Aaaaand Action! Get the Inside Scoop on the Cinépolis Luxury Theater Experience
Written By: Ashlee Polarek
Photographed By: Mattia Cazzola
Expert: Daniel Atkin Cinépolis Westlake Village
Credentials: General Manager, Westlake Village Cinépolis
With roots in Mexico, Cinépolis USA offers movie goers a large array of ways to experience the moves, from full bars with seat service, to theaters equipped with jungle gyms and oversized beanbags for kids and 4DX theaters where the chairs move and fog, rain and snow effects are released along with the movie. Daniel Atkin is the General Manager at the Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Westlake Village, known for their gourmet food and seat service.
Q: What is your role at Cinépolis?
Daniel Atkin: I oversee the operations from top to bottom. There is much more involved in our scope of work than what meets the eye. From projections and food service, to housekeeping and building maintenance, we do our best to execute as efficiently as possible so our guests can enjoy a wonderful time with us.
Q: What makes Cinépolis so unique?
DA: It’s one of the front runners in creating an immersive subversive and elevated moviegoing experience. Westlake in particular has perfected gourmet food, and we have luxury reclining chairs.
Q: How does the chair service work?
DA: You can order everything directly to your seat, from concessions and all the food items to all the drinks at the bar. Each chair has a button on the armrest, when you push it it lights up blue and that sends the signal to screens in the back of the house. At that point, the servers make their way to that seat and take their order. We use tablets for the most part so they can punch in the order right there and swipe their card. It’s really very convenient. You get to skip the line waiting at concessions, and instead you get to sit back relax and enjoy the service brought to you at your seat.
Q: Is there a menu item that everyone loves?
DA: Everyone loves our Ultimate Burger. It’s one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. It has a grass-fed beef patty, American cheese, caramelized onions and smoked bacon with a spicy aioli. Another one is our Sriracha Chicken Flatbread pizza that’s made with grilled chicken, mozzarella, and house made barbeque-Sriracha sauce—it just melts in your mouth.
Q: Where do you think the best seat in a theater is?
DA: In our theater, all seats are great. When I’m seeing a movie, I prefer the front row center of the balcony seat. It gets you up so the screen is more level and straight in front of you. It’s a perfect view from there. But it comes down to personal preference all the way. I like to be submerged.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
DA: I kind of go between two and that’s Shawshank Redemption and Braveheart. I have kids now, so I love all the Pixar movies. I think the Quentin Tarantino movies, Pulp Fiction and stuff like that were good for setting a new mark in the cinema scene.
Q: How does Cinépolis work with or give to the community?
DA: One of our programs ‘Let’s All Go to the Movies,’ aims at spreading smiles by treating students from underprivileged communities to special complementary film screenings, lunch and film-themed activities.
Q: How do you take your popcorn?
DA: I’m the extra butter guy, I like it layered throughout the whole bucket. Some of our other locations have Cheetos popcorn. So, they pop the popcorn and then they put a special Cheetos mixture in it, then they mix it with actual Cheetos. It’s unbelievable.
Cinépolis Westlake Village
180 Promenade Way
Westlake Village, CA 91362
805.413.8838
Grab Some Popcorn and Catch Up With Cinépolis’ GM Daniel Atkins Cinépolis Westlake Village
Ashlee is a freelance writer with a focus on travel, lifestyle and food. After obtaining her degree in Journalism she took the world by storm teaching in South Korea and giving motivation speeches across the United States. She can often be found on road-trips, plane rides and cooking up her favorite meal from her most recent travels. The anti-homebody loves a good hike, good book and a day spent with friends.
