Openings
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March 20, 2017
Saline, MI - New Emagine movie theater has 1,000 recliners, 48-foot screen
From MLive.com: Whether it’s to a magical kingdom or a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Saline’s new Emagine Entertainment theater is prepared to take visitors where they want to go.
The 54,000-square-foot movie theater is celebrating its grand opening Saturday, March 18 at 1335 E. Michigan Ave. in the Commons at Saux Trail retail complex. Movie showings this weekend on its nine screens include Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast,” “Logan” and “Kong: Skull Island.”
But not before a party to commemorate Emagine Entertainment’s 10th movie theater in Michigan. A VIP event was scheduled Friday with sneak previews of the theater, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and movie showings to benefit the Foundation of Saline Area Schools and Saline Area Social Service.
It took nearly seven months to turn the former Country Market grocery store into an Emagine Entertainment movie theater.
“We had competitors tell us it couldn’t be done,” CEO Paul Glantz said, noting it is the third grocery store-conversion for the company.
There was an eight-figure capital investment, validated by a trade analysis showing a need in Saline and significant growth in nearby Pittsfield Township, Glantz said.
Staff were already busy, vacuuming carpets and washing windows, preparing for the first round of moviegoers to be ushered into a lobby filled with sofas and a gas fireplace. A bar has Michigan breweries on tap and an assortment of liquor bottles lined up neatly on the counter.
Iconic movie posters, like “Rocky” and “Citizen Kane” line the hallways, and the concessions stand is neatly packed with candy and a variety of popcorn and beverages.
The location’s nine theaters are decked out with state-of-the-art sound and projection systems and contain nearly 1,000 leather recliners that stretch 7 feet. Emagine made a point not to put seats too close to the screen, Glantz added.
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March 17, 2017
Gibsonton, FL - New state of the art movie theater with enormous screens opens just in time for ‘Beauty & The Beast’
From ABCactionnews.com: A brand new movie theater featuring giant-sized screens opens Thursday in Gibsonton just in time for the opening of “Beauty and the Beast.”
The Riverview 14 GDX will offer film fans a unique movie-watching experience.
The theater has fourteen theaters, each with IMAX-rated sound walls to ensure no sound bleeds through. Each theater comes complete with full-motion, plush leather recliners in stadium style seating.
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Wilmington, NC - The Pointe 14 Movie Theater Opens in Wilmington
From WWAYTV3.com: The Pointe 14, Wilmington’s newest 14-screen theater, had its grand opening Thursday night.
The theater is an anchor tenant in the 34-acre mixed use development at 17th Street and Independence Boulevard.
There was a red carpet, popcorn, soda, and of course movies.
The Pointe 14 has more than 2,000 seats, luxury club seating, discount Tuesdays and $1 Summer movies.
“This side of Wilmington needed a truly deluxe theater,” Stone Theatres President and CEO Herman Stone said. “And that’s what this theater is.”
You will be able to get tickets through the Stone Theatres mobile app and online.
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March 7, 2017
Saginaw, MI - Saginaw’s historic Court Street Theatre gets new life
From Mlive.com: After sitting vacant for nearly two years, Saginaw’s historic Court Street Theatre is getting new life.
The single-screen theater, built in 1938 and located at 1216 Court, closed in 2015. Now, signs posted outside announce that a newly refurbished theater is coming soon.
Saginaw-based Raynemaker LLC purchased the property in April 2016 for $85,000, according to the Saginaw Area GIS Authority.
Two city permits were pulled recently for work on the property: a building permit for siding and painting and a plumbing permit for fixtures and drains. Gerald G. Bergman Inc. and Earegood Plumbing & Heating Inc. are the contractors.
Crews have been working on the building for months. It has an all-new facade but the vertical sign on the marquee still reads “Court.” Painters were working inside the lobby Thursday morning, March 2, applying fresh coats of bright colors.
The building’s owner could not be reached for comment and details of the project, including a timeline for reopening the theater, are unclear.
