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Fifty feet away from me, Anne Hathaway is all eyes and lips and curves. Jake Gyllenhaal is all hands. They fall upon each other like a pair of amorous wolves.

Fifteen feet away from me, meanwhile, a fat guy in a baseball cap is eagerly introducing himself to a slab of Tuscan Pepperoni Pizzetta. And somewhere close by there’s a waitress bringing chips and dip.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Well, it’s really what’s different about this motion-picture concept. Dubbed "Dine-In Theatres" by AMC, it’s now up and running in three New Jersey multiplexes, at West Orange’s Essex Green 9, the Bridgewater Commons 7 and the just-opened Menlo Park 12 (OPENS DEC 15).

The theaters have all been updated. At Essex Green, for example, five of the nine screens are "Fork & Screen," with comfy chairs and communal counters. The remaining are the posher "Cinema Suites," with push-button recliners and individual tables.

Theaters now feature brightly lit bars in the lobbies and continuous seatside service during the show. Want a martini, a bucket of Bud, a plate of fried calamari? Just push a button and a server will appear.

And, eventually, a bill.

Prices aren’t unreasonable; a pint of Bass goes for $5, a kids’ meal of chicken-tenders-and-fries (with soda) for $6.99. "We know there’s a TGIF here, too," explained chef Jason Henderson, nodding across the Essex Green parking lot. "We want to be competitive."

Not everyone seems ready to buy into the concept, however.

One local working-moms’ message board recently featured a discussion on whether the idea was kid-unfriendly. (Actually, it’s sort of meant to be; unaccompanied minors are banned from "Fork & Screen" theaters, and no one under 21 is admitted to "Cinema Suites").

And unprepared adults may be startled by the "Experience Charge" – an obligatory add-on of $10 or $15 to each $10 ticket, redeemable in food and drink, but not refundable. (And that’s the minimum; add drinks, appetizers, desert and a tip, and suddenly your date can cost $100).

"What if we don’t want the `Experience’?" asked a woman ahead of me in line, who arrived in the mood for a movie, not a meal. "Well, you see, the dine-in theater concept…" the clerk began. The woman and her date turned and left.

The concept, AMC public-relations director Justin Scott insists, has been a hit in other markets.

It still needs some rewrites here. Although servers were unfailingly polite, one dropped a tray during the screening of "Love and Other Drugs," the sound of apologies and shattering glass interrupting an opening scene. Courses arrived in the midst of plot twists

Eating in the dark added its own thrills, particularly when what seemed to be a won-ton chip turned out to be the plastic lid to a container of sweet chili sauce.

Admitted, the seats are cushy (although sitting in a recliner while being waited on made me feel like a blobby exile from "WALL-E"). And it’s great to see a neighborhood theater not only preserved but refurbished; I don’t miss the old Essex Green’s grimy carpeting, or men’s room "novelties" dispenser.

But giving people the comforts of home seemed to trick some people into thinking they were home. (At the screening I went to, fans talked even louder, and longer, than usual.) And there’s something terribly strange about trying to watch an even slightly serious film while a waitress is bringing out your Wings and Things Sampler.

In fact, the concept seems about as connected to motion pictures as dinner-theater is to drama. What’s wrong, after all, with giving a movie our full attention, and then going out afterward, to talk about it over coffee or a burger at the diner? Isn’t that part of the "experience" too?

Of course the AMC line is that they’re merely providing their customers with a choice; if you don’t like it, go somewhere else. And clearly there are people who want a place where they can sit and chat and nosh and watch a movie. I understand that. In fact, I already have a place like that.

It’s called my couch.

Stephen Whitty. (212) 790-4435 or swhitty@starledger.com

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-01-2011, 05:33 PM:
 
Wait....they REGISTERED the couple of centuries old phrase, Silence is Golden (r)?!! They think it belongs to THEM now? What are they effin kidding me? Screw these people where they breath. No way will that hold water. Hey, what's next? How bout registering just the word Silence(r) And why stop there; why not just registering every word in the dictionary while they are at it. What a pile-o- Someone needs to take these arrogant corporates down.
 

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Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 01-01-2011, 05:49 PM:
 
Not that I agree with anything AMC does but I think what they have registered is not the phrase "silence is golden" or whatever but using the phrase in that context and manner. SO they cant sue you for saying "Hey buddy silence is golden" but they could for using it as a slide in a movie theatre.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 01-02-2011, 12:47 AM:
 
Hasn't that been their trademark since, like, the eighties?

I've never seen another movie theatre use it.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-02-2011, 12:55 AM:
 
The Screenvision preshow uses that exact phrase.
 

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Posted by Ian Parfrey (Member # 5122) on 01-02-2011, 01:32 AM:
 
Silence is Golden while The Audience is Listening.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-02-2011, 01:46 AM:
 
My piss is golden, but not silent when it hits the toilet water.
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-02-2011, 04:44 AM:
 
Hmmm, someone needs to trademark the registration symbol (r). That would then be (r)(r).

