Moviegoing is about to get a whole lot swankier for those cinephiles who are old enough to attend R-rated movies solo: Cineplex Entertainment has just announced that Canada’s first-ever all-VIP standalone cinema will open at Shops at Don Mills in late 2014. So what does VIP mean exactly? Basically, booze, and no kids. Here’s our pros and cons about the elite movie palace.
Pros
No Kids
We don’t need BuzzFeed to tell us that kids are actually the worst. We already knew that from firsthand experience. Adios, kiddies!
Booze
With the new theatre serving up various alcoholic offerings (from beer to martinis), there’s no real reason for stay home and watch Netflix with a glass bottle of wine anymore, which is fine by us. We much prefer seeing Ryan Gosling's mug on the big screen anyway.
Fancy snacks and service
Apparently Cineplex has hired a corporate chef to extend its existing VIP appetizers, which already include calamari, deep fried pickles and mac ‘n’ cheese wedges. They had us at deep fried pickles, but we’d take anything over cholesterol-raging popcorn and day-old-looking wieners. Plus, the food will come to you. That’s right: the days of lining up at the concession stand and worrying that you’ll miss the previews are over, my friend, with the cinema’s in-seat service.
Plush seats
If the new VIP theatre will be anything like The Varsity, then we can expect cushiony seats and lots of leg room. They certainly beat those hard-as-rock, god-knows-what’s-been-spilled-on-them chairs that always seem too small. Additionally, each theatre will seat from 100 to 150 patrons instead of the standard 300 people, meaning there will be less fights over who gets to rest their elbow on the arm rest.
Valet parking
Your ride might not be pimp, but you’ll certainly feel like one when you roll up in your Corolla and throw your keys at the cinema’s parking valet like some kind of baller.
Cons
Price(?)
We really don’t think there is a con, but if we had to choose one (because we’re obviously going for impartiality here), we’d have to say the price. VIP movie tickets at The Varsity go for $19.99. That’s a little steep if you consider that drinks and snacks are extra, but for a whining-free, alcohol-tinged, comfortable movie experience, we’re apt to say that it’s well worth it.
