It’s showtime for Tucson’s first dine-in movie theater.
RoadHouse Cinemas opened its doors on Friday in the old home of Grand Cinemas Crossroads 6, at 4811 E. Grant Road.
More than $2 million has been invested in the six-screen theater complex to create an experience in the same vein as the Austin, Texas-born Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain and AMC’s “Fork & Screen” concept.
The facility offers first-run movies with gourmet meals, an extensive menu that includes street tacos, burgers, pasta and sandwiches, served to patrons at their seats during screenings.
What was once the back half of the Grand Cinemas lobby is now a large kitchen area, complete with a six-top grill, charbroiler, freezers and pizza prep space.
The front half of the building has sports table seating and a full bar serving wine, mixed drinks and 10 types of Arizona beers on tap, as well as a snack section for the theater’s take on more traditional offerings.
Think gelato from Allegro on North Campbell Avenue and popcorn glazed in caramel or covered in pickled jalapeños.
The movie seating, which is reserved when you buy your tickets, comes in the form of plush recliners with wooden tables that swivel over each chair.
Every seat has a call button to alert servers.
When pressed, a green light appears on a seating chart monitor in the hallway.
“It turns yellow after two minutes and red after five,” said Vincent Mast, who opened the theater with his business partner Scott Cassell. “Red means we need to get to them right away.”
Mast and Cassell have been bouncing around the idea for a dine-in movie theater for nearly a decade.
Cassell’s experience in theaters is extensive, having helped launch the second-run theater company Grand Cinemas LLC in 2001 and the Oasis Cinema in Nogales in 2006.
The duo had made past attempts at acquiring other theaters in different parts of the state, including in Prescott and Mesa, with no luck.
Their interest was further piqued by the growth of the Alamo Drafthouse, a dine-in theater chain that launched in Austin in 1997 and now has 17 franchises in seven states, and AMC’s announcement this year that it will put recliners in 1,800 of its 5,000 auditoriums over the next five years.
“We are double-dipping here,” Cassell said. “The dine-in movie theater concept is really catching on and becoming super-popular, and recliners make it a much more comfortable moviegoing experience.”
The recliners mean less space — Grand Cinemas seated 1,200 total and RoadHouse only seats 380 — but promises more attendance, Cassell said.
He points to statistics given by the Wall Street Journal in July that said AMC’s theaters with the new reclining seats saw an 80 percent increase in ticket sales.
Ticket prices at RoadHouse will run $9.95 for adults, with discounts available during the week, and $12.50 Fridays-Sundays.
For its soft-opening week, the theater is screening “Gone Girl” with Ben Affleck, “The Maze Runner” and “A Walk Among the Tombstones” with Liam Neeson.
Cassell said the first week is a practice week for the theater. They plan to have a grand opening Friday. For now, they are offering half-priced food to make up for any stumbles along the way.
“Having six auditoriums is the equivalent of having six restaurants, with a seventh restaurant in the lobby,” Cassell said. “We want people to come out, but be open-minded enough to accept our mistakes.”
