The Grand Luxury Cinema — Local services in Venice

Ok so we've been a property owner in Venice for years and now living in Venice full time. I'm a little embarrassed to admit tonight was the first time we've been to Spotlight theatre (previously B&B).

I will admit we didn't know what to expect but assumed it would be tiny non significant little pretend movie theatre...well, we were absolutely WRONG! The lobby area was quite nice and updated with a nice concession area as well as a full service bar. We were impressed!!

Here is the loss of 1/2 star...

We spent $28 dollars for popcorn, two soda's, a water and candy. The price was pretty consistent with what you pay at any theatre however both "self service" soda machines were out of pretty much everything soda's. BUT, the gentleman in the area and assumed to be a manager was very eager to provide soda from the fountain machine behind the bar.

Here is the loss of another 1/2 star...

We went to our seats (we reserved online which was incredible), it was easy to find our row with the letter largely printed in the stair step. The seat number was a little trickery but we finally realized the seat number was actually on the swing out table on each seat...very cool. The seats were luxurious leather (or pleather...didn't matter because they were very comfortable). They were electric reclining with small attached table on each seat and a Heat button which we didn't realize was there until I accidentally pushed it while lowering my leg rest...who knew, incredible!! The three of us were very eager to dive into our popcorn which was burnt tasting and no one likes burnt popcorn.

Not worth a star deduction but I found an empty...well not totally empty so lets just call it "backwash" beer glass in the cup holder of my recliner. Not the end of the world but nobody wants to touch someones glass they've been slobbering on for whatever period of time.

The next loss of a full star...

The bathrooms were a mess according my wife and daughter. They described the trash can as. being 5 feet high and running over with trash. My wife comments she saw a ticket stub with the prior date stamped on it which would indicate the bathroom had not. been cleaned in a couple of days...or maybe just the garbage had not been emptied in two days, we weren't sure.

Overall our experience was positive and we will definitely go. back because this theatre has Sooooo much to offer.

I'm hoping the owner or manager of this theatre reads this because with just a little bit of managerial oversight will easily raise our experience to a...

I swear if it weren't for "Tight-wad Tuesdays" this place would be out of business. What a dump! In any given theater you will have a bunch of broken seats that are in a permanent "reclining" position - if one of those is in front of you, then the person is basically in your lap. The aisles are so close together you are crammed in like sardines. And for some inexplicable reason, in a town that is predominantly retirees and seniors, they keep the volume stupidly low. I am not a senior and I have near perfect hearing, and in every film I have seen at this dump it has been hard to hear much of the dialogue. One member of our family wears two hearing aids and I can't imagine that he can hear anything at all. The HVAC system was loader than the audio in a James Bond film, which is obviously not right. So it isn't just an issue with volume, it is also poor or non-existent acoustic design: in a theater that knows what they are doing and pays for professional installations, you shouldn't even be able to hear the A/C at all. Once, they didn't turn all the lights off when the film started and I had a big bright overhead light right over my seat. I asked staff to please dim the lights and they didn't do anything. The room only had a few other people so I switched to a different aisle. Still, the impression you get is that the staff couldn't care less at this place, which probably means the management are jerks. Oh and icing on the cake, the bathrooms are usually filthy. I would rather drive a few extra miles and see a film at a real theater, it's not worth saving a few bucks for this...

Waste of money. Their biggest claim to fame is the reclining seats and the geriatric audience they cater to. I’ve seen multiple movies in multiple different theaters and the sound quality is horrible and inconsistent, the view isn’t even in full screen. They run through staff like diarrhea. To be honest it seems like the place must be mismanaged. I am a Venice born and raised native and there have been at least 3 different companies that come and go… which to me appears to be a problem with upper management, and I can see why. Everytime I walk in there I see a new group of un-motivated teens on their phones or condescending managers with fake smiles. I can imagine they must be cutting costs at all angles because I have been at the theater during two separate incidents where the movie cut out or the power cut out due to the projector. Incidents where the movie skipped or started over. There have been times where it seemed like the heat was on or possible the air conditioning was broken. I have given this theater many many chances as Frank’s Galleria 12 was a staple to the town a long time ago… but I will not be back to waste more money on a low budget theater with inflated concession costs- with nothing to back the “luxury” prices they try to manipulate to us is worth it. I am positive another company will be mismanaged into the ground like always and a new company will take over probably within a year. As long as the man named Robert is running the place into the ground I will always make sure to NOT recommend...