At last, Greenhills Theater gets a face-lift

WHO would have thought that the old Greenhills Theater would get a face-lift?

For months, there were rumors that the major players in the mall industry wanted to buy it from the Ortigas owners, each one planning to relaunch it as still another melting pot of movies, fast foods, restos and shopping stalls for avid mall rats. But the rumors remained rumors.

The former movie house beside the Music Museum would only occasionally open its dull-gray, aging doors to a special event of a corporation or a Christian fellowship.

Since last month, though, the old-timer has reopened and positioned itself as the new kid in town. The Greenhills Theater Mall blazes its titles out in front, the colors and flashing lights easily catching the eye of the passersby. Unlike most movie houses situated in malls, the doors immediately open to the theater area.

The entire building has actually gotten a new coat of paint, which has brightened and revitalized it. Favorite names in the resto industry have already been drawing loyal customers. Hungry yuppies or ladies taking time out from their shopping can take their pick of Delifrance or Starbucks Coffee on the left side of the theater at the first floor. Those inclined toward fine dining can go up the second floor to either Pasto or Dulcinea. On the right side is the game arcade Timezone, where kids race cars, shoot down zombies, and hunt for rampaging dinosaurs. All done virtually and amid very loud noise, of course.

Blast from the past

The centerpiece of the place obviously is the twin theaters. The spacious, glitzy lobby was designed as a reminder of a past era when moviegoing was still considered a class act. The high ceiling and extensive floor area, surrounded by walls that seem to be lined with svelte material, seem to invite entire families to come inside, removing that sense of crowded-ness of a jammed movieplex.

One part of the wall is plastered with posters of movies currently showing and future attractions, their glass cases brightened by surrounding mini bulbs. The main wall, though, which immediately greets the ticket-buyer, is one huge collage of artwork, the cartoonish faces saying that movie-watching is intended to be fun.

The theaters themselves are made to look cozy and comfortable. Like most state-of-the-art theaters in Manila, the chairs are ergonomically designed for comfort and have armchairs with containers for the habitual soft drink. But unlike other movie houses, the Greenhills Theater Mall twins are not cramped. The floor design facilitates easy walking and cleverly separates the orchestra and lobby. Going from one to the other is manageable; no extra stairs or unnecessary wall trips you up. More importantly, the entire floor is brightened a little by strategically placed filtered lighting. Mini strips of orange rays peer out from the carpets. The effect is unobtrusive, but helpful. People coming in when the lights are out, or during the darkest parts of a movie, can still find their way to the seats.

Both theaters can accommodate 255 people each and have Dolby Digital and THX-approved sound capabilities.

The real treat, though, for this theater complex is the mall. An exit near the sandwich stand outside the lobby leads to intertwining corridors that make up the shopping area. In that unique style associated with the Greenhills sense of economy, the strips are narrow and fluid, surrounded on both sides by open, wall-less stalls of goods. But unlike its counterparts in neighboring Virra Mall or Shoppesville, the corridors and small shops are well-lighted and well-ventilated. About 10-15 of these small stores lineup each strip on each side, presenting an array of bags, shirts, pants, summer dresses, fashion items, telecom products and home décor. The intimacy creates a friendly atmosphere conducive to haggling and bargaining, but the design and spray of colors effectively remove the harassed, sweaty, and dirty images commonly associated with the marketplace.

The strip culminates in a small fast food section at the end of the mall. Different kinds of cuisine are offered by the dozen or so eateries, from ever-reliable Pinoy home cooking, Japanese sushi, American bread, to Italian pasta. This fast food, though, is arranged like a café, again perhaps to evoke that comfortable, intimate, personal ambience. The seats are not rows of metallic three-seater chairs facing each other. Instead, round tables surrounded by cozy chairs invite busy shoppers to sit down and relax for an hour of good food and pleasant conversation.

“If you notice, the stalls and the eateries inside the Theater Mall are not made up of the big-brand names. We still want to hold that tiangge image where people can be comfortable,” says Precy Florentino, the Music Museum owner responsible for Greenhills Theater Mall’s new look. Florentino is currently leasing all of the Theater Mall’s 3,500 sq m from the Ortigases.

Her vision that guided the five-month construction of the new complex is simple: “We are still catering to the ABCD crowd. That means everyone. That also means that people should still feel at home. Greenhills has always been the mecca of bargain bins. We want to keep it that way.”

Air-conditioned space, sprawling tiangge where goods still come cheap despite the classy furnishings. The mall sounds like it’s made-to-order for these penny-pinching times.