Hassle-Free Cinema Confirmed for North Side's 'New City' Development

A "hassle-free" cinema popular in California is making its way to nearby Lincoln Park, where moviegoers will buy and reserve specific seats online and "enjoy films the way the filmmakers intended," representatives said.

The local theater will be ArcLight Cinema's seventh in the country—several are in Los Angeles, CA; one opened in November in San Diego, CA; and another was just announced for outside Washington, D.C.

Lincoln Park's ArcLight will be part of its upcoming New City development, which will include 600,000 square-feet of shopping, dining, residential and entertainment space at the intersection of Clybourn and North avenues, said Gretchen McCourt, executive vice president of cinema programming for ArcLight. 

"We're certainly looking at all kinds of neighborhoods in Chicago," she said. "But for Lincoln Park, the timing was great, the demographics are great. It was just a location that really made sense."

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The 14-screen theater will serve as an integral component of the New City project, she said. Construction will begin soon with the grand opening set for late summer of 2014.

"The opening of ArcLight Chicago at New City is part of the theater’s plans to expand its state-of-the-art technology and amenities to moviegoers everywhere," according to a news release. "ArcLight Chicago marks ArcLight’s second theater outside California and its first in the Midwest."

It will feature the company's signature amenities including “black box” auditoriums, reserved seating, a commercial-free environment, extra-wide stadium seats and unique programming, such as discussion groups and on-display memorabilia from various movie sets.

Only three trailers will be shown before the start of each film, allowing movies to start very close to their advertised showtimes, McCourt said.

"We celebrate film and the love of cinema," she said " … Seats are reserved so there's no waiting in line and no box office, which means there's also no reason to get to the theater 40 minutes early to save a seat. You won't find any advertising in the lobby or on screen. … We've been in business for 10 years now and we've really listened to what people say are barriers that keep them from going to the movies."

The biggest compliment ArcLight representatives receive is when moviegoers say they "lost themselves in the movie," she said.

"We like to create an atmosphere where people don't come in late, so tickets aren't sold after the film starts," McCourt continued. "There's a greeter who introduces each film, the actors and gives everyone a little background." 

Ticket prices for the Lincoln Park theater hadn't yet been set as of Wednesday, but McCourt noted that in California, they're about 20 percent higher than typical theaters. In Los Angeles, for example, they range from $13 to $15 each. 

The local ArcLight will include a full bar, café and concessions with favorite items such as the theater's famous caramel popcorn and chicken sausage baguette. Guests 21-years-old and older may enjoy wine, beer and cocktails in the designated adult lounge and during select screenings. 

“On behalf of moviegoers throughout Chicago we are pleased to welcome ArcLight Cinemas to Chicago and New City,” John Bucksbaum and J. Michael Drew, managing partners for New City, said in a joint statement. “ArcLight brings the best in entertainment to New City.”