Story from the Watford Observer x Watford Town Centre double page spread: WO Article
Movie lovers will now be able to sit back and watch the latest releases in comfort across all of Cineworld’s screens in Watford after all seats were replaced with recliners.
The company opened the first four screens to be converted at the Harlequin towards the end of August.
Work on upgrading the other four auditoriums has now been completed and these will reopen to movie goers from today (Friday).
“The customer feedback has been amazing,” said general manager Tom Schofield of the reaction since the new seats were first installed.
“We’ve had strong competition from a Vue nearby that have had recliners for a number of years so all of our feedback was very much ‘we want those’ and now we’ve got them people are very happy with it.”
Watford is the company’s first site to undergo a full conversion to the recliners, which are designed to provide a zero-gravity effect, evenly distributing body weight to mimic a space launch.
They elevate the back and legs into an S-curve that supports the natural shape of the spine, reducing pressure points and improving circulation.
“It’s part of the dedication to the wider project across the Cineworld estate,” explained Tom.
“We were chosen as a key location as part of the vision of our new board coming in and what we wanted to bring to our customers, bring to local audiences to show we are a major competitor.
“It’s a significant investment and one that will secure the long-term future of Cineworld in Watford.”
Among the auditoriums to be upgraded is what is now the first ScreenX in the country, where movies can be enjoyed in 270-degree vision with the expanding sidewall projection.
However, the transformation has not extended to the 477-seat Imax screen due to the requirements of that brand and the technology it uses.
There were doubts hanging over Cineworld’s future in Watford last year when the company closed some of its sites as part of a restructuring plan, but the Harlequin complex remained open and Tom has been pleased with trading levels so far this year.
“It’s a very strong year for cinema, with Minecraft, Bridget Jones and it’s looking like a strong rest of the year as well so we’re excited to get the rest of our screens back,” he said.
“We’ve got Wicked, Avatar so some really heavy hitters coming up. It’s been a really good year for cinema overall and we’re doing well as a company now.”
Tom, who has been general manager at Watford for six years, feels Watford is a “big cinema-going town” but recognises there are plenty of other leisure activities competing for customers’ time and money.
“I think it’s a sense of belonging and something familiar,” he responded when asked how Cineworld can stand out from the crowd.
“Cinema has been around for a hundred years or more, it’s that home away from home and experiencing watching on the big screen with other people. Anyone can stream on Netflix or Amazon but it’s not the same sort of thing.
“When you think of the first date you had with a girl and you went to the cinema, you can probably name the film you saw.
“When you think about the first film you watched with your wife or girlfriend on Netflix, you probably don’t remember.
“It’s things like that, that experience that brings people back and brings people here over everyone else.”
