Emagine Palladium to Offer 'Seat Licenses' to Preferred Customers

When the Emagine Palladium Theatre opens later this year in downtown Birmingham, moviegoers willing to pay for preferential treatment with a “seat license” will be guaranteed a spot in the renovated theater that will have fewer screens and seats.

Emagine Entertainment CEO Paul Glantz said the seat license concept was adopted in place of a membership-only concept that city officials said would have been essentially the same as a private club that served alcohol.

The theater is partnering with the Ironwood Grill, which also will be opening in the Palladium building, 202 N. Old Woodward, the Observer & Eccentric reports.

Under the seat-license concept, license holders would get preferential booking rights on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and certain holidays, but general admission policies would prevail on other days.

The five theaters will have a total of 590 seats, compared with 2,200 seats in the old 12-screen theater.

Birmingham planning board member Bryan Williams said exclusivity could address some of the problems that have occurred in the area where the Palladium is located. During its 12-screen theater days, the Palladium building was a popular gathering spot for groups of teens whose presence sometimes deterred others from going downtown.

“I think this location has historically been a problem for Birmingham – a huge problem,” said Williams. “I think, frankly, a little elitism – if we get that – will help with the traffic flow in the neighborhood. I’m in favor of the project.”

In cooperation with the restaurant, servers will take food and drink orders before movies begin. The Ironwood, a casual restaurant based in Plymouth, also works in conjunction with Emagine theaters in Royal Oak and Macomb Township.

The new theaters will offer luxury seating, including rockers and recliners. Glantz said he wants the Birmingham Emagine theater to “crown jewel” of his properties.

Other plans for the building, which was acquired by A.F. Jonna Development in 2014, include rooftop townhouses, two floors of office space and an underground parking garage.

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