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October Launch In Tennessee
Great Escape Trains
16 On Clarksville
CLARKSVILLE,
Tenn. – Great Escape Theatres oversaw an Oct. 17
launch for its new 16-plex in Clarksville, Tenn.
 Circuit CEO Anne
Ragains presided over the Oct. 15 ribbon-cutting party,
followed the next evening
by a media event generating
over $3,000 in popcorn sales, all donated to the
American Red Cross.
The multi features stadium-style seating,
digital sound, a 2-story video arcade, special event
rooms
and a large
lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking
the city.
New Albany, Ind.-based Great Escape currently
operates 95 screens at 10 sites in Indiana, Kentucky,
Tennessee,
Ohio and West Virginia, with 32 screens presently
under construction and 60 in development.
September Opening
Kerasotes Launches
Springfield 12-Plex
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Kerasotes Theatres celebrated
the Sept. 26 opening of its ShowPlace West 12-plex on
Wabash Avenue, located one mile west of Veterans Parkway
in Springfield, Ill.
The 40,000-square-foot site, designed
for future expansion to 15 screens, features stadium-style
seating, high-backed
chairs with cupholder armrests and wall-to-wall screens.
Its lobby includes an arcade and a concession bar featuring
free refills on all sizes of popcorn, soft drinks and
Icees.
“There has been tremendous anticipation
about the opening of our new theatre and I know that
our patrons will love
the amenities at our new state-of-the-art facility,” said
circuit COO Dean Kerasotes.
Chicago-based Kerasotes currently operates
540 screens at 77 sites in the Midwest.
Multi Sails In Illinois
Crown Opens 10
On Ex-Navy Site
GLENVIEW, Ill. – Crown Theatres unveiled on Oct.
17 its new 10-plex at the Glen Town Center in Glenview,
Ill.
 Built on the former site of a historic
naval air station hanger, the new multi features stadium-style
seating
with retractable cupholder armrests, Dolby digital sound
systems and free covered parking. The Town Center, developed
by Oliver McMillan, also features shops, restaurants
and residences.
“It’s been very rewarding working with the people
of Oliver McMillan, whose vision and expertise has created
this dramatic phenomenon called the Glen Town Center,” said
circuit president and CEO Daniel M. Crown.
Norwalk, Conn.-based Crown Theatres currently
operates 180 screens in Connecticut, Maryland, New York,
Illinois,
Minnesota, Nevada and Florida.
Salisbury
Staked Out
Regal Plans
Maryland 16
SALISBURY, Md. – Construction of Regal Entertainment Group’s Salisbury,
Md., 16-plex was slated to begin in spring 2004, the circuit announced Oct. 29.
A component of the Centre at Salisbury located off of U.S. Route 13, the new
multi will replace an existing Regal 10-plex already located in the mall.
Amenities are set to include stadium-style
seating, plush high-backed rocker reclining seats, digital
surround sound, concession stands and customer service
desks.
Knoxville, Tenn.-based Regal currently
operates 6,061 screens at 555 sites in 39 states.
May Bring Things To King Hing
Tarantino To Reopen
L.A. Chinatown Single
LOS ANGELES – “Kill Bill” writer-director
Quentin Tarantino revealed in October plans to lease
the vacant King Hing single located in Los Angeles’ Chinatown
district. The filmmaker is expected to utilize
the facility to screen examples of his favorite film
genres, including
kung fu, spaghetti Westerns and 1970s blaxploitation
pictures.
According to Variety, he also plans
to restore and screen the many Chinese-language films
that are currently in
storage at the cinema, as well as some titles from his
own extensive film print collection.
Tarantino’s other directorial efforts include “Reservoir
Dogs,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Jackie
Brown.” “Kill Bill Vol. 2” is set to
bow Feb. 20.
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Texas
Specialty Site
Regal Reboots
Ex-GCC Austin 8
AUSTIN, Texas – Regal Entertainment Group celebrated the Oct. 10 grand
opening of its recently acquired and renovated Arbor Cinema @ Great Hills 8 in
Austin, Texas.
The 8-plex, which features Regal Cinema
Art specialty-film programming, was previously operated
by General Cinema Corp. Regal acquired the site following
the closure of Regal’s Arbor Cinema Art site a
few blocks away.
