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Movie Theater Seats Moving in the Opposite Design Direction from Airplane Seats

By Rain Noe - July 16, 2014

in Furniture Design

As airplane seats get narrower, shallower, closer together and even unable to recline, movie theater seats are getting fatter, deeper, further apart and increasing their reclinability. Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have picked up on cinema chain AMC's $600 million investment to re-seat some 1,800 of its theaters (out of 5,000 total), providing absurdly posh recliners at a cost of $350,000 to $500,000 per venue.

Yes, as airlines are seeking ways to cram more seats into their fuselages, AMC's re-seated theaters will actually decrease capacity. With seats being bumped up from 44 inches wide to 60 inches wide, and with full reclinability including elevating the legs La-Z-Boy-style, rows will need to move further apart and will be able to fit less bodies per row.

The motivation is financial. In a trial run conducted earlier this year, AMC saw ticket sales increase by 60% in the re-seated venues. Even with less capacity, this is hoped to lead to increased profitability, assuming moviegoers can swallow the $1 to $2 ticket price increase that the seats will eventually bring.

The question for us was, who designed/manufactured these new seats? Are these custom jobs for AMC or off-the-shelf? Unsurprisingly neither of the aforementioned newspapers mentioned it, since no one gives a damn about our profession. But by poring over the Journal's shots and comparing them to hundreds (okay, dozens) of product photos from companies that make home theater seating, we tried to uncover the source. We came close, but failed. At first the posh seats appeared to be the handiwork of Seatcraft, a California-based furniture company. The stitching pattern, proportion of the cushions, and armrest corner radius revealed in the Journal's shots appear to be dead ringers for Seatcraft's Barcelona line. Take a look:

Alas, after closer scrutiny, the comparison starts to break down:

AMC Enterprises is currently owned by a Chinese parent company, so it's always possible—heck, these days it's likely—that these seats were made overseas and reside on some website I can't search in English. But if any of you ID'ers reading this find these seats more than just familiar, please do drop a line.

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Mike

10 years ago

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The AMC seats are made in the states by a company called VIP Cinema Seating. While I'm not sure who knocked off who, the cinema seating/upholstered home furnishing markets don't really "believe" in design patents, so while it may not be the most ethical design, it may be perfectly legal...
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The seat guy

10 years ago

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People do not search the internet for the cheapest theater that show the movie they want to see. Otherwise you will have cramped cinemas with 28" pitch seats.
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SW

10 years ago

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but do they clean them?
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Buzkie

10 years ago

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I have sat in these seats, they are fantastic. The reclining function is electronic. I don't go to the movies that often, but one of these theaters is near me and I only go to that one if I can help it.
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Rodrigo

10 years ago

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these kind of seats are not uncommon un mexico, but they are designated as a different kind of cinema. depending on the brand, they are called "VIP" or "Platinum" cinemas and tickets are twice as expensive as ordinary cinemas. in addition to the comfort of the seats, you get waiter service to your seat, a much, MUCH wider selection of food and snacks (including sushi, hamburgers, baguettes, hot wings, etc.) and even alcoholic beverages.

those "funky half armrests" fold up, so that if you're at the movies with your SO/date, you can make it into a nice cozy sofa just for the two of you

The ones in Mexico also feature retractable tables and a dividing area between pairs of seats. There's a picture here -> https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=cinepolis+vip&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=nbDGU8TMLtPo8AHNq4CwCw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=805#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=ttmTwUSWbfENfM%253A%3Bj-1uakWYxFhhRM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cinespanama.com%252Fimagenes_cines%252F28%252FCinepolisVIP.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cinespanama.com%252Fen%252Ftheater%252FCinepolis_Multiplaza_Pacific__VIP%252F28%3B957%3B601

or you can just google "Cinepolis VIP" for more images
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