Bad films may no longer be adequate justification for staying away from the movie theater as Famous Players announces an expansion in the size and scope of its exhibit venues.

Right in step with an explosive worldwide trend in exhibitor expansion, the Toronto-based company is planning to open four new multiplex theaters in Canada by the spring of 1996, part of a 175-screen expansion taking place over the next three years.

According to Famous president Joe Peixoto, the planned theaters represent a ‘new level of movie-going experience.’ They will have more screens and improved viewing technology, and are designed as entertainment centers, to encourage people to come and hang about.

Theater lobbies will feature video arcades and party rooms for movie-themed special occasions, and concession stands will be modeled as ‘islands,’ offering a more comprehensive array of snacking options, all accessible without purchasing a ticket.

The first of the theaters, already under construction at Highways 10 and 403 in Mississauga, Ont., will feature 10 screens, 2,700 seats and will set Famous Players back roughly $7.5 million. Notable features include wall-to-wall curved screens and stadium-style seating which will facilitate clear views for big-hat wearers and diminutive patrons alike.

New theaters in Calgary, London, Ont. and an expansion of an existing complex in Quebec round out the plan. The company is holding off on outfitting the theaters with high-tech gadgetry like virtual reality and motion-based simulator rides until it is determined whether there is sufficient public demand.

On the issue of satellite delivery to theaters, Peixoto says it’s a long-term proposition, ‘because digital imaging in video does not match up to film.’

‘We won’t change to a less expensive (delivery) format because of (the savings), we’ll change only when the quality is there.’

Peixoto says attendance at Famous theaters is up about 5% in the past year, partly a result of reduced matinee prices, and an overall upgrading of theatrers.

Total theatrical box office in Canada stands at just over $400 million in 1994 for all theatrer and drive-in operators including Famous with 43% of the market Cineplex Odeon, with about 40%, and independents.

Famous is wholly owned by Paramount Communications, part of the entertainment operations of Viacom.