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DENVER -- Our Colorado is known for its love of the outdoors, but Coloradans haven't given up on the old pastime of heading to the movie theater, despite movie ticket prices going up and sales down by about 10% nationwide.
The number of new movie theaters across the country hasn’t increased much since 2015 but the Denver metro is the exception.
"Colorado has one of the greatest economies in the nation today so Coloradans have a lot of discretionary income and it looks like they are spending some of that income at the movie theater,” Colorado Deputy Film Commissioner Mariel Rodriguez-McGill said.
Alamo Drafthouse just opened its third location in Colorado. The theater is famous for its "no texting" policy, character Q & As and dine-in style.
“Treat yourself like a celebrity. Come eat some delicious food, drink some delicious cocktails and the Alamo Drafthouse does that exceptionally well,” Austin Terrell with Alamo Drafthouse said.
Their new location in Westminster has reclining seats and the biggest screen of all their Colorado locations called "The Big Show."
“These are going to be dual stacked laser so it's a really, really clean crisp look as well as the Dolby Atmos sound, which really creates a full 360-degree atmosphere,” Terrell said.
Alamo Drafthouse has led the way with the movie experience by hosting movie parties and events, like free summer nights at their new Westminster location.
This month, Regal UA Denver Pavilions opened a new 4DX theater. It has moving chairs, weather and scent effects. This movie-going experience may leave Denver audiences holding on to their seats and digging into their wallets at nearly $24 a ticket.
Other theaters, like Esquire and Cinebarre, are investing tens of millions in our community as well, as audiences want more amenities like reclining seats, cocktails and food ordered right to your seat.
Rodriguez-McGill says what audiences really want is to disconnect.
"How many times do we have the opportunity to turn our phone off [and] not be bothered by a phone call, a text message?" he asked.