The iPic Premium Plus seats are probably more comfortable the chair you have at home.
BY BILL EGBERT
This trio of angus sliders is topped with something called “candied espelette bacon” — sound delicious, whatever it is.
It’s the only movie theater in New York with a sommelier.
Imagine if a movie theater had a love-child with the first-class cabin of an airliner, and raised in on a diet of fillet mignon sliders and signature cocktails — that would give you an idea of what the South Street Seaport’s new iPic Theater feels like.
The first of the chain’s high-end cinemas to open in New York City, the Seaport iPic Theater lit up its screens in the historic Fulton Building on Oct. 7, and it offers and experience beyond what you would normally expect from going to the movies.
Start with the seating, which is all by reservation. The “Premium Plus” seats are basically La-Z-Boy recliners (push-button, no noisy levers) paired on either side of a small table for your drinks and nosh. There are a few other high-end theaters in the city that offer deep-reclining seats, but they don’t include pillows and plush blankets to go with them.
Nor do those other theaters’ reclining seats have what just may be iPic’s true killer app — the service call button.
Press it to summon a “ninja waiter” — yes, a ninja waiter. Clad in black, trained in stealth, iPic’s ninja waiters slink silently through the theater and crouch by your seat, divulging their presence only with whisper of “what can I get for you?” Place your order — for pulled pork and grilled cheese sliders, maybe some truffle fries, or even a cocktail — and they’re gone, like the wind.
There are also vegetarian options — such as these crispy green beans.
Digging into a plate of lobster rolls or chocolate s’mores cake brought to you in the dark may not be in your comfort zone, but the Premium Plus pods are also equipped with a discrete LED light angled to illuminate the table when needed.
After the movie, a check is brought to your seat like at any restaurant.
Of course, this Premium Plus experience comes at a premium-plus price: $29 per seat. But to be fair, that does include unlimited free popcorn.
If you want the chance to dine on reuben croquettes or buttermilk fried chicken at the movies but still stay on a budget, iPic also has seats billed as merely “Premium” for just $14, which is comparable to other high-end cinemas such as the Regal Battery Park or AMC Loew’s Village 7. These seats don’t offer the seat-side service of Premium Plus, but you can still order the same gourmet personal pizzas and signature cocktails from the “iPic Express” counter (iPic’s take on the traditional concession stand), and carry your food to your seat table.
you can get boozy at the movie with iPic’s signature cocktails.
Also, the Premium seats closest to the screen are chaise-lounge style, so you won’t strain your neck, and you can still put your feet up like in one of those sweet Premium Plus La-Z-Boys.
Most of the dishes range between $13 and $20, and cocktails between $11 and $17, but the chocolate toffee cookie is just $5, and draft beer pints are comparable to other swank bars at $8 each. Most of the wines from the page-long wine list range from $8 to $19 a glass.
To win over skeptics of luxe moviegoing, iPic Theaters is offering locals a free gift package that includes one Premium Plus movie ticket (good through Nov. 16), plus a free year of Sapphire-level membership (normally $29) that includes one free Premium ticket on your birthday, a free dessert on your anniversary, and other member perks such as priority ticket purchases and invites to special events.
The offer is good until Oct. 12, so sign up at ipicmember.com or visit guest services at the theater.
The Seaport is also celebrating the new iPic Theater with a “Social Cinema” contest with a $60,000 prize. Post a 60-second film inspired by the Seaport to Instagram with the hashtag #seaportsocialcinema.
The iPic Theater is currently showing “Girl on a Train,” “Birth of a Nation,” “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” and “Masterminds.”
You can’t get iPic tickets through third-parties such as Fandango, so to reserve your seats you should go to www.ipic.com or use the iPic app.
The green seats — billed as merely “Premium” — don’t offer seat-side food and beverage service, but the front row is chaise-lounge style to avoid neck strain.
