Live performances and ‘arty’ films coming to Big Picture Redmond

Published 3:49 pm Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Mark and Katie Stern have never been afraid to take risks, back down from a challenge or try something different.

When their family owned movie theaters in Chicago and struggled to compete against big chains such as AMC Loews and Regal theaters, they moved to the Pacific Northwest for a fresh start. The Midwest couple knew they had to change things up and offer people something new to go with their moviegoing experience. So 13 years ago, they opened Big Picture Seattle, followed by Big Picture Redmond at 7411 166th Ave. N.E. in Redmond Town Center six years later.

In addition to watching a film on the big screen, Big Picture audiences can also enjoy something not typically associated with movie theaters: cocktails.

The concept was successful in Redmond to the point that the town center now houses two 21-and-older movie theaters. The second theater is iPic Theaters, which opened about a year ago and had previously been Gold Class Cinemas.

With the two theaters splitting customers, the Sterns are once again adjusting their business plans to differentiate themselves from the competition.

“Now we’re going to evolve again,” Mark said. “We have to become more resourceful.”

And from that resourcefulness has come foreign and foreign-language films, independent films and live musical and comedy performances.

Mark said Big Picture — in Redmond only — will no longer screen the usual Hollywood blockbusters typically shown at movie theaters in favor of more “sophisticated” films and live performances. They just finished screening “Monsieur Lazhar,” a Canadian film that was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and are now screening “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” a movie filmed in India featuring Dev Patel from “Slumdog Millionaire” and British actors Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson.

“We call them the ‘arty’ films,” Mark said.

He added that they have just hired an artistic director and plan to start showing live shows, which will be performed on a portable stage, late summer and early fall.

“I feel confident that we have something our competition doesn’t,” he said.

In addition, Big Picture has offered full-venue rentals for private parties and corporate events and Mark said this will not change. From birthday parties to business conferences to weddings, Big Picture has hosted a variety of events.

“You tell me a movie theater where people get married,” Mark said.

He said they have had to work three times harder to attract business as a movie theater isn’t the first venue that comes up when planning an event. One way they have done this is made their lobby look and feel like a hotel lobby, so people wouldn’t realize they’d just entered a movie theater.

Mark’s wife Katie has been the brains behind this as she designed the theater’s interior. She said she hasn’t had formal decorating training but has learned things along the way through both the Seattle and Redmond locations.

“The decor is really an integral part of someone’s experience,” she said.

Katie describes her taste as eclectic and she works to include pieces that mean something to them personally. She said she approaches it as she would in decorating her home.

“It’s just a place I’d like to spend time in,” she said.

The jumping point for Big Picture Redmond was 1940s and 19050s Hollywood glam and Katie said the retro theme helped dictate her decorating choices.

And while the decor and pieces have mostly stayed the same Katie admits that they aren’t always in the same place.

“I love rearranging furniture,” she said with a laugh.