Photos by jim miller/viewTop, the stadium seating at the new Rave theater located in Town Square has 18 screens and stadium seating in all theaters. Below, Shawn Rogers, a projectionist at the theater, operates the digital controller for the digital projectors.
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Sometimes when a venture brags on its state-of-the-art facilities, it can amount to advertising puffery. But in the case of the Rave Motion Picture Theaters in the new Town Square Las Vegas complex, it seems to be a statement of fact.
All 18 screens at Rave feature digital projection and sound on huge, wall-to-wall screens, some as large as 60 feet. In fact, there isn't a traditional film projector in the house. Instead of a pair of 50-pound reels, the film comes on a portable hard drive roughly the size of a video tape.
Of course, the size of the delivery unit won't matter to the viewer, but because the films will be digital, the images will be crisp and the colors true. Gone will be the days of scratched films, broken reels and muffled audio.
As delightful as that may be, the most important innovation to the average theatergoer will be the seating. All of the theaters are stadium seating, with 18-inch risers so you'll never again have to view a movie from past your forward neighbor's ear. The seats are the standard quality most people have come to expect in the valley, with fold-down armrests with cup holders. Perhaps most importantly, they're spaced unusually far apart, with four feet between rows so that theatergoers in the center of an aisle can simply walk out to grab a snack or use the restroom, without requiring everyone to stand up to let them out.
In addition, there is wheelchair seating at prime locations in the theaters. More than half the theaters have easily accessible elevators allowing access to a second, higher wheelchair section.
Seven of the screens will be capable of showing 3-dimensional movies, in preparation for an expected wave of new films in that format. It is much simpler to convert computer animation to 3-D animation than traditional cell-drawn animation or live-action films. Dreamworks Animation announced this spring that all of its new films will be available in 3-D format starting in 2009.
In fact, Rave opened the theaters at Town Square Las Vegas with a preview showing of the 3-D version of "Beowulf," the new film directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Town Square Las Vegas is the 28th venue for the 7-year-old, Dallas-based company. It created its relatively small but growing movie theater empire by creating high-end venues at competitive prices. The most expensive standard tickets are $10 on Friday and Saturday nights for adults, with lower prices for weeknights and matinees, as well as discounted tickets for children, seniors, military personnel and students. Presentations in 3-D generally cost fewer than $3 more than traditional films.
Rave intends to expand to concert films and other alternative content. The opera "Aida," which was filmed at the famed La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy, will be showing at Rave on Wednesday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. This will be the start of a series of operas to be shown at Rave.
Many of its venues, including the Las Vegas location, feature party rooms available to rent for birthdays, special events or corporate get-togethers. Some of Rave's smaller screens compensate by having even lusher seating with wide, richly padded armrests. Theaters can be rented for special events or field trips. The opulent lobby includes a light show on the ceiling and a comfortable lounge.
Another unusual feature is the signage inside Rave. Outside the individual theaters, instead of traditional signs or LED displays of the movie title, there are flat-screen TVs playing the film's trailer. Even the posters for coming attractions lining the hall are digital, featuring not only the movie poster image, but also assorted moving elements. Rather than being forced to display the same static image, the coming attractions "posters" rotate every 15 seconds.
In addition to regular ticket booths, there are automatic kiosks in front of the theater, which allows the theatergoer to purchase a ticket with a credit card.
Rave anchors the west end of the open-air shopping, dining, entertainment and office complex, which opened on Nov. 14 at 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. South near the Las Vegas Beltway and Interstate 15. There is a dedicated flyover exit from Las Vegas Boulevard North directly into Town Square.
"I think the fact we aren't located in a casino will be attractive to local families," Rave spokesman Jeremy Devine said. "There are two parking garages, and a really great play area for kids in Town Square."
For movie times, call 362-7283. Group or corporate events can be arranged by calling (866) 878-7068.
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