The long-awaited movie theater at the Outlets at San Clemente opens this week.

The outdoor outlet mall debuted in 2015 with a substantial chunk of real estate dedicated to a future movie theater. In the ensuing years, planning and then a pandemic put the build-out on hold. Now that space has an operator and soon all the fancy amenities movie-goers expect when they spend $20-plus for a movie ticket and snacks.

“We were hoping to be open earlier, but given where we’ve landed, things seemingly turned the corner, and there’s a regular flow of film product and some highly anticipated films,” Corwin said Friday. “So, I do think the timing is good.”

The MetroLux Theatre opens Thursday, Feb. 24. It has 10 auditoriums, one with IMAX capabilities, and by spring will offer a full-service restaurant with a patio and a bar for 30 patrons, said David Corwin, president of Metropolitan Theaters.

The movie theater’s debut comes with seven movies including “Dog” and “Uncharted,” along with concessions. Customers can choose luxury seats that are heated and recline. For those who want a more immersive experience, they can buy “D-BOX” seats, which synchronize with motion effects on the screen.

For Corwin, the work in San Clemente gave the 99-year-old Metropolitan an opportunity to max out modern-day cinema amenities.

“We have to continue to push the experience,” he said Friday. “We’re well beyond people having their own home theaters and access to a lot of content, which they can consume without going anywhere. So, I think it’s a natural progression to continue to make (the theater) a better experience from seating to food or beverages to contactless transactions.”

The next challenge, Corwin said, would be luring people back to theaters after two years of avoiding crowds.

“Everyone’s at a different place with that, you know,” he said. “One of the frustrating things over the pandemic period is, obviously it’s a gathering place. But to me, it’s always been a much safer environment than a lot of other things people are doing, whether it’s sitting at a restaurant or being at the grocery store. You’re in this big room with good ventilation and everyone’s facing forward. No one’s interacting with one another.”

Metropolitan operates 17 theatres and 94 screens in California, Colorado, Idaho and Utah. The Outlets at Orange has at least 60 brands and an array of food options at the ocean-view retail center.

Tickets can be bought online ahead of the grand opening at bit.ly/3s0EZtd

Address: 101 W. Avenida Vista Hermosa