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10 Sites in California,
Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas
Harkins Chain To Add
166 Screens By 2006
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Harkins Theatres plans to add
10 new facilities comprising an estimated 166 screens
in California, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas
by 2006.
The scheme, announced May 21, encompasses
two 14-plexes, three 16-plexes, and five 18-plexes; their
completion
would elevate the company’s screen-count to 425.
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First to bow, in October, will be the circuit’s
Bricktown 16-plex, which will anchor a 500,000-square-foot
entertainment center in Oklahoma City.
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November will bring Yuma Palms 14-plex, slated to anchor
a million-square-foot open-air regional mall in Yuma,
Ariz.
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April will see the launch of the Coit Center 16-plex
anchoring a 250,000-square-foot retail entertainment
center in Plano, Texas.
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The same month hails the arrival of the Crossroads Marketplace
18-plex, to anchor an 800,000-square-foot retail and
entertainment center in Chino Hills, Calif.
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Three Harkins multis, comprising 50 screens, are scheduled
to open in October of next year. The Southlake Town Square
14-plex, anchor of a 500,000-square-foot lifestyle center
in Southlake, Texas, will have the smallest screen-count
of the trio.
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Denver’s Northfield Stapelton 18-plex, anchoring
a 1.3 million-square-foot retail entertainment center,
is the second due that month.
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The third Harkins site to bow in October 2005 is the
Moreno Valley 18-plex, slated to anchor a 1.1 million-square-foot
regional mall in Moreno Valley, Calif.
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April 2006 is expected to see the unveiling of two Harkins
multis. The Town Center at Cielo Vista 16-plex will anchor
a 500,000-square-foot retail entertainment center in
El Paso, Texas.
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The second due that April, the Tempe Marketplace 18-plex,
will anchor a 1.3 million-square-foot, desert-style retail
entertainment center in Tempe, Ariz.
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The third Harkins site currently set for a 2006 opening,
the SanTan Village 18-plex, will anchor a 1.3 million-square-foot
open-air regional mall in Gilbert, Ariz.
All facilities are expected to utilize
stadium-style seating, high-backed rocker seats with
retractable armrests,
wall-to-wall screens, digital sound, on-site ticketing
kiosks and a gourmet snack bar with an expanded hot-foods
menu.
Several of the locations will boast a
Harkins Child PlayCenter as well as a deluxe 600-plus-seat
Cine Capri
auditorium
with a 70-foot by 30-foot screen. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Harkins currently
operates 259 screens at 22 sites. 
Linden 20 In 2005
Muvico Flies In
Greater Newark
LINDEN, N.J. – Muvico Theaters announced on May
12 plans to open by November 2005 a 20-plex in the Newark
suburb of Linden, N.J.
An addition to the 500,000-square-foot retail center
at Aviation Plaza, the facility will utilize stadium-style
seating with 24-inch-wide recliner seats, 46-inch row
depths, wall-to-wall screens and Dolby digital sound.
With approximately 4,000 seats, the facility is also
expected to feature valet parking, online ticketing,
an in-theatre children’s playroom and an expanded
concessions menu offering crispy chicken breasts, fresh-baked
pizza, popcorn shrimp and more. “We are very excited about bringing Muvico Theaters
to the Linden community as we continue to raise the bar
on megaplex entertainment with amenities and features
unlike any in the world,” noted circuit president
Hamid Hashemi.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Muvico currently operates
233 screens at 12 sites in Florida, Maryland and Tennessee.

Colorado Plex Due 2005
REG 14 To Function
In Grand Junction
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Regal Entertainment Group
(REG) announced on May 18 plans to build its Canyon View
Stadium 14-plex just north of the Grand Mesa Mall in
Grand Junction, Colo.
Set to bow early next year, the 2,500-seat multi will
anchor the Canyon View Marketplace, a new lifestyle and
entertainment center.
The facility will feature stadium-style seating, plush,
high-backed rocker recliner seats, retractable cupholder
armrests, digital sound, customer service desks and kiosks
for automated ticketing. Moviegoers can also take advantage
of the Regal Crown Club loyalty program.
“Our new facility is conveniently located in the preferred retail corridor
around Grand Mesa Mall and will become the premiere location in Grand Junction
for enjoying the latest films,” said REG senior vice president of marketing
and advertising Dick Westerling.
