Balancing Comfort & Capacity
Achieving true balance between movie theater seating capacity and customer comfort is important. Oftentimes, entrusting the design of seating layouts to commercial seating specialists can pay off in the long run. There are many factors to consider:
Seat Width
Every cinema owner has to determine how to balance seat width and movie theatre chairs capacity.
Folding Movie Seating
Do you want automatic seat lifts that give patrons more space as they arrive and depart? If so, look for seat lift mechanisms riding on maintenance-free bearings. Cheaper seat lifts will often start to get noisy, thus disrupting the experience for others.
Upholstery
Darker, stain-resistant fabrics are usually preferred, but every style and color of fabric offers different sets of advantages. For example, an art deco look might warrant brighter or lighter colors. The stain-resistant quality of some of today’s movie chairs is so good that fabrics lighter in tone can be legitimately considered.
Cup holder Placement
Cup holders can be situated at the end of an arm rest or even between the seats directly in front of the patron. If aisles are narrower, the latter can represent a more efficient us of space.
Standards
These are the typically metal frames that the movie theatre seats rest on. Some of the best standards found in theater seating are made from either cast iron or heavy gauge steel. Cheaper, thinner gauge standards might look good at the outset, but if they bend or break repair you’ll find that replacement costs can quickly mount.
Sturdier standards may take up more space and limit capacity to a degree. However, the premature deterioration of inadequate movie theatre seats is too costly too ignore. Again, balance must be achieved between chair size and overall capacity.
There are a couple of additional ways to optimize movie theatre chairs capacity:
Rockers As Movie Chairs
Accommodate movie goers with rockers in the front rows and you’ll attract more patrons willing to consider the seats in the very front of the facility. Many of those younger moviegoers will actually enjoy leaning back in their rockers with the big screen right in front of them.
Multipurpose Theatre Seating
Multipurpose seating can be used as movie theatre seats to maximize capacity. Today, high quality portable seating that looks like upholstered furniture is available. The typical patron will hardly notice that such high-quality, upholstered seats with armrests are even portable.
Some cinemas want to be able to adapt as trends change. Movie houses can supplement fixed seating with removable seating that can be reconfigured as needed. Creative owners have, in some instances, imaginatively used their facilities for more than movies. The intelligent use of portable theatre seats can help one carry out that mission, thereby maximizing revenue.
Considerations of movie theater seating capacity are always important, but the quality and durability of your movie chairs is also vital. You want lots of seats for those occasional sell-outs, but you also want a level of comfort that will keep those loyal customers coming back.
