
Schultz said that the facility would be available for business meetings and special events in addition to its functions as a cinema and eating and drinking establishment.
“We have the best projection, we have high-speed networks so that you can do video conferencing, so whatever the community needs this is the place to see it in a comfortable chair that reclines with the best sightliness and sound that you can imagine, all state-of-the-art,” Schultz said.
Schultz told the Business Journal that when theaters had to close because of the pandemic movie studios had a chance to test streaming as an alternative to traditional theatrical motion picture exhibition.
“I think it’s come full circle where in the ecosystem we all play off of each other, but realizing that theatrical really is the premium way to watch a film and it’s the first step that actually creates all the other revenue streams down the line,” Schultz said. “I think there’s still a little bit of shakeout to happen but eventually if you give a great experience that’s a great value to the guest theatrical will be healthier than ever and we’re looking toward a huge uptick in ’22, ’23 as people get more comfortable coming out and the studios are getting more comfortable that the box office is back.”
James Meredith of LOOK Dine-In suggested, “I think coming out of Covid people are really interested in looking for something that’s above and beyond what they experienced in the past. Oftentimes, people are thinking about ‘what am I going to do with my evening from an entertainment standpoint.’ People love to get lost in a good story but they also like to have a great meal so we’ve created the ability for you to have both in one location.”
Meredith said that the chain encourages its theatergoers to arrive 30 minutes early before the showtime so that they can take a look at the menu, order food and drinks using their cellphones if they wish, and then have their orders before the movie begins.
“I think what’s happening is because of the technology we’ve put in place that we’ve made it very easy for the guest to control their experience,” Meredith said. “You not only have a great presentation and are able to enjoy your content, you have incredible food and cocktails — and people like that — but also you have technology at your disposal. I think the competition will probably take a look at how we’re doing some of those different things. They should, but I think we’re going to be pretty far out in front in creating our brand.”
