Posh movie theater beating out the competition

Nearly a month after it opened its doors, business at the Bridge: Cinema De Lux is still booming.

But while the new theater may be attracting big crowds, University officials say there is still a place at Penn for Cinemagic 3, which is just down the street.

According to Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik, Cinemagic will likely remain in its current location at least until its lease runs out in 2005.

Blaik said that discussion about whether Cinemagic will renew its lease has not occurred yet because such talk about renewing a lease usually begins about one year before it expires.

"It's not something we're thinking about right now," Blaik said.

Blaik added that he thinks having two movie theaters available for students is beneficial -- at least according to Adam Smith's invisible hand.

"I think overall, competition is good," he said. "Two locations for showing movies is not a bad thing."

But according to students, Cinemagic has lost much of its appeal since the opening of the Bridge.

College junior Ben Nussdorf said that he would only consider going to the older theater under certain circumstances.

"I would go to Cinemagic if it was playing a film the Bridge didn't carry, and I was too lazy to drive to Riverview," Nussdorf said. "Or if I didn't have the extra $2 to pay for student price here" at the Bridge.

Nussdorf also said that the movie-going environment at the Bridge is much better than that of Cinemagic.

"Cinemagic is just disgusting, and this place is clean," he said. "Not to mention the fact that this place has great sight lines, as opposed to Cinemagic, which is just your standard theater."

College senior Will Grenoble echoed Nussdorf, noting that he has had some bad experiences at Cinemagic.

"It was incredibly disappointing," Grenoble said of the theater. There were "dirty seats, broken seats, poor picture quality."

Blaik, however, said that the large volume of customers going to the Bridge is an indication of the great demand for entertainment at Penn, which both theaters can fulfill together.

"The success of National Amusements is only proof of a tremendous demand here," he said.

There are many different vendors for food and retail around campus, Blaik noted, and these venues are not necessarily "mutually exclusive."

Blaik added that he is "delighted" with the level of business the Bridge has seen in recent weeks.

According to Jennifer Hanson, a spokeswoman for National Amusements, the theater operator is just as satisfied with the current state of affairs at the Bridge.

"We've been very, very pleased with business," she said. "We've exceeded our expectations, and we've been seeing sellouts on the weekends."

Hanson added that patrons of the theater have continued to be a diverse group.

"We're seeing a good mix of both students and people in the community," she said. "That's still the case, certainly."

The assigned seating system, which received some criticism early on, has also seen increased use, Hanson said.

To request a seat, customers can contact the call center, and a "live person" will assist with making reservations for a particular showtime.

Additionally, Hanson said that many customers have been visiting the 12 Lounge, the Bridge's restaurant and bar.

"The lounge has been doing very strong business, and we're very pleased to see that the business is well spread out throughout the day," she said.

National Amusements does not release box office figures, according to Hanson.

Cinemagic, Inc. representatives did not return repeated calls for comment.

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