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Like a proud parent ready to introduce a newborn, Stratford Square Mall officials can hardly wait for you to see their new movie theater.
Announced in 2005 as a major component of a $47 million renovation plan, the 16-screen, fully digital Century Theatre will open its doors to the public on Friday. A sneak peek of the megaplex will be offered tonight and Thursday for select village and mall VIPs.
Stratford Square Mall General Manager Bob Allen looked on Tuesday morning, as more than 100 construction crew members put finishing touches on everything from hanging the massive lobby chandelier to cleaning the glass in the popcorn machines.
He knows every one of them by name.
"For more than a year now, our focus has been to replace that old 1981-vintage, four-screen dinosaur," Allen said. "And I believe we've done it. This complex combines the finest elements of the classic movie palaces and today's technology."
Nestled between Sears and Carson Pirie Scott on the mall's upper level, the 50,000-square-foot theater has 16 auditoriums.
Each auditorium varies in capacity from 95 to 290 seats. They are outfitted with the latest digital projectors, stadium seating and wall-to-wall screens. Four theaters have the ability to show 3- D films, and the lobby is complete with an arcade and self-serve concessions.
Allen said he expects Friday's debut to be the springboard for more exciting openings at the mall in the near future.
"All along our goal has been to bring in some great restaurants to form a cluster of entertainment and food and bring some synergy to this thing," he said. "But everyone we talked to told us, 'Build your theater. Then come back and talk to us'
"So that's exactly what we're going to do, by golly," Allen said.
Bloomingdale Village President Bob Iden Tuesday said he hopes the megaplex turns out to be the shot in the arm the mall needs.
"To say a rebirth of excitement at Stratford Square is needed would be an understatement," Iden said. "Opening this theater is a great way to start that, and I hope they are able to build on this and move forward."
In December 2004, New York-based real estate investment group Feldman Mall Properties, bought the mall for $93.1 million in cash and promised to spend about $20 million by mid-2008 to boost "mediocre" and "lackluster" sales figures.
"Century Theatres is guaranteed to add more than just excitement." said Larry Feldman, Chairman and CEO of Feldman Mall Properties. "It will bring a level of luxury that Stratford Square Mall goers have been craving."
Once the theater is fully functional, mall officials will turn their attention to some aesthetic improvements, including upgraded indoor lighting, new exterior signage outside of the mall and renovations to the mall's theater entrance.
"Traffic is up. Sales are up and lots of good things are going on here these days," Allen said. "Now we've got to take this momentum and run with it."
Copyright 2007 Paddock Publications, Inc.
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