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New Multis For Florida, New Jersey & Pennsylvania Muvico Adding 122 Screens At Six Sites FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Muvico Theatres plans to build six new complexes in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania that will increase the chain’s screen count by 50 percent. The scheme, announced Oct. 21, comprises one 26-plex, four 20-plexes and one 16-plex, each with a different architectural theme. All will be completed by 2007. • Slated to open in early 2007 is the Meadowlands/Xanadu 26-plex in Secaucus, N.J. [In Focus, December 2004]. Boasting an Egyptian theme, the complex will offer an exclusive rooftop terrace screen with access to a private helipad. • The Empire 20-plex, to be located in the Kendall Town Center of Kendall, Fla., [In Focus, December 2003], will utilize an ”ancient world” theme, as well as boast an upscale billiards-and-darts parlor and a state-of-the art bowling alley. • In Boynton Beach, Fla., the 78,000-square-foot Boynton Beach Mall 16-plex will introduce a complex featuring both an interior and exterior fashioned in Greco-Roman design [In Focus, December 2004]. • Introducing a Mediterranean/ hacienda theme, the Coconut Pointe 20-plex in Bonita Springs, Fla., will anchor a 500-acre mixed-use center. • The University Town Center 20-plex, in Sarasota, Fla., is set for development at the Sarasota/Manatee County, Fla., line, with its architectural theme still to be determined. • Expanding into Pennsylvania, the circuit will bring the city of Allentown a 20-screen multi that will be part of the new Summit at Lehigh Valley development. All six complexes will feature stadium-style seating, wall-to-wall curved screens and the latest in digital sound technology. All will have expanded concession stands – offering light meals such as crispy chicken, popcorn shrimp, buffalo wings and curly fries – and employ a children’s playroom with professional supervision and kid-friendly activities. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based Muvico currently operates 233 screens at 12 sites in three states.   Two Multis Debut Mid-2005 Wallace 24 Coming To La., W. Virginia PORTLAND, Ore. – Wallace Theatres announced on Nov. 2 plans to open two 12-plexes by summer – one in the Stirling Covington Center in Covington, La., and one at the University Town Centre in Granville, W. Va. Both sites are part of a broader expansion plan that will eventually increase the 500-auditorium circuit’s screen count by 200. • Slated for a May opening, the Covington site will be located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 21 and Interstate 12, and will span nearly 45,000 square feet. • The Granville multi, to be located at Interstate 79 and Country Road 19-24, is slated for a July bow. Both facilities will boast stadium-style seating and feature high-backed rocker seats with padded, retractable cupholder armrests, wall-to-wall screens and digital sound. Portland, Ore.-based Wallace Theatres currently operates 500 screens at 50 sites in 12 U.S. states, American Samoa, Guam, Marianas Pacifica, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia.

Third-Generation Exhibitor Signature Founder Harris Voted New NATO Chairman Signature Theatres founder Phil Harris is NATO’s new chairman. Elected unanimously at the association’s Nov. 18 board of directors meeting, Harris on Jan. 1 succeeds outgoing NATO chairman Steve Marcus, following Harris’ 2-year stint as the association’s vice-chairman. The NATO board also elected Cinemark USA CEO Lee Roy Mitchell as the association’s new vice chairman. Mark O’Meara, owner-operator of University Mall Theatres, is NATO’s new board secretary; Regal Entertainment Group co-CEO Kurt Hall its new treasurer. Third-generation exhibitor Harris made headlines in 2004 when he sold his 309-screen Signature Cinemas chain to the world’s largest cinema company, Regal Entertainment Group. A member of NATO’s board since 1990, Harris began his exhibition career as a projectionist at his family’s cinema in Davis, Calif. He earned his law degree in 1974 from the University of California at Davis and eight years later purchased his late grandfather’s chain, Westside Valley Theatres, with partner Doug Stephens. He sold those properties in 1985 to form the Harris Theatre Group, which eventually evolved into Signature. Harris currently operates nine screens in Kalispell, Mt., where he will also constuct a 14-plex in 2005.   Mainstream & Specialty Cleveland Cinemas Acquires Solon 16 SOLON, Ohio – Cleveland Cinemas on Oct. 1 took over management of a Solon, Ohio, 16-plex located on Enterprise Parkway off Aurora Road. The multi, previously operated by Regal Entertainment Group, now programs both mainstream and specialty fare. An expanded concessions menu offers baked pastries and specialty coffee drinks. Chain management is contemplating upgrades for the site’s concession stand, seating and projection, with several digital cinema installations reportedly under consideration. Cleveland Cinemas, based in its namesake city, now operates 64 screens at seven sites.   December Reopening in Pa. Fox’s Exeter Quad Executes Upgrade EXETER TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A December 2004 reopening was scheduled in October for Fox Theatres’ East 4-plex in Exeter Township, Pa. According to the circuit’s Oct. 13 announcement, all auditoria were to gain stadium-style seating and high-backed rocker seats with retractable cupholder armrests. The site should also now boast wall-to-wall screens and state-of-the art digital surround sound. Exeter Township is a suburb of Reading, Pa., and the upgrade was in response to dramatic residential and commercial growth in the area. The 30-year-old multi may also expand into a 10-plex at some point, according to circuit president Donald Fox. Reading, Pa.-based Fox Theatres currently operates 13 screens at three sites in two states.