Reclining chairs are coming to five auditoriums at the theater this year 

ATASCADERO — Atascadero’s beloved movie theater, Colony Cinemas, will not be going anywhere soon, as the owners just signed a seven-year lease at the end of December 2024. The lease also comes with an option to extend to 20 years. Along with the good news that residents from North County and beyond will be able to continue enjoying films on the theater’s 10 screens, upgrades to their current facilities are coming soon.

“We’re definitely going to be installing recliner seats in five auditoriums by October [2025],” said Colony Cinema’s General Manager Luke Phillips. “That is just in five auditoriums. We’re hoping that the other five will be shortly after that.”

The theater is also implementing a new training program for employees to enhance the patron’s experience from the moment they walk through the front doors, purchase their snacks, and sit down to enjoy their film of choice.

“Luke [Phillips] and I view this next year, one because of the lease that we obtained and two because of the upgrades that Luke was mentioning, as a pivotal year for us,” said Assistant General Manager Dylan Perneel. “We know that a lot of people are going to come back out of curiosity, and we want their first impression of who we are now to be as positive as possible.”

Pernell went on to say that the new program will teach theater staff innovative techniques to improve the experience of going to the movies for guests. He added that Colony Cinemas wants their guests to have authentic and sincere connections with staff and enjoy a clean, friendly, and welcoming time at the movies.

“We have so many regulars, and it’s because of them that we’re still here. We want to make sure that we have personal connections with every single one of them,” added Pernell.

Locally owned Sanborn Theatres took over as operator of the theater’s facility in the summer of 2022, renaming it Colony Cinemas. Prior to that, the theater was operated by Galaxy Theatres. The forthcoming upgrades to the facilities will start to bridge the gap between them and other local theaters when it comes to amenities. 

“It’s really just about catching back up to the other theaters in the area as far as amenities and that kind of thing go,” added Phillips. “Even these past couple of years since we’ve been Colony, our focus has always been on fantastic customer service. I think that’s what’s kept us going these past couple of years, honestly. We don’t have the recliner seats, we don’t have all of those fancy amenities, but people come here to see the people who work here. See their friends.”

On top of the upcoming reclining seats and excellent customer service, Colony Cinemas also provides unique movie-viewing experiences for the community with its Monday Night Movie Club (MNMC), which takes place every other Monday during the month for just $8. 

“It’s something that the other theaters don’t have,” said MNMC Co-Host Danny Foster. “As of yet, they don’t offer that. It’s something that maybe Luke had picked up the idea, maybe from screenings that had happened in the past or down in LA. They are really spoiled, and we want to bring that experience to the Central Coast. Just because we’re a town of, you know, 24,000 doesn’t mean we can’t entertain like we’re a town of 3 million.” 

MNMC will be a year old in May of this year and features a group of movie enthusiasts sharing about an hour’s worth of content, including interviews, stories, cosplay contests, and trivia, before showing the movie of the night.

“We have grown a community around the [Monday Night] Movie Club. Danny has been integral in making that happen. It’s happened because of him. He was the first one, and he brought everybody else in, and it’s been a pretty big party since then,” added Phillips.

Colony Cinemas is hoping to be able to add more weekly nights, similar to but different from MNMC, as an added bonus for their guests.

“We’re really all about forming a community around the theater. That’s a big part of why we started the [Monday Night] Movie Club. We want people to feel like this is their theater and they have a stake in it,” Phillips stated.

To find out more about Colony Cinemas, go to: atascadero.themovieexperience.com

To keep up to date on MNMC showings, go to: facebook.com/groups/1953067815137184

Featured Image: Colony Cinemas off El Camino Real signed a seven-year lease in December 2024. Photo courtesy of Colony Cinemas