The trend is impossible to ignore. Nearly every investor presentation from North America’s biggest exhibition chains highlights enhanced seating options as the best way to maintain a competitive edge in the market. Seating upgrades are quickly becoming a staple of today’s exhibition world as both large circuits and local players alike compete in an arms race to enhance customer comfort. Luxury seating formed part of Marcus Theatres’s $50 million investment in premium features across its circuit, a push that also included large-format screens and expanded food and beverage concepts. The company plans to continue expanding its seating options in 2015 after installing its DreamLounger premium recliners at eight of its theaters across six states this year. AMC is crediting recliner seats as a catalyst for enhancing the productivity of existing assets after average attendance in theaters with premium seating options went up by 76 percent despite a seat loss of 62 percent. The company has deployed recliner seats across 505 screens in 44 locations. Regal, the largest exhibitor in the United States, plans to have recliner seats at approximately 25 sites by the end of year.

　　這個趨勢已經不能熟視無睹了。幾乎來自北美最大院線的每位投資者的陳述都強調，增強座椅選擇是在市場上保持競爭優勢的最佳方式。座椅升級迅速成為如今影院界主流，大院線和本地影院都同樣參與這場裝備競賽，提升客戶的舒適度。在Marcus影院5000萬美元投資款中，豪華座椅是其院線優質功能的組成部分，提升內容還包括大尺寸銀幕、添加食物與飲品概念。該公司在旗下跨6個州的8家影院內安裝高端Dreamlounger可調式座椅后，今年計劃繼續擴大其座椅選擇。AMC擁有高級座椅選擇的影院的平均上座率上漲了76% ，盡管座位減少62%，因此它將可調式座椅當作提升現有資產生產率的催化劑, 。該公司已在44個地點的505張銀幕安置了可調式座椅。美國最大的院線Regal計劃年底在大約25個站點安裝可調式座椅。

　　Seating manufacturers who contributed to this story all noticed an uptick in interest toward luxury seating around the turn of the current decade. Seating Concepts is a fifteen-year veteran in luxury-seat manufacturing but only began to see more of an emphasis in this type of offering over the past three years. “The concept was popular among exhibitors already active in premium offerings, like Cinepolis and iPic, but I started noticing a more widespread appeal after AMC installed luxury seating and other players saw their success,” admits Marixa Flores, cinema sales manager for Seating Concepts. Dolphin Seating had a similar experience with its premium offerings. “Our factory has been making luxury seating for the European market for many years,” explains Dolphin Seating’s Sam Snell. “Now that the U.S. market has become interested in luxury cinema seating over the last few years, we started focusing on the requirements of luxury seating and recliners in the U.S.”

　　造就這個故事的座椅廠商都注意到，對豪華座椅興趣的攀升是在當前十年之交。座椅概念是經營豪華座椅長達15年的老字號，但只在過去三年里才看到更多對這類服務的偏重。“這種概念在活躍于高端市場的影院里已經流行，如Cinepolis與iPic，我開始注意到AMC安裝豪華座椅后獲得更廣泛的吸引力，且其他商家看到了他們的成功，”座椅概念影院銷售經理瑪利亞·弗洛雷斯承認。Dolphin座椅的增值服務有相似的經驗。“我們工廠為歐洲市場制造豪華座椅多年，”Dolphin座椅的薩姆·斯內爾解釋道。“過去幾年里，美國市場已經開始對豪華影院座椅產生興趣，在美國我們開始專注于豪華座椅與可調式座椅的需求。”

　　Krian Cinema is a relative newcomer to the luxury-seating scene. The company began developing seating this year after noticing that premium offerings were more than simply the latest fad. Rob Poindexter, international sales manager for Krian, points to the central role that luxury seating has taken in the exhibition world. “The reality for most theaters in the current marketplace is either do it now and keep the market share you have or let your competitor do it first and lose some of your market share to them,” he says. The stress of keeping up with the competition has especially affected smaller exhibitors still recovering from the costs associated with the digital conversion. After devoting a large investment to keeping up with larger players at the projection booth, local exhibitors are now facing the challenge to upgrade their seating in order to maintain a competitive edge. Krian is marketing itself to these exhibitors with a low down payment with a per-admission-ticket revenue-share program, offering financing as low as $99 down with 50 cents per ticket sold. “Pretty soon, most theaters will be faced with a choice,” continues Poindexter. “Either make these seating upgrades or be relegated to a discount-theater status.”

