A NEW PICTURE SHOW
Regal Cinemas near mall to be revamped to luxury movie theater
Movie- goers on Fr i d ay gave mixed reviews to a plan to convert the Regal Cinemas 8 near Hamilton Place mall from a discount movie house into a luxury theater.
Regal Entertainment Group, the Knoxville- based movie theater chain, plans next year to begin offering firstrun movies at the Hamilton Place Boulevard site along with plush recliner seats, stateofthe- art technology and enhanced food and beverage offerings.
Chattanooga shopping center developer CBL & Associates Properties Inc., which owns the property, said plans are to start work in 2016, though the timeline isn’t finalized. CBL also is looking to redevelop a part of the site’s parking lot into a new restaurant.
“CBL is committed to bringing the best new retail and entertainment concepts to Hamilton Place,” said Michael Lebovitz, CBL’s executive vice president for development and administration.
Ashley Wheeler of Chattanooga said at the Regal Cinemas 8 on Friday that she thinks the plan is “a great idea.”
“Everybody else [ in the area] is up to date,” she said. “They’re making it like the rest of the area around here.”
But Alex Hernandez said he’d rather keep the existing discount theater, noting there’s not another one like it in Chattanooga.
“I like a cheaper option,” he said, adding that he
thinks it’s often better for families.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for entertainment viewership company Rentrak, said that offering the luxury theater experience is the trend.
“Most theater chains are creating destination theaters,” he said, saying they offer “a premium movie experience.”
Dergarabedian said discount houses still play a role in the market and offer a location where people can catch up on their movie- going at a lesser price.
But, he said, there are movie- goers willing to pay luxury theater prices.
“They’ll spend an evening and have a complete night out from one destination,” the analyst said.
CBL spokeswoman Stacey Keating said she didn’t know how much will be invested into the upgraded theater.
But she termed it “the first luxury theater in the market.”
Todd Boruff, Regal’s senior vice president of real estate, said Chattanooga is an important market.
“The all- new Regal Cinemas 8 will provide exceptional movie- going features, including comfortable recliners, specialty food items and expanded beverage choices,” he said.
Dergarabedian said the theater experience has to be better because there’s a lot of competition from television. Still, he said, the movie box office nationally is up due to a slew of offerings which have performed “really well.”
“That’s helped the box office bottom line,” Dergarabedian said. “That’s why theaters are spending money on buildings.”
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6318.