'Bridge' seating causes student concern

Two weeks after the official opening of the Bridge: Cinema De Lux, students have plenty to say about the long-delayed theater, and most of what they are saying deals with the theater's reserved seating.

Some students said they have generally had positive experiences at the theater, but others are not as enthusiastic about certain features of the theater, particularly the seat reservation system.

Katherine Morse said that she likes the theater, but the assigned seating system is not part of what she likes.

"The assigned seating is kind of weird," the College freshman said. "I'm just not used to it."

"It limits your choices in where you can sit," she added. "If someone really tall is sitting in front of you, you can't move because it's not your assigned seat."

Engineering junior Rachel Webre said that while she is a fan of the stadium seating at the Bridge, the seat reservation system is counterproductive.

"You think you're being rewarded for buying your tickets early, but really you get screwed because they put you in the front seats," she said. "You're sitting there with a crick in your neck, looking up."

She added that it often is not possible to change seats if this happens because others have particular seats reserved.

"I guess some people want to enforce the assigned seating, so they get obnoxious and say, 'You're in my seat,'" she said.

However, Webre acknowledged that the Bridge allows patrons to request particular seats, so this problem could potentially be avoided.

College junior Chris Suh said that he has had good experiences at the theater, but he does not like the seating policy.

"It's just a hassle, especially when you're buying tickets. One person has to buy all the tickets or else everyone can't sit together," he said.

Suh also said that ticket prices could be lower.

Alex Janofsky said that the assigned seating system forces students to purchase their tickets very early.

"There's kind of a pressure to buy tickets even earlier, which I guess is kind of their tactic," the Wharton freshman said.

Janofsky also said that while the service is good at the Bridge, the staff often has an attitude that seems somewhat out of place.

"It's nice that the staff is very user-friendly," he said. But "they're kind of fake and think they're in a luxury hotel and not in a movie theater."

Gie-Na Wu, on the other hand, said that the seat reservation system is a good idea.

"At least you don't have to rush to get seats," the Engineering senior said. "They gave me the seats I wanted."

However, while she acknowledges that it makes sense, she thinks that perhaps the Bridge should change its policy of requiring one student ID for every ticket purchased at the student price.

"When I was purchasing my ticket, I was getting one for someone else, and I only had one ID with me," she said.

Jennifer Hanson, a spokeswoman for National Amusements, said that the company has found that people have questions about the seat reservation system, and that at the other Bridge theater located in Los Angeles, a similar trend occurred.

"It takes some time for patrons to become familiar with that practice," she said.

Hanson also said that no changes are planned in the immediate future for the Bridge, and that more feedback from customers is needed before altering anything.

"As far as any changes go, we've only been open for two weeks, and we're carefully reviewing the operation of the theater," she said.

"We are hosting a focus group for students at the beginning of next semester to find out what students think," she added. "We're encouraging people to share their experiences with us through theater management, the Elite Services desk or on our Web site."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.