Movie Theater Chains Will Invest $2.2 Billions to Bring You Ziplines and Pickleball

Rejoice, movie lovers—your cinematic acquisition is astir to get a full batch better. On Thursday, a commercialized enactment representing theatre operators announced that 8 of the biggest theatre chains successful the U.S. and Canada are readying to put $2.2 cardinal to modernize their properties. The changes volition reportedly bring amended representation quality, amended sound, and, successful immoderate cases… ziplines.

The upcoming renovations, which volition instrumentality spot implicit the adjacent 3 years, were announced Thursday by the National Association of Theater Owners, oregon NATO (not to beryllium confused with the subject alliance). In a press release, the commercialized org stated that the pursuing chains volition beryllium investing successful the renovations: AMC Entertainment Inc., Regal Cinemas, Cinemark USA, Inc., Cineplex, Marcus Theatres Corp., B&B Theatres, Harkins Theatres, and Santikos Entertainment.

Weirdly enough, these renovations whitethorn see features that dependable amended suited for the section taxable parkland than the spot you spread up to ticker the caller A24 movie. Variety reports that immoderate theaters mean to instal zip lines, bowling alleys, and pickleball courts, successful an evident effort to triumph implicit much families.

“Consumers contiguous are precise demanding and they privation to person a scope of things that they tin bash successful immoderate fixed setting,” Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of NATO, said, of the changes. O’Leary didn’t stock further details astir these developments, leaving america each to ponder the viability of a nighttime retired that includes some a death-defying 30 mph zipline excursion AND a contemplative 2 hours spent stuffing popcorn and Milk Duds down your gullet.

For the astir part, the upcoming changes volition absorption connected making theaters’ existent accommodations nicer. This volition see installing the latest “laser projection exertion and immersive dependable systems,” adding “more comfy seating,” and providing amended “food and beverage offerings,” NATO says. “It’s [about] making definite that the seats are comfy and there’s a full scope of seating options that are disposable to moviegoers,” said O’Leary. “Making definite that each of those things beryllium and that you person bully lighting, bully signage, but besides successful the existent auditorium itself that you person large dependable and large projection.”

Some of what is being offered present sounds beauteous good. For instance, a batch of theaters presently offer markedly little representation quality than tin beryllium recovered connected your mean flat-screen TV. Better representation quality, amended sound, and, potentially, amended nutrient and drinks (I’m imagining little dried hotdogs and more, like, Alamo-Draft-House-type offerings) would beryllium great.

That said, a amended wide strategy to get butts successful the seats mightiness conscionable beryllium to marque the wide acquisition cheaper. The mean outgo of movie tickets successful the U.S. is determination astir $12-15 per stub, depending connected wherever you live. If you’re unlucky capable to unrecorded successful an costly municipality metropolis—like, say, New York City—tickets tin outgo upwards of $20. The website for the Regal connected Union Square, for instance, tells maine that I tin spot Deadpool & Wolverine for $23.49 positive a $1.89 fee. That’s insane. Obviously, if you bargain a brew and/or a popcorn, your wide outgo for a movie-going acquisition successful the Big Apple is going to crest the $50 range, which is astir the aforesaid terms arsenic having a bully repast astatine a fancy restaurant—this, to beryllium successful a sticky recliner and ticker Ryan Reynolds archer jokes. Now bash the mathematics for a family.

When I spell to the movies, I mostly conscionable privation 2 things: for the movie to beryllium good, and to not person to driblet a ton of currency to ticker it. Lately, Hollywood hasn’t truly been delivering connected either of those fronts. Until it does, I don’t deliberation a zipline is truly going to marque overmuch of a difference.