SLFS’s Big Upgrade Comes Just in Time for Summer

After years in the making, the Salt Lake Film Society (SLFS) has completed a major renovation to the Broadway Center Cinemas that they hope will greatly improve the viewer experience.

In an effort to prioritize comfort for its patrons, and after a calculated and prolonged process, SLFS installed new seats for the first time since 2011. The SLFS has always tried to stay ahead on upgrades, and after reopening in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic, enhancing the seating in the theater became its next mission. SLFS President and CEO, Tori Baker, spoke on the process behind the renovation. “Experience is our highest priority,” Baker says. “We knew this was the first big improvement we wanted to make.”

Baker and her team didn’t cut any corners when deciding on what kinds of chairs to use and how they would fit into the theater rooms, allowing all moviegoers to be able to experience the upgrade. “We started with architects first. They go through the proper sightline in our theaters and find what works for us,” she says. “Before, the seats were donated from Thanksgiving Point, and realistically, they weren’t manufactured for our theater.” 

While other theaters spring toward the newest recliners or luxury seats, SLFS approached the revamp with their own vision of inclusion and togetherness in front of the big screen. In a press release, the company announced how its seat selections differ from typical theater chairs:

“The new seats are wide-base gliding chairs, specifically the Rex Glider model. Unlike luxury recliners with mechanical footrests, these seats do not fully recline. Instead, the back of the seat gently glides and adjusts to the viewer’s natural posture, allowing for comfort while maintaining an upright, engaged viewing position. They are designed to enhance comfort without isolating viewers from one another. The absence of footrests helps preserve sight lines and the shared experience of watching a film together in a communal space.”

In addition to seeing Blade Runner 2049 in full force, you can do it from seats that are environmentally friendly. Newer mechanical recliners often break down, and the replacement rate is much higher than the gliding chairs SLFS selected. The new seats are also 100% natural and part of a bigger mission than just comfort. SLFS believes that other theater layouts create isolation and physical separation from other patrons, but at the Broadway Center Cinemas, you can experience a communal feeling in a shared space. “In a world where technology increasingly isolates us, cinema remains one of the few places where people gather for a shared emotional journey. Our auditorium design reflects that belief. Comfort matters — but connection matters more.”

SLFS has big things coming this year in the wake of the upgrade and wants to get butts in seats for this year’s Summer Showdown. Until September, you can find yourself watching cult classics like Velvet Goldmine or Tank Girl, or if you missed Oscar winners like The Mask or The Shape of Water, Salt Lake Film Society’s Summer Showdown has you covered. 

Baker also sees the seat upgrade as a way to set SLFS apart from other experiences and strives to keep the local theater on the vanguard of new ideas and innovations. “Art houses are always at the forefront, and our mission is to ensure we are honed in on the art form,” she says. A big task like this is a process, and through both SLFS’s relentless adaptation and a loyal community and contributors, the project is finally completed. “Three screens were down for five months, and that’s where the donors come in,” Baker says. “Art needs participation. It’s a part of the model we are allowing to be shown in our community that reflects back to the community.”

Read more about what’s going on at the Broadway Center Cinemas:
Salt Lake Film Society Summer Showdown: The Handmaiden vs Gone Girl
FilMéxico: A Cinematic Love Letter to La Patria

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