Cinetopia 23

Reviews 3

TI

Tim Sibley

The BEST movie theater in the NW period. Ive been to all 3 Cinetopia locations and while all are excellent, I believe the newest is best. The screens are huge as are the theaters themselves. Picture and sound quality are second to none. Some other theaters have implemented digital projectors but not for all their screens. Cinetopia is ALL digital super HD. I like that there are "living room" theaters for the GXL screens but please note they are on the balcony level of the regular GXL auditorium. This shouldnt be a deal breaker because youre still separated from the main audience. If you want a movie with strictly the 21+ crowd, go to the other Mill Plain location. Concessions are fine with the typical "butter bar" for popcorn loves. I do appreciate that the Mall location differentiates itself from the others by offering an extensive beer menu. Also, the food menu is different as well with more "pub" style food. They can either serve you in the living room theaters or if you get there after the service ends, just go into the restaurant and order at the bar. New addition: 3/14/13- So after going to this theater multiple times I am still a huge fan of the movie watching experience. I have been however, very disappointed with their food service. They are extremely slow (especially during busy days) and the service staff in the living room theaters seem to be a little lost. I think they still have some organizational issues to work through. It doesnt seem to be as smooth as the Mill Plain location but perhaps because its a bigger location. Regardless, be warned that if you order food at the counter or in the living room off the menu, you may be waiting a long time. Getting to the theater is not complicated. All living room and movie parlor screens are upstairs and regular screens are downstairs. Park on backside lot for upstairs and the frontside (where you see the food court windows) for downstairs. Honestly folks, its not that complicated and youll figure it out. Obviously, its a benefit to have it at a mall in case you get their early and need to burn some time or you want to grab a bite to eat. Lastly is the price. If you just want a regular, non-3D movie then the grand auditorium prices are the way to go. Its cheaper than Regal and the experience is not even a competition. If you want something bigger, better or more upscale you should opt for the more expensive shows. Groupon and Living Social offer deals frequently and if you ever see them, GET THEM. Theyre usually between $19-21 for two tickets and a $7-10 voucher for popcorn or drinks (including alcohol beverages). This goes for ANY show at ANY time on ANY of their screens. My wife and I get these all the time. So ignore some of the other reviews because most were done when the theater launched and now things are running very smoothly.

CH

Christopher Paidhrin

Epic failure at Cinetopia, Vancouver Mall, 06/01/2012. Customer Satisfaction: We try to practice tolerance and give the other guy the slack we would wish for when we screw up. So we can overlook the misleading email sent to loyal customers suggesting opening day discounts on tickets and free popcorn; the unready website; the clueless employees on the phone; the inability to use credit and debit cards – all part of the what the manager later called “a soft opening to iron out the bugs.” But it would have been nice to know that’s what we were signing up for from the beginning, and be offered at least a free bag of popcorn for our trouble. Background: Cinetopia is famous for its intimate living room theatres with large plush chairs, ample legroom with ottomans; you pay the extra price for space, comfort and a full service restaurant service. So we became less congenial when only after purchasing our living room tickets – a venue where one expects to purchase dinner with beer and wine – that the menu was truncated with unappetizing wraps and only soft drinks offered. Customer Safety: When we were herded into our auditorium # 13, it was not the intimate venue we had expected, but instead two 75 ft balcony rows at a vertigo-inducing height above the GXL auditorium #1 below. We opted for the lower of the two rows, already feeling too distant from the screen, inching down badly designed and lit stairs to a narrow ledge of cramped seats with little space to pass around people and ottomans and only a shallow mid-thigh wall with no rail and no lighting between us and a calamitous fall. Four times servers stumbled and nearly fell. What would happen in a fire, or even if you need to go to the restroom? Guests put drinks, food, and more seriously heavy wooden and metal tray tables on this wall – Warning to the three rows below – don’t wear hard hats at your own peril. Technical difficulties: About twenty minutes into the movie, we lost visual of the movie. No one came to tell us what was happening, the lights did not come on, so I went to check and fell in the dark and hurt my leg. The movie finally restarted, returning to the beginning and a deep audience groan. After several stutters, fast-forwards, and stalled screens, we left. Managers and the owner were milling around in the hall, confused, offering nothing. We expressed our safety concerns to owner Rudyard Coltman who responded, “sorry you feel that way.” After a 20-minute wait, we chose a cash refund rather than passes – it will be a long time before these “loyal customers” visit any Cinetopia again.

TI

Tim Denison

One of the worst things about Vancouver is the ignorance of its citizens. Take a look at the 2013 Best of Clark County and youll find that Vancouverites think the best sandwich in the city can be found at Subway and the best Italian food is at...wait for it...Olive Garden. If you read that and say to yourself, "Thats about right. Olive Garden rules." Then Cinetopia is for you. The only positive is state of the art equipment, including an Atmos option. But make no mistake: whatever upgrade you get at Cinetopia, you will pay for it. Rather than pricing themselves competitively and letting their unique technology options draw us to them over other theaters, they have elected to have a)the highest base prices possible followed by b) extra charges for you name it: a larger room, an atmos sound experience, a living room style parlour thats really not much better than your own free living room - youll pay 21 dollars for some of those shows. 21 dollars. For the smallest screens in town. The food is mediocre and if you eat in the restaurant youll be waited on by an unfriendly and unknowledgeable staff (at least a good portion of them are). Their smaller, more stylish 3D glasses arent big enough to cover their larger screens if you sit in the front half of the theater, so your peripheral vision is constantly picking up the unresolved dual image. Oh...and there arent actually 23 rooms. They count two rows of recliner chairs perched on the wall, high above the auditorium seats of their other rooms as distinct theaters. So there are probably only 16 or so screens. The few times Ive been the ticket kiosk has been understaffed with a huge line. And the one time we used a Living Room theater, we were treated to waiters walking in front of the screen for the first 45 minutes of the film. Cinetopia is the definition of "not the whole package." They have great equipment. The end. They get fails on staff, food, pricing, and overall experience. Their arrogance at believing they are a great theater makes me angry enough to rate one star. But they are the only Atmos theater in town right now, and thats something. I guess.

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