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Northwest Arkansas mov- iegoers may have noticed sev- eral theaters recently finished renovation while Bentonville got a new place to catch a flick. Malco Theatres renovated the Razorback Cinema Grill and IMAX in Fayetteville, Rogers Towne Cinema Grill and Springdale Cinema Grill. Updates at all included re- clining seats, additional meal offerings and a full bar. The IMAX is the first in Northwest Arkansas and opened Dec. 15. Morgan Smith of Rogers said she really enjoys the re- clining seats in her favorite theater, the Rogers Towne Cinema. "It's comfortable, and it's also not as crowded with the larger seats," Smith said. "It's less of a hassle getting in or out." Karen Melton, Malco vice president and director of marketing, said more changes are on the way with reserved seating and bar options rolling out soon. IBISWorld, industry market research firm, reports compe- tition from online streaming services caused lower movie attendance over the past five years and pushed theater own- ers to enhance amenities and services. The research firm forecasts theaters will see gradual economic growth. Malco has received posi- tive feedback about the chang- es, Melton said. "We like to stay on the cut- ting-edge of the movie-going experience," she said. The addition of the Sky- light Cinema in Bentonville may be the biggest change to the movie scene. All six theaters at the cinema have digital projection and sound, reserved seating and rocker or recliner seats. Moviegoers can get pop- corn and soft drinks at Sky- light, but they also can have food and beverages in the lounge or order from their seats. Other Northwest Arkansas movie theaters are owned by AMC: Fiesta Square 16 in Fay- etteville and Sugar Creek 10 in Bella Vista. Sugar Creek 10 was owned by Carmike Cine- mas, but was bought by AMC last year. Fiesta Square underwent renovation and has recliners and MacGuffins Bar. Sugar Creek offers $5 Tuesdays and Coca-Cola Freestyle where customers select from more than 100 drink choices. Representatives for AMC and Skylight did not return several messages left over two weeks. Smith believes some of the changes are positive, but she doesn't see the need to sell alcohol at theaters. Sonia Brooks, of Springda- le, said she goes to the movies about once a month and prob- ably more in the summer. Brooks' favorite theater is the Malco in Springdale. She said the individual recliners makes the experience more comfortable. Josh Langham of Centerton said the changes are improve- ments in the movie going ex- perience. "I think the changes are great," he said. "I think it's a great direction for our area theaters." Tracy M. Neal can be reached by email at tneal@nwaonline.com or Twitter @NWATracy. WATCHING IN STYLE NWA Democrat-Gazette/FLIP PUTTHOFF Dominique Johnson grills cheeseburgers and chicken at Malco Razorback Cinema in Fayetteville. A grill is a new addition to the kitchen at the theater. MOVIE THEATERS Moviegoers encouraged to relax, have a drink, enjoy the film TRACY M. NEAL NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Area movie theaters Bella Vista m AMC Classic Sugar Creek 10, 10 Sugar Creek Center Bentonville m Skylight Cinema, 350 S.W. A St. Rogers m Towne Cinema Grill, 621 N. 46th St. m Pinnacle Cinema, 2100 Bell - view Road Springdale m Cinema Grill, 2940 W. Sunset Ave. Fayetteville m AMC Fiesta square, 3033 N. College Ave. m Razorback Cinema Grill and IMAX, 3956 N. Steele Blvd. m 112 Drive-In, 3552 Arkansas 112 Source: Staff report have little rooms for screen- ings. Also BFF programs the crap out of it. There's con- stantly something amazing going on." It's typical to have a make- shift set up while a film fes- tival is getting established, said Scheide, who was on the board of directors for the annual Buster Keaton Cele- bration from 1994-2017. The two-day event in Iola, Kan., has screenings, lectures and workshops on the comedy era of Buster Keaton. Scheide also attends other festivals based on silent and retrospec- tive films. "Films shown in venues other than a theatre are nice, as long as there's easy access," he said. HOW IT'S GROWING The Bentonville Film Fes- tival won't stay exclusively in Bentonville forever, Drinkwa- ter said. He'd like to expand programming in the region. "We have aspirations to have a one day script-writ- ing competition in Eureka Springs and a short film com- petition in Fayetteville near the University of Arkansas," he said. "We'd like to expand events to the region and have more visitors all over North- west Arkansas." One of the reliable ways the festival is growing is by word-of-mouth, Drinkwater said. "We have a great track record in getting people to come back," he said. "They become advocates for us, and it creates growth." Bartron can attest to that, saying filmmakers she met at the festival had a little "Ben- tonville reunion" when they returned to Los Angeles. "I entered a short film to Bentonville Film Festival this year, and I really hope I get in," Bartron said. "I'd love to come back." April Wallace can be reached by email at awallace@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWAApril. Festival v Continued from Page 5U The heavy-hitters aren't the only ones thriving. Sever- al venues opened