This month, the theatre will completely remodel three auditorarsiums, converting them to stadium-style seating. Two additional theatres will receive new luxury seating as well. Each plush seat will feature high backs and adjustable arms. The wider seats will also rock back.
“We have had such a positive response from our customers regarding our current stadium seating that we decided we wanted to add that throughout,” said Nicholas Kostakos, president of Elkins Theatre Co. “We want to ensure our customers have the very best experience possible when coming to the movies, and adding these luxury seats will take that experience to the next level.”
The project is expected to be complete in mid-March. Most of the old seats will be donated to the Old Brick Playhouse.
In 2011, Elkins Cinema 8 completed a major expansion effort, adding a larger, state-of-the-art auditorium. The cinema’s eighth screen, the largest of them all, opened in July 2011 with stadium-style seating for 270 patrons. The auditorium features larger, more comfortable seats, and the additional space between each row allows for extra leg room. Also, its large, curved screen decreases the distortion of the image being projected and provides for a better, crisper movie experience.
Also in 2011, Elkins Cinema 8 made several technological strides in the industry, upgrading to digital projection units, ending a 70-year run in how movies were presented in Elkins – by film. The new projection units provide the best brightness possible on each screen. Also, seven of the auditoriums feature Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, while the newest one features Dolby Digital 7.1 Surround Sound. Four auditoriums – including the newest – are capable of playing 3D movies.
Originally established in downtown Elkins, a theatre was acquired in 1938 and reopened in 1939 as The Manos Theatre. The business has continually reinvested in its facility. In the 1950s, it became one of the first to use stereo sound. In 1976, it opened in the Tygart Valley Mall as the Twin Cinemas. The 1990s saw an expansion from two to seven screens, and digital sound was in place by 1999.
Elkins Cinema 8, located in the in the Tygart Valley Mall, is open nightly and has matinees on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each Tuesday is Bargain night, during which all movie-goers are admitted at a discounted price. Visit www.elkinscinema8.com for movie show times and to purchase tickets in advance. Show times are also available by calling 304-636-5333.
