These theaters have playgrounds because everyone loves loud kids at movies
Movie theaters are desperate to get would-be customers off their couches, away from their unending supply of streaming movies, TV shows and cat videos.
Some sell "luxury" offerings like fancy meals and cocktails. Cinépolis is trying another strategy to entice moviegoers: playgrounds.
The company's "Cinepolis Junior" theaters for kids have been in Mexico, Spain and other Latin American countries for years, but next week, two are opening for the first time in the states.
The two auditoriums in Southern California will feature slides, a play area with climbing structures, stationary pogo stick-like toys, a merry-go-round spinning thing, bean bag seats and lounge chairs up front. This does not look like your normal theater. And it probably won't sound like one either.
The theaters in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas open just in time for Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast on March 16. They'll only show kid-friendly movies, so don't expect to plunk the little ones on the slide and enjoy Get Out.
No sliding and playing will be allowed during the movie. Instead, kids have 20 minutes before start time to run around and play. Once the movie starts, they need to sit down and pay attention or at least be quiet -- and that includes adults.
So much for Netflix and chill.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
