Luxury movie theater iPic to open in Westwood Friday

iPic Theaters, a luxury movie theater with a full-service bar and an Italian restaurant, will open in Westwood on Friday.

The Florida-based movie-theater company will open a location in the former AMC Avco 4 movie theater location on Wilshire Boulevard. Ticket prices at the the 424-seat movie house will range from $15 to $29.

The Westwood venue will be the tenth iPic location, which has nine other theaters across the country. The company has plans to expand its business into four other states, according to the iPic press release.

The iPic franchise wanted to expand throughout Los Angeles, particularly Westwood, because of its entertainment industry and movie history, said Danielle Patla, spokeswoman for iPic Theaters in Westwood, in an email statement.

The theater will have six auditoriums, the largest number of screens in Westwood.

“(iPic has) a little competition here considering some theaters already have a monopoly in Westwood,” said Tim Kim, a UCLA alumnus and Westwood resident. “But the idea of having a drink with my movie is pretty awesome.”

Managers and spokespeople at the Regency Bruin, Landmark Regent, and Regency Village theaters said they were unable to comment about the impact iPic would have on their businesses.

The iPic theater has features such as over-sized leather chairs, self-serve seats, double the ordinary theater legroom and access to a full bar and menu that customers can carry into the theater.

The theater will offer premium seating, located in the first two rows of seats closest to the screen, and premium plus seats, located at the back of the theater. The seats are reclinable and come with a pillow, blanket, unlimited popcorn and a button to summon a personal server.

Tanzy Express, an Italian sit-down restaurant, will be located within the iPic Theaters’ facility and offers a larger variety of gourmet food and specially crafted cocktails.

Some students said they see the appeal of the luxury movie experience as a destination spot for dates.

“I can see myself taking a girl here on a date sometime, or (going) with a bunch of friends for something that wasn’t just your average movie, like Godzilla,” said Phillip Shaverdian, a third-year political science student.

Other students said they are unfazed by the higher-quality movie theater.

“Where I’m from in Connecticut we don’t have that type of theater. I wouldn’t be that interested in paying more for a movie (at iPic),” said Anna Zervos, a first-year cognitive science student.

Trekking to the iPic Theaters when there are several other closer movie theaters in Westwood would be redundant, Zervos said.

It was originally scheduled to open last year but it was delayed because of structural problems, said Drew Bryan, who works for guest services at the Scottsdale iPic.

iPic Theaters opens Friday across the street from the Palomino Restaurant & Bar, in between Westwood Boulevard and Malcolm Avenue.