in 2017 and had sold-out shows and a showcase of national acts. Fayetteville gained a new out- door venue in the form of JJ's Beer Garden and Brewing Co. on North Steele Boulevard, where some 1,200 con- certgoers can hear live music, sit on the patio, and play sand volleyball and lawn games. As with the restaurant's other locations in Northwest Arkansas and across the state, JJ's hosts local acts to boost the native music scene. But headliners during the inaugural free summer concert series included national and regional names such as Kelly Pickler, Drake White, Casey Donahew and Aaron Watson. Fayetteville has enjoyed restaurants offering live, outdoor music for some time — Powerhouse Sea- food & Grill in downtown was one of the first. The growing national trend now has taken hold with the rest of the region. "One of the things that has helped in our success is that there aren't many [patio] options in Benton- ville. We wanted to offer that to people," Kevin Bennoch, owner of the Pedaler's Pub, said last year. "There's this trend go- ing because of the style of life up here," Bennoch said. "It's part of the cel- ebration when it's the weekend and you're off work. You get to be out- side and maximize your weekend because you're getting entertainment, and everybody can get out and enjoy it." The Sunrise Guitars Shop at the former Suba- ru and Honda dealership on College Avenue in Fayetteville offers a more intimate setting with the new 100-seat Sunrise Stage. Owner Don Nelms worked with sound engi- neers to build the room's custom acoustics. He also conferred with influential people in the Northwest Arkansas music scene to create a music series that con- nects the audience and performers. "This is the first room in Fayetteville that's built purely as a showcase venue, the first and foremost focus being on good sound," Darren Novotny with Springdale Acous- tics, one of the engineers on the project, said last year. "As a result, we've done a couple things on stage that you don't see many places." Modeled after the successful Artist, Audience & Com- munity Live! series in Fort Smith, Sunrise hosted a season full of nationally touring folk, Americana, singer/song- writer and acoustic artists. Also in Fort Smith, part of an empty building was ren- ovated into a music venue last year. The 53,000-square- foot Masonic Temple Building, built downtown in 1928, features a newly restored auditorium that can seat nearly 1,200 people. Temple Live, as it is now called, opened in late sum- mer and hosted country music stars Joe Nichols, The Charlie Daniels Band, Dwight Yokam and Willie Nelson. Comedian Ron White returns to the region with his first show at the Temple in May. Newer festivals and organizations that bring important figures to the area and connect them with local writers and creators are contributing to Northwest Arkansas' musical identity. Troy Campbell, founder of the Austin-based House of Songs, partnered with Bryan and Bernice Hembree of local duo Smokey and the Mirror to extend the organi- zation and set up a year-round artist residency program in Bentonville. "There's an air of artists coming to the area to create, not just be exhibited," Campbell said of the House of Songs Ozarks. The setup brings international artists to town to meet and collaborate with local artists, with dozens of songs already written. "It's a way to get the public to understand, and also get the local songwriters to understand, we're not here to take; we're here to learn," Campbell said. That tradition of songwriting in the area is fur- ther reflected and celebrated in the Power of Music Festival. The songwriter festival and music conference was established by the I'll Fly Away Foundation as a way to connect Northwest Arkansas writers, venues, teachers and music supporters with the tools they need. Music executives from Los Angeles, New York, Bos- ton, Nashville, Toronto and Stockholm, and songwriters from around the world converged on Bentonville and will do so again — including five Hall of Fame songwriters — when the festival returns for its second year in April. Joceyln Murphy can be reached by email at jmurphy@nwadg. com. Venues v Continued from Page 4U Walmart AMP 2018 Summer Schedule* April 28: Brantley Gilbert with Aaron Lewis and Josh Phillips May 12: Primus and Mastodon with All Them Witches May 30: Dave Matthews Band June 2: Jim Gaffigan June 12: Ray LaMontagne with Neko Case June 22: Chris Stapleton with Marty Stuart and Brent Cobb June 25: Kesha and Mackle - more June 26: Chicago and REO Speedwagon with Michael Tolcher July 8: Thirty Seconds to Mars with Walk the Moon, K. Flay and Welshly Arms July 12: Kenny Chesney with Old Dominion July 21: Niall Horan with Maren Morris July 22: Kidz Bop Live July 25: Pentatonix July 29: Weezer and Pixies with Sleigh Bells July 31: Coheed and Cambria and Taking Back Sunday with The Story So Far Aug. 13: Slayer with Lamb of God, Anthrax, Tes - tament and Napalm Death Aug. 15: Keith Urban with Lindsay Ell Aug. 26: Charlie Puth with Hailee Steinfeld Sept. 22: Alan Jackson *more shows to come 6U v SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2018 ∂ ∂ Live & Play Local DINING Celebrating 60 YEARS in Siloam Springs! 111 W. 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