Until now, movie-loving parents of infants had few options: Either stay home and wait months for a new release to come out on DVD or cable, or go with tots in tow to a theater and risk the wrath of other patrons if their little ones started fussing, crying or squirming.
With that in mind, National Amusements, a Dedham, Mass.-based company that operates more than 1,500 screens in the United States and abroad, created Baby Pictures, a program that gives parents, grandparents, nannies and other adult caregivers of tykes up to 18 months old a chance to watch the latest movies at a con.venient time and in a baby-friendly environment.
To date, 21 theaters in 11 states offer the program, including two on Long Island --
Island 16 / Cinema De Lux in Holtsville and
Broadway Multiplex Cinemas in Hicksville. Here, the show starts at 10 a.m. every Tuesday.
And baby-friendly they are, offering a complimentary stroller check, baby-changing stations in the restroom and at the front of the auditorium, dim lighting for easier child care, low movie volume to protect babies' sensitive ears and a food cart with breakfast items and other concessions for sale. Since the movie is timed to the babies' first nap of the day, most sleep through it.
Even though the program is called Baby Pictures, the movies are chosen with adult tastes in mind. Recently, the theaters showed "
Love Guru," starring Mike Myers. The next selection will be a choice between two movies, the Disney / Pixar animated film "
WALL-E" or Sony Pictures' "
Hancock."
"We find that this experience has become a social event for mothers and caretakers at many of our theaters," says National Amusements spokeswoman Wanda Whitson. "They have the opportunity to enjoy the movie and the social experience of meeting with other parents of young children."
