It was a busy weekend at the Bridge: Cinema De Lux, which after years of delays and financial struggles, officially opened its doors to the public on Friday.
Students and community members caught flicks in one of the six stadium-seating theaters and spent time in the 12 Lounge, the Bridge's full service restaurant and bar, while others just went to check out the newest addition to the 40th Street corridor.
Many students said they had an enjoyable experience, although some had complaints about the ticketing system and long lines.
Joe Vitale, a junior at Drexel University, said that the Bridge provides a much-needed resource for students in the area.
"I think that everything -- from the lounge to the bar to the restaurant to the late night shows -- is going to definitely enhance the nightlife at the University of Pennsylvania and surrounding areas," he said.
Some likened the Bridge and its sleek, futuristic interior to another recent addition to campus retail.
"It reminds me of Pod," Penn Law student Jake Gordon said. "It's cool. I like it."
Candace Lin, an Engineering senior, said that the seat reservation system in place at the Bridge is appealing -- tickets for the theater are sold with seat numbers assigned.
"You don't have to show up really early, and you don't end up sitting in the front row," she said.
However, the seat reservation system presented difficulties for some people.
Bich Nguyen, a freshman at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, said that she and her friend had to exchange tickets because they did not purchase tickets at the same time.
"I had a little bit of trouble," she said. "I bought my ticket first, so then [a theater employee] assigned me a seat, and then my friend got a different seat and she couldn't sit next to me."
However, Nguyen said that despite the problems with seating in the theater, the Bridge is a definite improvement over other area theaters.
"I love it," she said. "It's very modern, very clean."
"I love the seats, they're so comfortable," Nguyen added. "The service is great, and the workers are very friendly."
Another group of students faced difficulty getting into the theater with their tickets, which were purchased online at MovieTickets.com.
"Those of us that bought them on MovieTickets.com printed them out and were told we couldn't get in," Torrey Creed said.
Creed, a Temple University doctoral student and Penn alumnus, complained about treatment by the staff.
"So while we were sitting and waiting to try to get our refunds because we couldn't get in, we were told that we were sitting inappropriately and sent in" to the Media Immersion Room, a multimedia art gallery currently showing the work of select Penn film and animation students, she said.
"So we're not so happy about that, either. I think most of us are thinking we're not coming back."
Teneika Thomas, a student at Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia, said that she liked the theater, but that the long lines for tickets were a nuisance.
"Ticket sales aren't really organized," she said Friday. "The lines are extremely long. I understand that it's opening night and everything, but they could've been better prepared."
Jennifer Hanson, a spokeswoman for National Amusements, said that the theater operator is very happy with business at the Bridge over the weekend.
"We were tremendously pleased with the overwhelming success of opening weekend at the Bridge," she said.
"We had a number of shows that sold out both Friday and Saturday nights, and our lounge was very busy and well-visited both nights as well," she added.
Hanson noted that there was a diverse crowd at the Bridge this weekend.
There was "strong turnout from both students and other patrons as well," she said.
National Amusements does not release figures regarding the theater box office sales, according to Hanson.
The Bridge also has a movie concessions stand, as well as concierge services and free wireless internet access. The theater can hold up to 1,150 people.
