Infamuz Review - iPic Theaters

Infamuz Review - iPic Theaters

Most of the time the movie theatre experience is just fine as it is. But sometimes you want something with a little more panache. The good folks at iPic Theaters thought the same and have done something about it.

The best way to describe iPic Theaters is high end movie theaters for adults. You can buy regular 'premium' ticket and sit in some nice seats, or you can get 'premium plus' seats and have a waiter come by to drop off some finger food, or popcorn, or drinks while you recline on your lazy-boy type of couch and have a pretty darn good view of your movie.

Ok, I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. Lets take this one step at a time...

First step you should take is select the movie and buy the tickets ahead of time. Sign up online. I think its free, I'm not sure. When I went, iPic was giving away a free Sapphire membership ($15 value), but I don't think you need it, I think you can just sign up and buy a ticket. Either way, you should buy your tickets online. Seating is very limited. These theaters seems like they barely hold 40 people. Once you select a movie and a time, you go right into choosing where you would like to sit. While all seats have a great view, not all seats are the same. Some are just nice leather seats, and others are the reclining, waiter serving seats. Again, make sure you have your tickets ahead of time, because of the limited seating, they will sell out. 

I went to the iPic Theaters in Fort Lee called "Hudson Lights". This area of Fort Lee is going through some sort of construction. The garage that is right across the street from iPic Theaters was free. As more of these businesses are complete, I'm sure they'll make you pay for Parking, and that it will fill up very fast. I don't know much about Fort Lee, but it seems like this area is about to pop.

This theater works with 'City Perch', a very nice looking restaurant with a full bar. The food that is ordered in the theater is made in this restaurant and brought up for the theater folks. Because the theater is located above this restaurant, you get a little more of a 'night out' feel. We didn't really eat anything at the bar, we just had a few drinks while we waited for our movie to start (we did not order online and therefore had to settle for a later time). Having the bar right there helped make the wait part of the good time we had. We also found out that we could have brought our drinks up to the theater. Unfortunately we had guzzled them down already.

As soon as you walk up to the theater, you can show your ticket (from the app) to the hostess and go right into your movie. Since you bought the specific seat, there is no need to get there one hour ahead for the 'good seats'. If you just got the premium seats, you go to the concession stand and order finger food and drinks to bring into the theatre with you. The food is 'food specifically selected to be easily eaten in the theatre'. You can also grab regular and alcoholic drinks. The food is head and shoulders above regular movie theatre food. This is food that is actually prepared for you, not just unfrozen for you. They will give you a little restaurant alarm so you can pick up your food once it is ready. 

If you chose the premium plus, which is the reclinable seats, you will skip going to the concession stand and go straight to your seat. There you will see a menu, and a waiter will explain the way the service works. You can then order your food and drinks and sit back and enjoy your movie. There is a complementary bag of popcorn, a pillow and a blanket that they offer you. While I did not have a need to use the blanket and pillow, you bet your ass I used it anyway. I watched Star Trek Beyond fully reclined, snuggled in with the blanket and resting my head peacefully on a pillow. By the time the waiter came with our drinks and I really felt like high society. 

For food, we ordered the Angus Burger Trio, which was very good. While not the best burgers I've ever had, they were the best food I've ever eaten in a movie theater. When the drinks ran low, we hit the waiter button gave him the 'another round' sign and a few minutes later we were refilled. Imagine what you would miss from a movie when going out on a food or drink run. Now imagine not having to miss anything and still get your drinks and food.

Normally, something this awesome is a recommendation in my book. The only reason it is not, is the price. Movie theaters are already mostly overpriced, and this takes it to another level. The Premium seats are $12 per seat, while Premium Plus adds a VIP fee of $7 (as of 9/5/16). Now the food and drinks are going to cost more than your local pub. Between my date and I, we spent over $150. Then again, when the Kitten and I go out, we like to make sure the bar tender doesn't get bored. More than half of our bill was due to the many drinks we had. While I kept to one of my 'usuals' (rum and coke), the Kitten tried and really liked 'El Corazon' from their specialty drink menus. 

Was the overall experience worth the extra cost? Yes, but only because I was on a date. If I was watching a movie with a buddy, I would most likely not consider this money well spent. I would either get drinks with my buddy beforehand or sneak in a flask to mix in some rum with my overpriced soda. But if you are out with someone you want to impress, I would absolutely recommend taking them to this theater. Just remember to buy the tickets ahead of time, and enjoy your experience. 

Final Score: 9 (out of 10)

Premium Plus experience is perfect for dates or any other time you want to impress someone. Other than that, this is a nice but slightly overpriced experience. Personally, I had an awesome time, which was helped by watching an awesome movie. I am looking forward to another great movie to come out so I can fully enjoy the Premium Plus package again. At least that's my perspective...