7-Screen Paragon Theater to Open May 1 at Founders Row

Just in time for the launch of the summer blockbuster movie season May 1, the City of Falls Church will have its own two-story, seven-screen Paragon Theater at Founders Row with all the amenities – from a full bar and restaurant menu, to luxury box seating with food service, to a 65-foot screen with 4K Laser Projection and Dolby Atmos Immersive Sound – yet with an emphasis on local community and social responsibility. 

For this story, The Falls Church Independent interviewed Jared Comess, vice president for marketing and public relations of Paragon Theaters, a small-scale Florida-based movie theater company that will have grown to only five theaters in operation by the time their Founders Row site launches, four in Florida, and one in Cary, North Carolina.

“We’re just so excited to finally open up and join the community and help bring some entertainment to Falls Church, and give you guys a movie theater,” Comess said. “We’re a ‘small but mighty’ movie theater chain,’ we like to say. And we’ve never been in the D.C. area. But we do love Virginia. The furthest we’ve gotten, is we had been in Fredericksburg before, so we do have some experience in the Virginia area. But we’re primarily based in Florida.” 

Previously, Paragon has purchased and renovated old theaters, but in Falls Church, they’ve been designing and building from scratch at Founders Row. After another theater company’s efforts fell through, Paragon stepped up to get the job done and its leadership team knows City residents can hardly wait for their own multi-screen film theater within walking distance for many. 

“We’ve been at it for a couple of years now,” Comess said. “I came for a site visit over the holidays – for a holiday lighting – so that we could start to meet some of the people, and the folks were like, ‘Where have you been? We want your theater!’ [Laughs]. “So, we’ve built it as quickly as we humanly possibly could. And our target date to open is May 1.”

“Movie theaters have to open with Big Movies and that weekend there’s a Big Movie called Thunderbolts which is the next Marvel movie after Captain America which comes out in a week. So, we’re excited about that,” Comess said.

In addition to having a summer blockbuster, the theater is planning to connect earnestly with the community. “In our opening week we'll also do some sort of charitable event, though it hasn’t been finalized. We’ll do a friends-and-family [event]…. And then we’ll have a ribbon-cutting. And then a Grand Opening Celebration that weekend.”

All the Bells & Whistles

Theater goers are sure to be wowed upon their first visit. “It’s so crazy that hidden underneath Modera is a movie theater,” Comess said. “You’re walking in and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, there’s a movie theater!’ And everyone asks if we have one or two screens, but we actually have seven screens! There’s no one above us. So we were really able to build up. And we’re excited because we’re putting all of our bells and whistles into it. Paragon 2.0, I would say… We have seven theaters and there’s roughly over 600-plus seats altogether in the whole center. ”

“There’s going to be a bar on the first floor that’ll serve drinks and a whole menu of food, American cuisine… with a local flair,” Comess said. “We’re in the finalizing stage of developing the menu…. It’s going to be a full menu. A full bar. It’s a two-story theater. So, on the first floor will be the bar. There’ll be places with seating outside. You’ll be able to sit down. And then you can go in and buy your tickets and go buy your concessions, and then there’s an escalator to go up to the second level.”

“And after you order your concessions, you can pick them up there [on the second level] so you won't have to wait [or] walk with them, which is good,” Comess continued. “And then you go to the movie theaters. And the unique thing about Paragon is that we have our large-format screen called Axis 15 Extreme…. And something really cool is that our way of competing with an IMAX is we have these big large-format screens, it’s the biggest seat house we have in the theater with over 200 seats. The screen is over 65 feet-wide. It’s crazy.”

An Ergonomic Innovation

But Paragon has added an ergonomic innovation to enhance the movie-watching experience. “And the neat thing about it which makes it really special – and we have these in all of our locations – is that we did some research and all of our seats are recliners. So if you’re sitting in recliners, we wanted to make sure you have the least strain. So, we’ve tilted the screen forward 15 degrees, a very gentle amount, not anything hugely drastic, but just enough that you would not have strain on your eyes if you’re sitting back. It’s really neat.”

“And we have Dolby Atmos,” Comess continued. “We have the highest amount of Dolby Surround System in that theater…. And then we have 4K Laser Projection. And not all theaters and all screens use laser projection because it’s actually a pretty substantial undertaking to do that. So that’s kind of our prize theater. So we’re excited about that.”

VIP Treatment

“But then, the best thing about Paragon, is that in every theater – not just our biggest – we offer something called Lux Box Dine-in Service. I don’t know if you’ve been to a Look Cinema or a CMX in the area, but we kind of use that model but take it a step further. You go to a select enclave of seats called Lux Box…. and you can scan a QR code on your table and then on your mobile phone you access the full menu, the same menu that will be at the bar, a full restaurant menu. Or [you can order] concessions, popcorn and M&Ms, the full bar, alcohol, non-alcoholic beverages, Icees – my favorite – and the great thing is you can have it delivered to your seat and you can do it from the beginning of the movie all the way to the end! We’re never going to put a time limit on it. We’ve trained our servers, our staff, our runners to be very agile.” [Laughs]. 

A Full Slate of Film Offerings

And, for film lovers, Paragon will be offering full slates of films to appeal to a diverse range of audiences. While their primary focus will be on first-run major studio releases, they’ll also offer repertoire, themed, and off-the-wall movies. They’re planning an Asian film festival right now. 

