North Philly’s about to get some comfier chairs — and maybe some beer to drink in them.
Renovations have begun on The Pearl Theatre at Avenue North on North Broad Street at Oxford, AKA what’s soon to be “AMC Broad Street 7,” and the entire overhaul of the theater is expected to wrap up by this summer. According to AMC, the new theater will include:
- “Plush, power recliners” (more on them below)
- Online ticketing, reserved seating and ticketless entry
- All new movie screens and sound systems
- An expanded concessions menu
The theater chain said in a statement that it’s also “exploring the option” of adding a spot called “MacGuffins,” which the company is describing as an “adult beverage concept” that it’s already installed at more than 200 locations across the country. The new theater will also feature remodeled concessions and bathrooms, new carpets and fresh paint.
But back to those chairs. Here’s how they’ll look:
Ah, yes. Here it is from another angle:
AMC representatives told Billy Penn they’re working on the first wave of auditoriums now, but to stay tuned through the spring for more sneak peeks of what the inside of the theater will look like.
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The Pearl, a seven-screen theater that sat in the shadow of Temple University along North Broad Street for 10 years, closed last year just before it was taken over by AMC Theatres, a national chain with hundreds of locations. Developer Bart Blatstein told Philly.com at the time that when finished, it’ll be “the city’s first high-end” movie theater.
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