HOUSTON - Date night at the movies just got a big bump up with the new iPic theatre at the new River Oaks District near the Galleria opening Friday. It makes movie going a 5 star experience!
Who doesn't want to escape to a life that's shaken - not stirred – especially with the new James Bond movie coming out. http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/spectre/
iPic www.ipictheaters.com is betting moviegoers will pay extra for the top shelf service.
iPic CEO Hamid Hashemi explains, "In one word it really is about the experience."
He demonstrates the cuddle couches which fully recline and come in pairs, separated by a swivel table top. Each seat has a pillow and blanket and the popcorn is free.
But Hashemi is banking you'll be ordering instead from their upscale kitchen. He says, his other IPic theatres consistently get a 4 star rating for food.
Their boast? Everything is fresh made on premises, including the craft cocktails. Orders are taken and delivered by "ninja waiters", who come and go like a spy in the night.
All this luxury comes at price. iPic has a membership system. The first level membership is free. Weekend tickets are $24 for premium seats, $14 for the regular seating, without ninja waiters. Prices include online ticket purchases with assigned seats.
Hashemi argue at other theatres, you'd pay a ticket service fee of a dollar or more for that. He adds, "You're spending another six dollars for popcorn. If you're watching a 3D movie, you're paying another three or four dollars for that. If you add it all up, it really is comparable."
Before or after the movie, you can dine and have drinks in The Tuck room, which has some theatre of its own.
Master Mixologist Adam Seger shows of the Liquid Nitrogen Bottle Service, which pours the nitrogen onto an ice bucket, creating a dramatic clouds spilling off the bucket onto the table.
Seger says, "This is actually boiling a negative 321 Fahrenheit." The reaction also flash freezes fruits, herbs, and flowers in the bucket. Patrons can drop them in their drinks as garnishes.
It's all designed to give customers a taste of the good life and to demonstrate that not all the movie magic is on the big screen.
iPic is located at 4444 Westheimer, in the new River Oaks District shopping center just inside Loop 610 West.
