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3,900
Seats Bound For Novi
Emagine Imagines 18 In
Michigan By Year’s End
NOVI, Mich. – Emagine Entertainment announced on
May 8 a late summer/fall 2002 opening for its Fountain
Walk shopping center 18-plex.
 Auditoria
of the 86,000-square-foot Novi, Mich., multi will include
wall-length screens, digital sound, plush high-back rocking
chairs with cupholder armrests and 46-inch rows.
The
two largest auditoria, which house 500 seats each of the
multi’s total 3,900, will include 130 overstuffed
luxury seats occupying 56-inch rows.
The
full-service concession stand will provide patrons with
fresh popcorn, Pizzeria Uno pizza, soft drinks, candy
and nachos, as well as stuffed pretzels and gourmet chocolate.
Fountain
Walk is located between Twelve Mile Road and I-96, west
of Novi Road.
Once
the Novi site opens, Emagine will operate 28 screens at
two sites. An additional 18-plex is slated for a summer
2003 bow in Canton, Mich. 
Metro
D.C. Specialty Multi
Landmark Bows
Bethesda 8-Plex
BETHESDA, Md. – A special screening of “Y Tu
Mama Tambien,” introduced by “Tambien”
writer-director Alfonso Cuaron, was part of the May 1
launch of the new Landmark Theatres 8-plex in the heart
of Bethesda Row – Bethesda, Md.’s central business
district.
The
Bethesda Row Cinema, which opened to the public May 3,
held three preview screenings May 2 for members of the
community, as well as a special screening of the late
Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard.”
Auditoria
of the 1,600-seat multi feature stadium-style seating,
wall-length screens and digital sound; concessions include
traditional fare as well as an espresso bar and locally
baked goods.
Landmark’s
bow of an 8-plex solely devoted to specialty fare follows
the recent closures of specialty venues in the Washington,
D.C., metropolitan area. David Levy, former owner of the
now closed Key theater, told The Washington Post,
“Washington is seeing a lot fewer theatres like Landmark.
It’s going to fill a required niche.”
“Community-wide,
moviegoers will now have a much-needed and convenient
venue for provocative and entertaining art films,”
said Landmark CEO Paul Richardson. “Adventurous filmgoers
in the D.C. metropolitan area will now be able to see
these films in a state-of-the-art environment that will
further enhance the entertainment value of the alternative
cinema experience.”
Bethesda
Row Cinema, at 7235 Woodmont Ave., is located within walking
distance of the Bethesda Metro Red Line station and has
convenient low-cost or free parking.
Stadium-Style
For Battery Park
Regal Reopens
Manhattan 16
NEW YORK CITY – Regal Entertainment Group reopened
its UA Battery Park 16-plex with a 10-day slate of special
events, which included charity screenings and a portion
of the inaugural Tribeca Film Festival. Official ribbon-cutting
was May 16.
 The
UA Battery Park 16, located between Vesey and West Street
in the financial heart of New York City, is a 3-level
structure that features digital sound, stadium-style seating
with retractable armrests and a gourmet café offering
specialty food items and coffee drinks.
WNBC-TV
and The New York Post sponsored family films running May
3-5, with proceeds donated to the Children’s Aid
Society. Embassy Suites and Downtown Alliance followed
by sponsoring two more days of family screenings, with
proceeds donated to the Starlight Foundation.
The
16-plex’s component of the Tribeca Film Festival
ran May 8-12.
Loeks-Star
Veteran
Daniels New Emagine
Sales & Marketing VP
 TROY,
Mich. – Emagine Entertainment announced on May 8
the appointment of Ruth Daniels to the position of vice
president of sales and marketing. In her new role, Daniels
oversees all aspects of marketing, advertising and promotions
for Emagine.
Daniels
spent 11 years as a general manager for AMC, where she
won awards for promotions and marketing, including the
Eastman Kodak award for outstanding achievement from The
Hollywood Reporter at ShoWest. Previous to her position
at Emagine, Daniels joined Loeks-Star in 1997 as director
of public relations and promotions, overseeing the promotional
activity of the circuit.
“We
feel so fortunate and pleased to have Ruth joining us,”
said Emagine president Paul Glantz. “She will be
a tremendous asset to our company.”
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$3.6
Million Raised for Variety
Indiana Regal Manager
Wins Charity Drawing
INDIANAPOLIS – Scott David Pritchard, manager of
Regal’s Circle Center 9-plex in Indianapolis, was
the June 3 recipient of a 2-year lease on a 2002 Ford
Explorer Limited – thanks to his support of Variety
– The Children’s Charity’s Gold Heart Pin
campaign.
 Pritchard
became eligible for the Explorer drawing because his 9-plex
was one of the nation’s 100 top Variety fundraisers.
This
most recent Variety campaign, held between November 2001
and February 2002, raised $3.6 million domestically.
The
gold-heart pins, which commemorate the 100th Anniversary
of Walt Disney’s birth, were sold for $2 at over
2,500 cinema sites and over 6,300 retail locations.
Circuits raising the most funds for Variety included Regal
($391,542), National Amusements ($300,313), United Artists
($232,000), Edwards ($156,181), Century ($129,262), Hoyts
($106,093), Pacific ($74,000), Loews Cineplex ($52,597)
and Cinemark ($36,441).
St.
Louis Movie Palace
Landmark Acquires
Historic Hi-Pointe
ST. LOUIS – Landmark Theatres announced on April
12 its acquisition of the Hi-Pointe Theatre, said to be
St. Louis’ oldest continuously operating site.
 The
Hi-Pointe, built in 1922 and owned by George and Georgia
James since 1979, has just emerged from a 2-year refurbishment
that brought the venue Dolby digital sound, new carpeting
and a new speaker system.
The
acquisition of the 480-seat Hi-Pointe strengthens Landmark’s
presence in St. Louis. The chain also currently operates
the Plaza Frontenac Cinema 6-plex and the Tivoli Theatre
3-plex.
“It
is now our privilege to continue [the Jameses’] tradition
of showcasing the finest in American independent, foreign
language and restored classic films in a beloved local
movie palace,” said Landmark CEO Paul Richardson.
Landmark currently operates 179 screens at 55 sites in
13 U.S. states.
34
Chicago Screens
Marcus Slides
On ICE Venues
CHICAGO – Marcus Theatres announced June 3 that it
had fashioned multi-year agreements to manage 34 screens
at three Chicago multis owned by ICE Development. Marcus
will provide booking, accounting, supervision and consulting
services for the three sites.
The
management deal strengthens Marcus’ presence in the
Chicago market, with the circuit now operating 83 screens
at five sites in the Chicago area.
ICE
Theatres was established in 1994 to bring state-of-the-art
cinemas to underserved, predominantly African-American
communities.
“ICE
Theatres will build upon and enhance the excellent reputation
it has developed in its neighborhoods by utilizing Marcus
Theatres’ 66 years of theatre operating experience
and the expertise of our company’s accounting, buying
and booking departments,” said Marcus Theatres president
Bruce J. Olson.
The
three ICE sites now managed by Marcus include the 62nd
and Western Theatre at 2258 W. 62nd St., the Lawndale
Theatre at 3330 W. Roosevelt Road and Chatham Theatre
at 210 W. 87th St.
Marcus
Theatres, a division of Milwaukee, Wis.-based Marcus Corporation,
currently owns or operates 490 screens at 47 sites in
Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio.
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