University students will soon have another choice in where they view their movies, as a new 16-screen theater will open Aug. 22.
Dallas, Texas, based Rave Entertainment is opening “Baton Rouge 16,” a 3,800 seat, 73,000 square-foot stadium-seating movie theater on O’Neal Lane.
The new complex is set to open Friday, Aug. 22, with an open house party Aug. 21 offering free popcorn, soda and recent films.
For taller moviegoers, the theater also offers four feet of leg room. The extra room will help moviegoers not to disturb others when they want to leave the theater for any reason, said Jeremy Devine, Rave Entertainment national director of marketing.
“If someone in front of you has big hair or a cowboy hat, you can still see,” Devine said.
Devine said couples will appreciate the armrests of the oversized chairs, which can be raised to form a love-seat.
Noticeably missing from photos of Rave theaters is the bottom row of seats. Those seats often are too close to the screen for the viewer to appreciate the movie, Devine said.
“We’re willing to lose capacity at the theater if it improves the presentation and comfort factor,” he said.
Students expressed concerns over the new theater’s location, which is about 10 minutes from campus.
Meghann Landry, an interior design sophomore, said she was content with closer movie theaters such as United Artists Citiplace and Tinseltown. “I probably won’t go because of the convenience of going closer. The extra conveniences aren’t enough to draw me out there,” she said.
Rave also has theaters in other college towns such as Denton/Hickory Creek, Texas, home of the University of North Texas.
Devine said although the location is away from campus, he still expects students to be part of his audience, because people appreciate a better experience.
“People have voted with their feet,” Devine said. “They are willing to drive for our theaters.”
The average ticket price at the new “Baton Rouge 16” will be the same or a little cheaper than the average movie ticket price in Baton Rouge, Devine said. Movie tickets in the Baton Rouge area can range from $6.75-7.50 for a nighttime showing.
Students said some of the conveniences would be worth the drive.
“I like the idea of the folding chairs,” Torree Mitchell, a biological engineering junior, said. Mitchell also liked the idea of love-seat chairs. “That’s the first I’ve ever heard of it – it sounds nice,” he said.
The new theater also features a party room and student ticket discounts, something offered in many other college towns around the country but not offered at any theaters in the area.
Many students said the discount was enough to bring them out to “Baton Rouge 16.”
Chris Barner, a computer science junior, said the idea of a student discount is great, and although he is 6-feet 4-inches tall, the extra leg room isn’t a big deal to him.
Brad Chisholm, an environmental engineering freshman, said he would probobly go because of the student discounts.
“It would be great because movie tickets are way overpriced,” Chrisholm said.