AMC did register Silence is Golden as far back as 1991 and the trademark is still alive. That just means they filed it, payed the fee and got the paperwork back. It doesn't mean it can't be challenged on merit. Bristol-Meyers also registered it for a cough suppressant as did some guy for ear plugs. The cough suppressant and ear plugs fulfill the Trademark Office's guidelines of the definition of a Trademark. AMC's use does not meet the criteria -- there is no product nor is there a service offered for a price. Commerce is the key here. Ear plugs are a product; cough medicine is a product; Silence is Golden as AMC uses it -- as a way to tell people to be quiet during a movie is neither product or service nor is it used to distinguish that manufacturer's product from anothers. AMC doesn't apply it to a product that can be sold commercially so does not meet these very clearly stated requirements. Strike 1m AMC.

When the mark it is not used to identify a product but instead to identify and distinguish a non-material entity such as a service which the applicant provides, then it is not a trademark but a Service Mark and it is identified by a (sm) symbol, not a (r) symbol. Strike 2 for AMC.

They are pissing in the wind here -- and the only reason it's silent is because it's blowing back in their faces. They might get a few points for clever, but they don't get the GOVERNMENT to give them legal, protected OWNERSHIP of the words. At best, they might have had a better chance if they sought copyright protection for the phrase. They would have a much more legitimate claim for copyright protection IF they could claim that they came up with the phrase, which of course THEY CAN'T. Strike 3.

They don't get to own EVERYTHING on the planet.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-02-2011, 12:21 PM:
 
Why would they even pay to register such a slogan? Are people supposed to say "Oh wow, AMC always says 'Silence is Golden'. I'm definitely doing business with AMC theaters whenever I can because I know it is always going to be silent there as a result. Hell yeah! Now pass me the meth."
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-02-2011, 02:01 PM:
 
Maybe the "circle R" thing is for the design of the Silence is Golden logo, rather than the words themselves? I dunno.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 01-02-2011, 03:50 PM:
 
"Silence is Golden" and "Experience the Difference" are registered as service marks relating to movie theater services.

Service marks are generally used in the advertising of a service rather than the actual product.

If another movie theater is using these phrases, AMC could take legal action to defend their trademarks. If a company uses them for an unrelated product or service, no action may be taken. For example, "Silence is Golden" is also a registered trademark for a hearing protection device.
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 01-02-2011, 06:30 PM:
 
Screw the trademark debate, I am appalled (but not surprised) that the bottom feeder of exhibition has copied an already successful business and cheapened the experience.

With AMC's penchant for shortcuts (no-masking ETX, etc.) I am surprised that they even serve the food on plates...and with utensils.

Bet this concept dies a quick death for them..and it deserves to.
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-03-2011, 12:19 AM:
 

quote: Adam Martin

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"Silence is Golden" and "Experience the Difference" are registered as service marks relating to movie theater services.

Service marks are generally used in the advertising of a service rather than the actual product.

If another movie theater is using these phrases, AMC could take legal action to defend their trademarks.

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quote: Frank Angel

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the (r) symbol, which specifically means Trademark

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Incorrect. The ® symbol refers to any mark that has been registered. The "TM" and "SM" designations indicate claims to ownership of unregistered marks.

US Patent & Trademark Office: Basic Facts About Trademarks
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-03-2011, 11:54 AM:
 
I stand corrected; Basic Facts About Trademarks does state that (r) can be used to designate that either type of mark has been registered, whereas (SM) and (TM) are used where ownership is claimed but not yet filed. This is correct, but more to the point and as stated in my post above, the guidelines also specify that a registration can only be filed either for goods that the applicant sells to its customers, or for a service that applicant provides for its customers at a price. "Silence is Golden" is neither -- it is nothing more than a clever suggestion for a type of behavior they'd like from the audience during a movie. It is neither goods nor a service that AMC provides. It would be just as ludicrous for them to put the statement "Please Refrain From Talking" above the AMC Theatres logo and claim that is a service that could be trademarked.

AMC evidently DID register the phrase as a Trademark, but the Trademark Offices only reviews an application to the extent that it is filed properly and that the claim meets the criteria stipulated by the Office. The Office doesn't investigate the validity of what the applicant claims, only that it is filed correctly. If the applicant CLAIMS the mark they are filing for is a service, the Office doesn't investigate it, it accepts the word of the applicant. If the claim on the application is erroneous, someone would have to challenge it. This mark certainly is worthy of challenge.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 01-03-2011, 01:00 PM:
 
AMC uses "Silence is Golden" as the name of their moviegoing environment program which includes a customer code of conduct and auditorium monitoring. You know ... ushers.
 

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