Volume IV No. 8/9

A publication of the National Association of Theatre Owners

Advertise in In Focus

©

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.

• 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.

• November will bring Yuma Palms 14-plex, slated to anchor a million-square-foot open-air regional mall in Yuma, Ariz.

• April will see the launch of the Coit Center 16-plex anchoring a 250,000-square-foot retail entertainment center in Plano, Texas.

• 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.

• 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.

• Denver’s Northfield Stapelton 18-plex, anchoring a 1.3 million-square-foot retail entertainment center, is the second due that month.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

 

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:

• Employees should never put themselves or patrons at risk.

• Employees should never use physical force to stop the activity or to detain a suspect.

• Employees should advise the cinema’s manager immediately.

• The cinema’s manager should call the local police immediately and provide as much information and assistance as possible.

• 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.

• Theatre management and/or security should politely but firmly ask the suspect to accompany them to wait in the lobby.

• Theatre management and/or security should ask the suspect to hand over the device and the recording.

• 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).

• 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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