“So, you’ll be able to catch a Marvel flick,” Comess said. “But then – and this kind of sets us apart from some of the other theaters – we do special film series. And one of the main ones we have running is a Sensory-Friendly Series. Because we’re a very small theater circuit, so we’re very hometown…. And you know, it’s different from getting involved with an AMC or a Regal where you’re like one of six million movie theaters.” [Laughs]. 

Inclusive from Every Angle

“And one thing especially that comes top-down from our senior management as well as myself is to be inclusive from every single angle,” Comess emphasized. “And sometimes kids or parents or adults with special needs can’t sit through a regular film. But we all have this love for cinema. So we’ve created something on Saturday mornings called Sensory-Friendly Films. And I think our schtick is ‘Lights on, sounds low, if you’ve got to move, get up and go,’ or something like that. So then parents can feel safe. They can bring their kids if they can’t really sit through a regular movie. But they can at least let them have some fun in a movie theater while they potentially get to see a little of a movie.”

“And we work with a bunch of charities, usually, and special needs organizations and do a lot of screens for them,” Comess continued. “Tickets are only $5. They’re dirt cheap. So we do stuff like that."

"We also do curated film series. So, we might do a month-long series of Elizabeth Taylor movies. Or, right now, I think we’re doing Katherine Hepburn Month. So we do that. But, [primarily] we do first-run movies.... We do holiday films around the holidays… And during the summer, typically, we’ll do… Kids’ Summer Free Movies. So that way, we can bring parents in on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, at 10:00 in the morning and we can show, not a first-run movie, but a movie that’s less than a year-old, that’s a kids’ movie. Like Moana, or something like that. And those are completely free and open to the public. And it’s really great for moms and dads who don’t have anything to do with under-5-year-olds who aren’t in camp.” [Laughs]. 

As such a small theater company with its headquarters just two blocks from its first theater, Paragon has learned to pitch itself as “our hometown theater” or as “locally-owned,” and it’s seeking to bring that same connection to the local community to the City Falls Church. Comess emphasized how much his team is looking to sponsor local sports teams, or help school clubs, or local civic organizations with fundraisers, promotions, dinner/movie packages, sweepstakes, or other specials. “You know, we’re the people who can sponsor the softball jerseys, or have a flag on the high school football fence.” 

Comess said Paragon took pride in not having to lay off any workers during the pandemic. “There are definitely benefits to us being a small, tight-knit, community-based, community-focused kind of team. And a very big part of our lives is to give back in everything we do."

While Paragon has not yet set its prices and workers’ wages, Comess emphasized their aim is to make them competitive in the marketplace, “economical and affordable.” 

Giving back to the community also means offering discounts for seniors, military, and government employees. Paragon will also be offering $5 Ticket Tuesdays. “Which is cool because it’s on any movie, including first-run films,” he said. “So, if Mission Impossible is out, it could be Mission Impossible. And it doesn’t matter what time of day!"

Diamond Rewards Loyalty Program

Comess emphasized how generous Paragon’s Diamond Rewards Loyalty Program is. “We have a really, really good loyalty program that’s super-duper easy,” he said. Here's how it works:

• Super easy and convenient! Earn movies faster than other programs!
• Earn free movies fast! (On average it just takes around 3-4 visits to earn a free ticket)
• Sign up now and get the following award benefits after your first transaction at the theater: free movie ticket, free popcorn and 5 starter points!
• 20 points = one free rewards ticket
• No cap on the amount of tickets one can earn
• All members receive a free Birthday Ticket
• We give our members access to Axis 15 seats if available for no additional up-charge, however, there are still surcharges for Lux Box, 3D and IMAX
• Wednesdays are double points
• Earn 1 point for every ticket purchased (max of 5 points per calendar day), and earn 5 points for every concession transaction (max of 5 points per calendar day)

Looking to Hire Scores of Employees

Finally, Comess stressed that Paragon is looking to hire lots of local workers – as many as 40 to 60 employees – in all sorts of areas. “We want to make sure we’re well staffed. Especially, because we’re kicking off the summer with our opening, which is a little daunting,” he said. A General Manager, Mr. Luis Fernandez, has been hired and will be supervising staff. 

“We’re looking for runners, concessions staff, guest service attendants, kitchen staff – because we’ll have a full kitchen and it’s a beautiful, brand new, big, big kitchen. We need kitchen managers, operations managers, guest services managers… And that’s full time, part time, and seasonal…"

Paragon currently has the following positions available at Founders Row II:

• Runners
• Concessions Staff
• Guest Services Attendants
• Kitchen Staff
• Bartenders
• Guest Services Managers
• Operations Managers
• Kitchen Managers

"And, no age discrimination, as long as you’re 16-and-up," Comess added. "We’ll take whoever’s ready and willing. We have great benefits like training, career growth opportunities, free movies, discounted food and beverage, and other benefits.... There are a lot of perks…. You know, when I was young, I don’t know why I didn’t work at the movies?” [Laughs].

Paragon Theater at Founders Row will open May 1, at 112 Founders Ave., Falls Church City. Interested applicants can apply online here. Or, email a resume directly to General Manager, Luis Fernandez, at: (Luis.Fernandez@paragontheaters.com).  

By Christopher Jones