　　Krian影院是新近加入的豪華座椅場所。該公司注意到增值服務不僅僅是簡單的最新時尚以后，今年開始發展座椅。Krian國際銷售經理羅布·波因德克斯特直指豪華座椅在影院界處于核心地位。“事實上目前市場上大多數影院的現實是，要么立刻去做，保持你的市場份額，要么讓你的競爭對手先做，搶走你的市場份額，”他說。緊跟競爭的壓力尤其影響較小的影院商，他們仍在回收與數字轉換相關的開銷。本地影院商剛做了大筆投資以便在放映室跟上大型商家，為了保持競爭優勢現在又面臨升級座椅的挑戰。Krian對這些影院以低首付加門票收入分成方案推廣自身，提供融資低至首付99美元，每張票售分成50美分。“用不了多久，大部分影院將面臨選擇，”波因德克斯特繼續道。“要么讓這些座椅升級，或者降級到打折影院的狀態。”

　　Implementing luxury seating comes with its share of challenges for exhibitors. Marixa Flores from Seating Concepts approximates that about 60 percent of a typical auditorium space is reduced with the installation of full recliners. Richard Murphy, president of Stadium Savers, has ample experience dealing with both new constructions and retrofits for exhibitors who want to install enhanced seating alternatives. Murphy gets to the point when advising exhibitors on their options. “Luxury recliners require more horizontal space than the current ‘standard’ recliners,” he says. “This added space requirement will widen the established floor/platform dimension. As a result, the concrete floor/platform will need to be adjusted with additional concrete. Two important issue come to light: First, will the existing structure allow the introduction of the additional weight? And two, the widening floor/platform will be expanded, preferably with lighter-weight material. Lightweight foam is a good material for establishing the floor/platform configuration with less use of heavy concrete.”

　　實施豪華座椅也會給影院商帶來挑戰。座椅概念的瑪利亞·弗洛雷斯估算，典型影廳空間裝滿可調式座椅大約會減少60%。Stadium Savers總裁理查德·墨菲跟要安裝增強型座椅替代品的影院（無論是新建還是改造）打交道有豐富經驗。當建議影院商的選擇時，墨菲直入主題。“豪華可調式座椅比現今‘標準’可調式座椅要求更多橫向空間，”他說。這些增加的空間要求將擴大已建成的地面/平臺尺寸。其結果是，混凝土地面/平臺需要用額外的混凝土做調整。兩個重要問題暴露出來：首先，現有的構造允許增加額外重量嗎？第二，加寬的地面/平臺將最好采用重量更輕的材料。輕質泡沫是建筑地面/平臺的好材料，可減少厚重的混凝土。

　　Murphy says he believes that middle-sized theaters work best in incorporating recliners, while clarifying that any size auditorium can be converted to incorporate enhanced seating. “Large theaters would be somewhat less desirable to widen because of the greater loss of seats. The mid-size theaters are the most desirable because of less total seat loss with a more intimate environment. The small theaters would be the least desirable, but can potentially be marketed as specialty screens.”

　　墨菲說他相信中等規模影院最適宜納入可調式座椅，同時也說明任何規模的影廳均可改造納入增強型座椅。“大型影院加寬座位有點不太理想，因為這將損失更多的坐席。中規模影院最可取，由于座位總數損失較小，環境更私人化。小型影院是最不理想的，但可能會被推銷為特種銀幕體驗。”

　　Gaylord Stanton, VP of sales at First Class Seating and a proponent of the concept, cites costs, occupancy rates, and competition as prime factors to consider before making a decision. “Only upgrade to luxury seating if you are in a competitive market,” advises Stanton. “The loss of seats could have a negative effect, and the investment may be very difficult on an ROI basis.”

　　頭等艙座位銷售副總裁與概念倡導者蓋洛德·斯坦頓引入成本、上座率與競爭力作為決策前考量的主要因素。“如果你在一個競爭激烈的市場里，只有升級為豪華座椅，”斯坦頓建議。“座位減少可能帶來負面影響，以投資回報率為基礎投資可能會非常困難。”

　　For Stanton, luxury seating has gained popularity in U.S. auditoriums because of an ironic cyclical dynamic between the home media and theatrical markets. “For years now the home-theater market has been trying to bring the movie theater experience into the home,” he says. “Now, exhibitors are bringing the comfort of home to the theaters.” But the seating conversation doesn’t end with rocker backs and recliners, however, as immersive and interactive seating continues expanding its presence in the United States. These options look to bring an entirely different dimension to the theatrical experience.

　　對于斯坦頓而言，豪華座椅在美國影院得以普及，原因在于家庭媒體與影院市場間令人啼笑皆非的周期性變化。“多年來家庭影院市場一直試圖把電影院體驗帶入家庭，”他說。“如今，影院商正將家庭舒適感帶入影院。” 然而，伴隨沉浸式與互動式座椅在美國持續擴展其存在感,座椅的談論不會止于搖椅靠背和可調式座椅，。這些選擇看上去會帶來一維完全不同層面的影院體驗。