A movie theater in Texas has gone to the dogs — literally! K9 Cinemas in Plano opened earlier this month under the assumption that dog owners would like to see movies alongside their four-legged friends, and it appears the unique establishment is on to something.
The theater welcomes 25 people – with up to two dogs per human – to each showing, and it’s proven to be quite popular in the Lone Star state. The idea came from founder Eric Lankford, who recently moved to Dallas with his Australian Eskimo puppy, Bear, and realized how dog-friendly his new home city is after he encountered a two-week wait for a grooming appointment.
However, K9 Cinemas isn’t exactly outfitted like a traditional movie theater. Instead, it currently resides in an event space with 50 padded metal chairs (allowing ample room for all customers), a projection screen and a concession stand. Humans can grab drinks, candy, and popcorn, while dog treats are available for the furry bunch. Each item, for humans or dogs, costs $2.
What’s more? In order to keep the movie-viewing experience safe for dogs and humans alike, K9 has a few “doggone rules” in place. In addition to the two dogs per person limit, owners are asked to clean up after their pets and verify that they’re up-to-date on shots by either bringing vet paperwork with them to the theater or uploading it to the K9 website prior to the show.
Currently, K9 Cinemas is only open on select weekends and is showing screenings of holiday movies such as Elf and Home Alone, but Lankford wants to be open more frequently and replace the chairs with more comfortable couches. “From there, the vision is to be open every day,” he told Guide Live. “If no one shows up, I don’t care. I have a theater where Bear and I can go watch movies.”
Tell Us: Would you go on a movie date with your dog?