“My understanding is that they are working on the interior at this point and that their goal is to return it to the grander state it has been for the past several decades, which is obvious by the exterior work,” said Paul Barrera, owner of Jake’s Old City Grill, 100 S. Hamilton St. in Old Town Saginaw.
“At a point when they’re ready, and that readiness they’ll determine, they’ll open up for movies as well as special events.”
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February 19, 2017
Oklahoma City, OK - Historic Tower Theatre Reopens On 23rd Street
From News9.com: The historic Tower Theatre on NW 23rd Street held its grand reopening Saturday after falling into years of disrepair. New owners now hope to capture the theater’s glory days. The beacon of NW 23rd Street is shining brightly once more, but while the iconic marquee reflects the rich history of the NW 23rd Street strip, the Tower Theatre has a whole new vibe.
Hip-hop beats reverberated through the near-century old entertainment hall Saturday.
The starting line-up of rappers was headlined by Oklahoma City-native Jabee, whose dream of seeing his name on Tower’s marquee started as a child.
“My mom brought me here to Sound Warehouse when I was 10 to buy a cassette tape, and the cassette tape was Jackson 5,“ he said. "On the way back home, I saw the (Tower) sign and I was asking her about it, and she was telling me it was a theater, and I was like man I’ve got to get in there.”
The Pivot Group bought the building two years ago, when the strip’s revitalization was just getting underway. The developers strived to recreate the essence of the original theater, adding era-influenced elements from floor to ceiling.
“They came back in and inlaid original floor to match the time period, that Art Deco feel,” described the facility operator Scott Marsh of Levelland Productions. “They had a custom fixture put in to match that. The ceiling on the theater itself is stair-stepped and is back to its original glory; things that we put in like a special velour curtain both for aesthetics and sound.”
“You walk in, you feel like you’re taking a step back into the 30s, 40s, 50s. You’re going to be able to expect a great room that changes, that molds itself to what the show is,” Marsh said.
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Sewickley, PA - Tull Family Theater caters to arthouse movie lovers outside of Pittsburgh
From NextPittsburgh.com: Cinephiles living in Pittsburgh can usually get their movie fix at one of the city’s many independent theaters, whether it’s at the historic Harris Theater Downtown or the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville. But for those living outside the region, being able to enjoy the latest limited release or award-winning film may be too far out of reach. The new Tull Family Theater in Sewickley hopes to change that.
After five years in development, the Tull Family Theater officially opens this week in Sewickley, making it the first movie theater to operate there in more than three decades. The 12,000-square-foot venue includes two screening rooms—the 77-seat Huntington Bank screening room and a yet unnamed room that fits 166 people—as well as the Esmark and Bouchard Family Community Room performance and events space.
Tull Family Theater executive director Carolina Pais-Barreto Beyers says the nonprofit arthouse theater was created to strengthen cultural, educational and entertainment experiences in the region northwest of Pittsburgh.
“This is truly a grassroots effort that started with community leaders who looked around and realized that Pittsburgh’s cultural vibrancy did not extend beyond the city,” says Beyers.
The theater was made possible through efforts by the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development, the Allegheny County Regional Asset District (RAD) and the Borough of Sewickley, as well as a combined $1.5 million donated by 400 families. One of the largest contributors was Pittsburgh resident and former Legendary Entertainment head Thomas Tull, who gave $500,000 for naming rights to the theater, which was formerly called the Vanguard Theater.
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Baltimore, MD - CineBistro dinner-and-movie theater to open Feb. 24 at the Rotunda
From The Baltimore Sun: The concept of dinner and a movie should take on new meaning next week with the opening of Baltimore’s newest movie theater, and the only one to offer fine dining with your film.
CineBistro, which will offer full meals combined with first-run movies at its seven-screen theater, will open Feb. 24 at the Rotunda in Hampden. The movies scheduled for that opening day are “Collide,” “The Great Wall,” “Fifty Shades Darker,” “Fist Fight,” “La La Land” and “John Wick: Chapter Two.”