 Renovations
include new box offices, lobby and concession areas,
now featuring a gourmet café with cappuccinos
and fruit juices. Auditoria feature high-backed seats
with extra padding and retractable cupholder armrests,
digital surround sound and new carpeting and sound fold.
An invitation-only VIP celebration was
held Oct. 7, bringing together members of Austin’s
film community. Activities included a ribbon-cutting
ceremony and check presentations to the University of
Texas Film Institute (UTFI) and the Austin Film Festival,
which kicked off at the Arbor Oct. 9. One-dollar popcorn
was available Oct. 9 through Oct. 30, with all proceeds
benefiting UTFI.
“Austin enjoys a vibrant film community,
and there is a strong desire for independent films,” said
circuit vice president of marketing and advertising Dick
Westerling.
"Arbor Cinema @ Great Hills will feature
alternative selections for Austin movie lovers to enjoy.”
Cinemas Taking Score
Nielsen Provides First
On-Screen Ad Service
NEW YORK – Nielsen Media Research announced in
October the creation of Nielsen Cinema, a pioneer service
that provides an in-theatre audience measurement
for the buying and selling of on-screen advertising. The new service was formed
by working closely with exhibitors, advertising agencies and the Cinema Advertising
Council (CAC).
The unit’s audience composition is collected through random phone surveys
of at least 500 moviegoers from the past week’s attendees. The first
reports were released to clients during the week of Oct. 22.
“Nielsen Cinema brings consistency
to cinema audience data,” noted
CAC president Matthew Kearney. “It will assist in making intelligent buying
decisions and provide a solid foundation for the growth of the industry.”
National Cinema Network, Regal CineMedia
and Screenvision, which together are said to sell some
95 percent of all cinema advertising in the United
States,
have signed multi-year agreements with Nielsen Cinema.
June Single Launch
Champaign Celebrates
Downtown Art Cinema
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Downtown Champaign, Ill., residents celebrated on June
21 the reopening of the area’s only operating single, Boardman’s
Art Theatre.
 The 90-year-old facility operated as The
New Art Theatre from 1987 until it was shuttered in February
2003. The site’s new owner, Greg Boardman,
who also operates the successful Lorraine Theatre in Hoopston, Ill., renovated
the site with a new concession stand and state-of-the-art sound systems, as
well as new wallpaper, carpeting and screen.
“The city itself is in a revival
position, so [reopening the Art Theatre] seemed like
the perfect thing to do. It had a history of showing
art films, plus
everyone knows that [Chicago Sun-Times film critic] Roger Ebert loved the
Art Theatre when he was a student,” Boardman notes.
"People really wanted to see the theatre open again.”
Patrons may make ticket and seat reservations
online at www.BoardmansArtTheatre.com.
2003 Scholarship Winners
NATO of Arkansas, Texas
Announce Five Recipients
ARLINGTON, Texas – NATO of Texas and NATO of Arkansas announced their
2003 student employee scholarship winners in October.
NATO of Arkansas awarded two $500 scholarships,
to Jennifer Robinson of Malco Hollywood 6-plex in Monticello,
Ark., and Jessica Serrano of the Paris Cinema
in Paris, Ark.
NATO of Texas scholarship recipients,
each of whom were granted $2,500, were Cason Sickling
of Rio Entertainment quad in Bay City, Texas, Karim Kabiruddin
of the Loews 18-plex in Stafford, Texas, and Andrea Dreyer of the Regal
18-plex
in Live Oak, Texas.
Accused of Arson, Assault
Projectionist Union
Members Arrested
CHICAGO – Seven members of a movie projectionists union and two associates
were charged Nov. 7 in a wave of 20 fires and assaults at theatres in 10 states,
according to federal prosecutors.
Officials at Loews Cineplex, Cinemark
and AMC, all said to be involved in union contract disputes,
were alleged to be the targets of the defendants’ intimidation
efforts. One theatre manager was beaten with a bat, another with a pipe.
Moviegoers were still in at least some of the cinemas
set ablaze.
Albin Brenkus, business manager of the
Chicago-based Local 110 of the Motion Picture Projectionists,
Operators and Video Technician Local 110 of the International
Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees of the United States and Canada,
was
among four defendents arrested Nov. 7 by federal agents and faces an additional
charge for obstruction of justice.
Theatres in Illinois bore most of the
20 attacks, which also visited venues in Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and
Wisconsin.
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