Gone are the rows of faded, sagging fold-up seats and sticky carpet. Gone is the marquee with old-fashioned letters.

Gone is Water Gardens, a second-run movie theater at the Enchanted Lake Shopping Center which has been revamped into a luxury venue with reclining leather chairs and the latest film releases.

Kailua Cinemas opened its doors quietly in mid-December following several months of renovations. It is still independently run under the ownership of the two original partners, Mike Daniels and Tyler Walters.

“We knew that all the other theaters would be changing to these seats, too,” said General Manager Adam Hijirida. “If we had kept the old ones, we would be outdated.”

Hijirida said the changes were made to remain competitive with the two main theater chains in Hawaii — Consolidated and Regal — and to meet community demand. So far, the response has been tremendous, he said.

Kailua Cinemas’ first screening of the new “Star Wars: Rogue One” was sold out on opening night, with patrons learning of the new theater solely through social media and word of mouth. A formal celebration is planned for sometime this month.

Besides the reclining seats, which are extra wide and outfitted with cup holders, the theater put in new carpeting, renovated the front concession area with a sleek countertop and remodeled its bathrooms. “Kailua Cinemas” in large, red letters is now very visible on the marquee outside.

The number of seats dropped from 244 to 94, with reserved seating only. A simple menu features popcorn, water and soda. While Water Gardens screened only films with G, PG and PG-13 ratings, Kailua Cinemas shows a full range of movies.