A few weeks ago this Icon Theater opened up close to my hometown. Naturally, out of curiosity, I decided to go see a movie there and get a sense of what this brand new theater was like. I wasn't sure what to expect as I have grown accustomed to my regular theater (Cinemark at Shoreline) and was kind of looking forward to seeing what advancements this theater offered that could make it a potential competition. To my utmost dismay, and grave disappointment, this theater, as it turns out, is entirely awful! Even with its technological advancements and sleek modern design, it is not enough to hide the most amount of mass misdirection, poor organization, and unwelcoming atmosphere I have ever encountered in a public space, let along a movie theater. I know that the location itself doesn't really matter so long as the movies are good, but I cannot in good conscience let anyone I care about share my horrible experience in this horrid place. And if you have a moment, I will gladly explain why.
To best describe the experience, allow me to take you on a sort of guided tour of the theater. As you enter the front door, you make your way up two sets of escalators leading to a large open room. Down the other end is where you may purchase tickets and concessions. The entire system is automated, but there are some people there to help you through the process if need be. You are able to select your movie tickets and your concessions at the same kiosk. Once you have purchased your tickets and selected your snacks, you then proceed to the actual snack stand to pick up your food and drink. Once you're finished there, you may then continue to the theater itself where you get to enjoy heated reclining seats for your comfort. Then, the movie theater experience can begin.
The ticket kiosks are to the left, and the snack bar is to the right.
Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, here's how they managed to mess it all up.
First of all, as I said, the ticket kiosks are fully automated and require you to either manually punch in the movie you want to see or, provided you purchased your tickets online already, scan a provided barcode into the machine. However, when you arrive at the device, there can be anywhere from four to eight employees crowded around them telling you how to use the system. When I said that I had purchased my ticket online an had the barcode in my email (which had not been made clear to me upon my initial purchase at home) I was told by one person to find said barcode and scan it. Then, just a few seconds later, another employee looked at my phone which had the ticket information and said that I actually didn't need to scan anything and could go straight to the snack bar if I wanted. Upon doing so, I was then told by another employee behind the counter that they could not actually perform any transactions for snacks and instructed me to return to the ticket machine to select my items. So I did, then I went back to the snack bar again, and they presented me with the popcorn I had purchased but were puzzled when I politely asked where my drink was as well. It wasn't until they looked at my receipt that they realized I had indeed purchased drinks. Once I finally got my cup, I went to the soda machine they have and, much to my horror, it was one of those touchscreen multi-choice soda machines that never works. The drinks always come out too flat, they never taste well, and they never have even the most basic selection available.
Already these issues raise some important and relevant questions. First, if their goal was to remove the need for a ticket teller and have it all fully automated, then why do they have eight people walking around the large hall hovering over the customers as they try to work the machines? I mean, I would understand if they had two or three if one of the devices breaks down or a customer has a question, but if you already have as many people as you have machines, what's the point of a fully automated system in the first place? Second, why do you have people at the concessions stand if they can't actually take customers orders? This would be like taking a table at a restaurant waiting for the menu only to be told that we have to place our order on a tablet outside the front door. Third, these multi-choice soda machines just do not work and are overbearing. I understand the idea is to have as many options as possible, but again, these machines just don't work. Purely because they never produce anything even remotely tasty. Which I realize is a first-world problem, but the point still stands.
I know that all of these complaints sound like the ramblings of a bitter old man who can't stand the modern technological age, but I want to assure you that is not the case at all. I happen to enjoy much of the advancements made in this generation and will likely continue to do so for a long time. I am also aware that many of the people working at this theater are just there for a decent day job and are likely struggling to make ends meet and are very probably not getting paid very well, thus are not entirely happy to be working there, which I totally understand and relate to. These issues and more are, in actuality, symptoms of an even bigger problem which is starting to take hold of just about every aspect of society: automation.
We are progressing to the point that businesses are trying to save more money by adopting a sort of "humans need not apply" approach. Where machines and algorithms take over customer service as much as possible. This in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but the way society is trying to adapt it is, at least in my opinion. Rather than trying to work out a way in which technology and manpower can coexist, companies are just throwing the technology out there expecting everyone to just go with the flow and consequences be damned. Except there's one small problem with this approach: Humans will always be required.
No matter how far technology advances, or how socially inept more people become, or how much money is saved in the long run, the plain fact is that human beings are, by nature, social animals. We require regular human contact to remain mentally and emotionally healthy. This is one of the reasons people go to the movies: to have some kind of interaction with other people. Be it with friends and family or total strangers.
Making things more convenient with automation is not a bad idea. So long as it does not come at the cost of human interaction. This theater tries to be more convenient, but in doing so, it forgot that movie theaters are a communal space, and as such requires opportunities for human interaction. Because even in the age of mobile phones, social media, and video games, we will always need external stimuli from other people in one form or another.
Please do yourself a favor and don't bother with this theater.
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