Movies are getting a sequel in Newark.
The theater manager who runs Westown Movies in Middletown says he and his business partners plans to spend about $3 million renovating and expanding the vacant space in the Newark Shopping Center that previously housed the three-screen Newark Cinema Center.
Called Main Street Movies 5, the new, independent theater is slated to open in late summer. Plans call for five screens – including one that will be 50 feet wide – along with amenities similar to those now offered at Westown, such as self-serve ticket kiosks, reserved seating, grab-and-go concessions and a full bar, according to co-owner Rick Roman.
"Main Street Movies 5 will be a 21st Century theater with the latest in technology to create a great experience for movie-goers," Roman said. "We think the greater Newark area and the University of Delaware are going to be a great market for us."
Middletown-based contractor GG+A is expected to begin the interior demolition and renovation next month. New construction planned this spring will expand the theater to 18,000 square feet by taking over a vacant storefront next to the theater and adding on to the rear of the building.
Virginia-based property owner Atlantic Realty Co. said the work will not impact operations in the rest of the shopping center, which recently underwent an extensive $10 million renovation.
"We are excited to bring a new, modern movie theater to Newark Shopping Center, the second oldest shopping center in Delaware," Atlantic Realty President David Ross said in statement. "Having a theater operated by professionals who are community-oriented will go a long way toward ensuring a successful operation."
Atlantic Realty evicted Newark Cinema Center[1] in October after its owners failed to pay rent for several months.
Cinema Center co-owner Michael Finocchiaro told The News Journal in September that he was never able to raise the money needed to buy digital projectors. The use of films on reels made it increasingly difficult for the theater to acquire popular movies and recoup costs, he said.
The Newark Cinema Center's closure marked the first time in 15 years that the city was without a movie theater. Finocchiaro and business partner Francis Glynn acquired the theater in 2000, just months after the AMC chain gave up on the site. Before that gap in service, the theater had been in operation since the 1960s.
Roman, owner of Ohio-based Roman Theatre Management, helped usher in a new wave of movie theaters in Delaware when he oversaw the opening of the $14 million, 12-screen Westown Movies[2] theater in late 2013.
That theater, owned by Helmick Westown LLC, features a 300-seat GTX Theatre with a 2,200-square-foot screen and Dolby's cutting-edge Atmos surround sound. Its opening followed Wilmington's Penn Cinema Riverfront, the state's only IMAX theater, in 2012, and preceded that of the Cinemark Christiana and XD[3], which opened at Christiana Mall in late 2014.
Roman and Westown also pioneered the sale of alcohol in Delaware theaters, by requesting a 2014 state law that created a new liquor license for movie houses.
In February, Westown became the first movie theater[4] in Delaware licensed to sell beer and wine. Penn Cinema[5] acquired a liquor license last spring, while Regal Cinemas 16 in the Brandywine Town Center off Concord Pike (U.S. 202) received its license Jan. 4.
Roman said he hopes Main Street Movies 5 also will have a bar when it opens.
In addition to applying for a state liquor license, Main Street Movies 5 would need a change in city code that allows movie theaters to sell alcohol.
That amendment would have to go before the city planning commission and the city council, while the council also would have to approve a special-use permit for the theater, according to city spokeswoman Kelly Bachman.
Roman said he does not anticipate those hurdles being an issue.
"The city was supportive of theater liquor licenses when we first proposed the new law," he said. "The hope is we'll have all the approvals before we open."
Roman, whose company will continue to manage Westown, declined to identify his business partners in the new venture, except to say they include Delaware residents. Some of those partners are believed to include at least a few of the investors in Westown Movies.
The Newark theater will be similar to the Middletown theater, with a few key differences, he said.
Main Street Movies 5, for instance, will include "recliner" seating, with chairs that lean back farther than the "rocker" seats at Westown. The recliner seats also will offer cup holders, small tables and foot rests.
Overall, Roman said, the new theater will include fewer seats than the former Newark Cinema Center, meaning there will be less demand for parking.
The new theater's sound system and other technical aspects have yet to be finalized, he added.
"We want make this theater the best we possible can," he said. "So we're looking at the latest technology in the industry to find ways that will make this new location really stand out in the minds of movie lovers."
Cinema fans can sign up for updates about the new theater, along with a chance to attend the grand opening, by visiting MainStreetMovies5.com[6].
Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.
References
- ^ Newark Cinema Center (www.delawareonline.com)
- ^ Westown Movies (www.delawareonline.com)
- ^ Cinemark Christiana and XD (www.delawareonline.com)
- ^ first movie theater (www.delawareonline.com)
- ^ Penn Cinema (www.delawareonline.com)
- ^ MainStreetMovies5.com (www.mainstreetmovies5.com)
