Cinema at Camp Landing opens new VIP auditorium

Dillow says the Cinema at Camp Landing is the first theater in the Tri-State to offer luxury recliners, expanded concessions and a bar area that includes beer, wine and several adult drink selections.

“We have specialty drinks, so we will have some Avatar drinks for this movie and we have all the traditional concession items as well,” Dillow said. “The response has been very good.”

Dylan Vitiello, 19, of Ashland, said the VIP auditorium has changed the way he thinks about going to a movie.

“I go to the movies once or twice a week, but I had to check out this VIP area and see what it was all about,” he said. “I am blown away. I love the luxury recliners. I have a bad back and its hard to sit through a long movie with traditional seating. This is so much more comfortable, and feeling like a VIP is so Hollywood. Honestly, I will be coming here as long as they show continue to show all the new releases.”

Roger Paynter, of Ashland, came with his two daughters, Makartney and Neveah, and his father-in-law Keith.

“The girls wanted to come see this movie and we thought we would see it in style at the VIP auditorium,” Paynter said. “It’s something new, and we really like it. This is the comfort we are looking for when it comes to watching a movie at a theater.”

The cinema opened in August and has been continuously updated.

George Bagnoli, the cinema’s general manager, said offering a luxury moviegoing experience is the trend of the future for theaters.

“This will break the norms of how people are currently watching movies,” he said.

Jason Camp, the owner of Camp Landing and the Cinema at Camp Landing, said he wanted to bring what he saw in other areas to the Tri-State.

“Part of what Camp Landing is trying to do is to bring some of the quality entertainment options to eastern Kentucky and the entire Tri-State area,” he said. “Being able to have the most comfortable seating in a great atmosphere is the type of experience we want to offer.”

Camp said after 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, the theater will have showings for those 18 and older.

“We wanted to start with this first theater, because there isn’t another one like it within 100 miles,” he said. “There is no reason people in this area should have to travel that far to get this type of experience.”

Camp said this is the one of the many new things coming to Camp Landing.

“Last Saturday we had four new businesses open, so we have 14 businesses here at Camp Landing now,” he said. “Revolutionary Racing is coming with their horse track and gaming facility in the next year, and I was just on a call finalizing plans for the sports complex, convention center and a 300-plus room hotel here. We are also planning on our second VIP theater here as well. We want to continue to build on what we have here.”

The new VIP auditorium has 60 seats, so making reservations online at cinemacamplanding.com is recommended.