Upscale movie theater opens next month
By Shane Gomez
For the first time in many years, a new movie complex is coming to the area.
Paragon Theaters will have a soft opening on June 15. The upscale theater is located 112 Founders Ave. in Falls Church.
Between June 15 and the end of the month, Paragon Theaters will run “Sneak Preview Days,” with $8 tickets for all showings, formats, and seats. The kitchen and bar will also be open. Regular pricing will start on July 1 the date of the official grand opening.
Tickets can be purchased online. Movies booked so far include “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” and “Lilo & Stitch.”
“We want to make luxury affordable to everyone,” says Jared Comess, vice president of marketing and PR at Paragon Entertainment Holdings LLC.
Located at Founders Row, a mixed-use neighborhood with restaurants, retail, and parking, Paragon Theaters has two stories and seven screens. Auditoriums range from 60 seats to 200 seats.
General seating features recliners, but each auditorium will also have a “Lux Box” section with bigger seats that can be heated and the option to order and receive food and drinks from your seat via QR code.
The largest auditorium has a 65-foot-wide Axis15 Extreme screen, Dolby Atmos surround sound, and a 4K laser projector. The screen is tilted 15 degrees towards the audience to reduce eye strain from the recliners.
This will be Florida-based Paragon Theaters’ sixth location and the first in Virginia. Paragon has four theaters in Florida and one in North Carolina. Comess says the company intends to stay inclusive, community-based, and small.
“D.C. is a big movie market, and we saw an opportunity to be a first theater in a great location which is in the crosshairs of a lot of different centers of population,” he says.
Paragon Theaters will host $5 Ticket Tuesdays, starting June 17. Kids movies for $2 will be shown every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10 a.m. with tickets only sold in-person at the theater.
There will be a sensory-friendly showing one Saturday every month, with lights on, low sound, and freedom to move around the auditorium.
Patrons of Paragon Theaters will receive four hours of complimentary parking through a code on their ticket confirmation email.
Shane Gomez is Annandale Today’s intern. A graduate of Annandale High School, Shane is a student at The New School in New York City.
