Now this is what watching a movie should be like. At least as far as seating is concerned.
Six of the 10 theaters at the Eastpoint Movies 10 on Eastern Avenue have been upgraded to include power-reclining leather seats — seats with so much mobility that it's possible to tilt them so far back that you're practically parallel to the ground. And as if that isn't enough to set a new standard for movie-theater seating, each row of recliners is spaced five feet behind the other, leaving enough room that even the tallest NBA center could sit comfortably.
"It creates more space between customers, which they seem to like," says Paul Wenger, president of Flagship Cinemas, which has been operating the Eastpoint cinema since June 2015.
The seats are part of a $1 million renovation project that Flagship has undertaken at the 10-screen multiplex. In addition to the seats, new drapes, flooring and wall carpets have been installed.
But it's the seats that most people are going to notice. So far, six of the 10 theaters have had the seats added; Wenger said he hopes to have three more screens updated by Thanksgiving. The Eastpoint's 10th theater, which holds 400 people and is the multiplex's largest, is laid out for stadium seating and cannot be adapted to hold the considerably larger recliners.
Each of the recliners, which have individual controls, costs $600, Wenger said. In all, 900 will be installed at the Eastpoint. Because the seats are so much bigger, a good bit of capacity had to be sacrificed —it has been reduced by about 60 percent overall, Wenger said.
But the trade-off, in terms of a comfortable movie-going experience that should draw in more customers, will be worth it, he said.
"I had always known that this area was primed for a quality theater experience," says Wenger, who grew up in Highlandtown and lived for a time in Dundalk.
The Eastpoint also offers $7.50 daily matinees before 6 p.m., no additional charge for 3D movies and $6 admission all day on Tuesdays.