Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

By Kristin LaFratta

Kerasotes Theatres once operated nearly 1,000 screens in 95 locations across the country. Three generations have kept alive the movie theater company that was founded by Gus Kerasotes more than a century ago.

Today, that family business is known as ShowPlace ICON and it’s revolutionizing the theater-going experience. In 2010, the family sold most of its assets to cinema giant AMC Entertainment, Inc., and were left with all but three theaters. To compensate for the loss in numbers, ShowPlace turned its focus to a new kind of movie experience – one that is luxurious, upscale and anything but ordinary.

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Tony Kerasotes, CEO of ShowPlaces ICON, stands in a new, high-tech "ICON X" theater in Boston.

Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

On Thursday, the Kerasotes will formally open “ShowPlace ICON at Seaport” in Boston, the first of a nationwide string of high-tech theaters. The new 44,000 square foot complex on the third floor of One Seaport will offer a revolutionary movie-watching experience, with 4K laser projection, immersive audio sound and enormous screens.

“The number of screens and number of locations isn’t something that interests me anymore,” CEO Tony Kerasotes says. “I want to be able to offer something that they can’t get at home on their TV, and this interests me. The other stuff, we’ve done it.”

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Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

Kerasotes speaks while sitting in the complex’s “Lobby Lounge,” area, a chic setting that doubles as a casual, open-seated restaurant with a full bar and select menu of artisan dishes and cocktails. Customer service reigns king here, where wait staff help remind customers when to leave as to not miss their movie; A rule likely implemented after it was decided that anyone 10 minutes late to their movie will not be allowed in.

That kind of strictness is about preserving the movie-watching experience, says Bob Gallivan, director of real estate for Kerasotes. The venue becomes an adult-only theater with an 18+ policy for all shows after 6 p.m.

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Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

“Everybody gets VIP-treatment from moment they walk in, to the moment the leave,” Gallivan says. “We got people going back to the movies … by removing any barrier or excuse.”

Movie-goers have the opportunity to order reserved seats online or at the theater, with the help of a touch-screen or an employee. Food and drink can also be ordered ahead of time through the touch-screen, or by smartphone using a ShowPlace ICON app.

Luxury movie-watching comes with premium prices, though comparable to those of ICON’s competitors. Matinee prices ring in around $17.50, while evening ticket prices are closer to $20, with a surcharge for the ultimate movie experience in the “ICON X” auditorium.

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Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

The “X” auditorium is the top theater within the complex. It seats 131 people in front of a large-format screen with all-digital, 4K projection and a Dolkby ATMOS audio system, or the most advanced system currently allowed in standard theaters. The whole experience feels akin to IMAX, but with deeper color contrasts in the picture and a slightly more intimate vibe in the theater.

ShowPlace ICON at Seaport has 10 auditoriums total, some small and more intimate than others. All include state-of-the-art seating with recliners, seat heaters, foam cushions and tables that swivel out in front for food and drinks that customers are allowed to take to their seats. Movie enthusiasts now have a place to pair an Oscar-nominated film with a glass of wine and a “Ponzu Salmon BLT” (a dinner option from the “Lobby Lounge” menu).

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Bacon popcorn is one of many specialty snacks and artisan dishes offered by the two food and dining areas at ShowPlace ICON at Seaport.

Mike Diskin | Photo

Next to the lounge area is snack vendor “Take 2,” which sells traditional movie bites with new twists, like “Bourbon Bacon Caramel Corn,” “Bacon Popcorn,” or “Pretzel Bites n Queso.” In the mix are healthier dishes, or dessert options such as the in-house “Crème Brulee.” Like many of its restaurant neighbors, the theater has formed local partnerships with brewers and food-producers in the area.

The theater’s location overlooking Courthouse Square and the cityscape beyond is another impressive addition to One Seaport, the largest mixed-use project in Boston in over 30 years. Since builders broke ground in 2014, the $600 million One Seaport has grown into an upscale blend of retail and restaurant positioned below luxury apartment buildings “The Benjamin & VIA.”

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Bob Gallivan, director of real estate for Kerasotes, stands in one of 10 new auditoriums at the new ShowPlace ICON at Seaport.

Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

It took nearly 10 years of planning and building before ShowPlace ICON came to life. Like many around him, Kerasotes Real Estate Director Bob Gallivan says he saw potential in the wasteland that once was South Boston.

“All of this was really parking lots… For years you knew you had a sleeping giant,” Gallivin says Wednesday, just one day before the formal opening of the theater.

“Boston for years was in need for something new. It was an old city, old traffic patterns, old roads. But this here really opened it up, took advantage of this amazing natural resource at the harbor.”

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Youth working with non-profit group Artists for Humanity captured black-and-white photographs that symbolize popular Boston films.

Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

In its new home, the movie venue dug into its roots. In the hallway between dining areas and theater entrances, black-and-white photographs line the wall. ShowPlace formed a partnership with non-profit Artists for Humanity, which collaborated with youth to capture images that symbolize many successful Boston films, including “Good Will Hunting,” “Spotlight,” and “Fever Pitch.”

When Tony Kerasotes opened up the first luxury theater in Chicago, the company’s base city, in 1999, the complex soon became the standard for high-end movie watching.

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Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

“There was very little of the VIP-kind of treatment with the upscale bar lounge and adult-orientation … We became a model for some of those,” Kerasotes says.

Two decades later the trend has caught on. Boston, he adds, is the perfect place for an upscale movie operation.

“It has highly educated clientele, which expects more in terms of the experience and service,” Kerasotes says. “Given all the new technology that we’ve incorporated … People here appreciate that. They’re not afraid of it, they like to use it.”

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Kristin LaFratta | kristin.lafratta@masslive.com

When asked about expansion, Tony Kerasotes says his company is currently not looking for any more projects. He adds he could potentially rethink the future after opening and observing the company’s other five upscale theaters, which are not-so-coincidentally located in affluent areas like D.C., Tysons, Virginia, Orange County, California and the Bay Area.

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