Before (and possibly during, if the patron prefers) the movies, dining possibilities will include a full range of appetizers, main courses and desserts — everything from “custom-blended burgers to prime beef, fresh seafood, and more,” according to a news release announcing the opening.
Guests will need to arrive at least 30 minutes before the movie begins to take full advantage of the dining options. Admission will be restricted to people 21 and older.
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February 13, 2017
Washington, NC - New Washington movie theater opens
From WITN.com: An eastern Carolina movie theater that shut down last year is back open under a new name and new management.
A new independent group called ‘Golden Ticket Cinemas’ purchased the old Carmike 7 in Washington after it suddenly closed in December.
Golden Ticket officially re-opened Friday with 7-theaters renovated with new screens and surround sound speakers.
The first customer in line for a 12:00 p.m. showing was given a free year-long movie pass and Golden Ticket GM Stoney Crouse says the company is thrilled to continue providing the area with the latest movies at the lowest prices.
Crouse says, “We plan on doing the same good customer service, if not better, definitely a lot of different choices when you’re coming in and absolutely better prices.”
Scott Askew was the first customer and says, “My first movie here was Pippi Longstocking as a class when I was in kindergarten and that would be 1979 and so we’ve lived here all our lives and I’ve seen every big movie, every Star Wars I saw here, so we’ve been here all our lives so it’s great.”
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Wellington, FL - New, luxury Wellington movie theater holds grand opening at mall
From The Palm Beach Post: The days of questionably-comfortable movie theater seats with the choice of just soda, popcorn and candy are over — at least at the new Paragon 10 in Wellington.
The new, luxury theater at the Mall at Wellington Green is holding a grand opening ceremony this weekend, and officially cut the ribbon Thursday night. Adult evening tickets go for $11.50, and the theater will have a promotion every Tuesday where it sells tickets for $6.
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January 31, 2017
Barberton, OH - Barberton’s once-abandoned West Theater reopens on its 70th birthday
From Ohio.com: Mark Anderson wanted the abandoned West Theater building for the space beneath it, behind it and on both sides of it. Since purchasing the building from the bank for $58,000 cash in 2012, that’s exactly the space he put to use. Storage rental units in the 8,000-square-foot basement. U-Haul trucks in the parking lot. Retail tenants on bookend storefronts. The 1947 theater whose screen last flickered in 2008? Well, that dark and cavernous space that Anderson would visit with a flashlight turned into a hobby. Since the rest of the property was paying the bills, Anderson was in no hurry. A bout of boredom would send the skilled handyman to the theater every once in a while to swap a few torn seat cushion fabrics here or fix some plumbing there. He found new curtains to hang on the stage, rigged a conference room projector from the ceiling, even found some parts to build a tankless water heater for warming the old theater’s bones. Then late last year, when he figured the theater was ready for a little action, a friend of a friend introduced him to another Mark. Mark Budnick, who had spent most of his adult life managing movie theaters, eagerly accepted the challenge of trying to turn a local nostalgic treasure into a productive business. Budnick said he remembers when he drove by the West after it had been sold, thinking: “Here we go again. Another old theater gutted.” He had no idea it had always been the buyer’s intent to someday get the old screen flickering again and that he would become part of the process. Helping to restore an old movie house “has always been a dream,” said Budnick, now the newly opened West’s manager and creative director. To be sure, the theater is not the epitome of luxury. The original 1947 seats have three different styles of red fabric coverings, the floor is gray concrete except for carpeted aisles, and the old water-damaged screen was replaced with a smaller but affordable alternative. Anderson said his shoestring budget was the result of failing to inspire any local banks or foundations to invest in his project, so he had to do what he could using his own skills and his credit cards. Canadian credit cards at that, said the Toronto native who followed his American wife to Barberton in 1984 and stayed. “Yeah, Canadian money helped do this,” he laughed as he looked around the empty theater. Anderson and Budnick are hoping nostalgia will bring curious locals in for a peek, and the diverse entertainment schedule will keep them coming back. “I’m not from here but I’m told people have a lot of memories of this place,” Anderson said. The past couple of weekends, the West has shown a Charlie Chaplin film festival and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.