Knoxville, Tenn.-based Regal currently operates 6,020
screens at 545 sites in 39 states. 
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Bounty on Bootleggers
MPAA & NATO Institute
Anti-Piracy Rewards
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and
NATO have instituted a program designed to reward cinema employees who identify
patrons illegally camcording a movie.
To be eligible to a reward of up to $500, an employee
must take five actions:
1) Identify someone operating a video camera or other
recording device to copy a movie in a theatre;
2) Immediately notify the police;
3) Stop the camcording;
4) File a police report of the incident; and
5) Contact the MPAA’s anti-camcording hotline (800) 371-9884 within 24
hours of the incident.
Whenever a theatre employee witnesses someone copying
a movie, the employee should immediately follow the procedures
called for in the company’s written anti-camcording
policy. If the employee’s company does not have
a written policy, there are steps an employee should
take:
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Employees should never put themselves or patrons at risk.
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Employees should never use physical force to stop the
activity or to detain a suspect.
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Employees should advise the cinema’s manager immediately.
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The cinema’s manager should call the local police
immediately and provide as much information and assistance
as possible.
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If a police officer has not arrived within 20 minutes
of the end of the movie, the cinema’s management
and/or theatre security should STOP or INTERFERE with
the camcording, but NEVER touch the suspect or grab the
camcorder.
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Theatre management and/or security should politely but
firmly ask the suspect to accompany them to wait in the
lobby.
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Theatre management and/or security should ask the suspect
to hand over the device and the recording.
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Theatre management and/or security should get the person’s
name and ask to see ID (someone should copy the ID or
its key information).
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Employees should get a good physical description.
If you have any questions or need assistance during
the incident, call the MPAA’s 24-hour anti-camcording
hotline (800) 371-9884. The MPAA has investigators on
staff who can come to the cinema and assist.
Regardless
of whether the hotline was utilized during the incident,
someone from the cinema company should contact the
MPAA within 24 hours after a police report is filed so
that
appropriate steps can be taken to assist local law
enforcement and pursue the suspect. If you are a NATO
member and
want to obtain a copy of the reward application form,
go to www.natoonline.org. For more information about
the reward program, contact NATO at (202) 962-0054.

All In Place By 2006
AmStar Aims
Southeast 40
VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. – AmStar Entertainment announced
in June an expansion plan that will establish 40 stadium-style
auditoria at three Southeast sites
by 2006.
Lease agreements have already been signed for two 14-plexes
set to bow next spring.
Construction is underway on an AmStar 14-plex which
will anchor the 685,000-square-foot Colonial Promenade
Alabaster
shopping center at Interstate 65 and U.S. Highway
31 in Alabaster, Ala.
Located in the Lexington suburb of Nicholasville, Ky.,
Amstar’s other under-construction
14-plex will be part of a planned 22-acre mixed-use center at U.S. Highway
27 and Brannon Road.
The third site, a 12-plex on Orange Avenue in downtown
Orlando, Fla., will be a part of The Plaza, a residential,
office, restaurant and retail center
development.
Birmingham, Ala.-based AmStar currently operates 68
screens at five sites in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and
the Carolinas. 
Paramount Pictured
Famous Plays Downtown
Nine-Plex For Vancouver
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – An early 2005 completion date has been set
for Famous Players’ under-construction Paramount 9-plex in downtown
Vancouver, British Columbia.
Located at 900 Burrard St., the 68,700-square-foot
multi is expected to feature wall-to-wall screens, digital
sound and stadium-style seating.
Designed to “blend
seamlessly into the thriving and vibrant downtown scene,” the
2,137-seat facility is set to include four stories of windows, offering
a view of the interior
from the street.
“Vancouver is one of the last major cities in
Canada to not have a modern, state-of-the-art movie complex
in its downtown core, and we know the Paramount
will fill that void,” noted circuit chairman and CEO John
Bailey.
The facility’s interior design is expected to incorporate video in unusual
ways; a digitally-projected video floor at the base of the escalators, for example,
leads up to a third-floor café restaurant.
Toronto-based Famous Players currently operates 818
screens at 88 sites, including Imax and Alliance Atlantis
partnership facilities. 
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