A movie theater in the city?
Mark Cuban group in discussion for proposed venue
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is talking to several potential operators about a proposed Downtown movie theater, including one affiliated with billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Kevin McMahon, the trust’s president and CEO, confirmed that the organization has talked to Landmark Theatres, coowned by Mr. Cuban, a Mt. Lebanon High School graduate, about the proposed five-screen Sixth Street multiplex.
Landmark, Mr. McMahon said, is one of several operators the trust is in discussions with but he stressed that, “We’ve not made any definitive arrangement with any operator yet.”
Mr. Cuban, in an email, stated that he had connected Landmark with the trust. “Beyond that, I have no idea what the status is,” he wrote.
Landmark, co-owned by Mr. Cuban and Todd Wagner, operates 255 screens and 53 theaters in 27 markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Texas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida and Illinois.
On its website, Landmark bills itself as the nation’s largest theater chain dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent films. Its theaters show a variety of movies, from independent and foreign films to 3-D movies and “smart films from Hollywood.”
Amenities include digital projection, gourmet concession items, and in-theater sales of DVDs, books and CDs. Besides traditional movie fare like popcorn, the theaters offer alternatives like Fair Trade chocolate bars, organic bottled teas, and vegan cookies, as well as local specialties, such as mini crab cakes in Baltimore.
Some of the theaters also serve beer, wine and cocktails. There are screening lounges in Berkeley, Dallas, and Los Angeles that offer unique seating arrangements such as couches and love seats.
Mr. McMahon said the trust also has talked to Bow Tie Cinemas and Rick Stern, owner of the Manor Theatre in Squirrel Hill.
Bow Tie, whose mantra is “bringing style and elegance back to the movie going experience,” operates 50 locations and nearly 400 screens. Over the past decade, it has opened theaters in downtowns like Schenectady and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Its CEO, Joe Masher, is board president of the Pittsburgh-based Theatre Historical Society of America, which recently bought Dormont’s historic Hollywood Theater for $375,000.
In 2016, Bow Tie introduced Bow Tie Ultimate, an experience that offers electric reclining chairs and full food and beverage service.
Mr. Stern, whose family at one time owned seven movie houses Downtown, has had an interest in bringing a theater to the Golden Triangle for at least the last four years. He said he is still very much involved in discussions with the trust.
“I’m excited to be still very interested in being involved in the project. I think it has a lot of merit and the time is perfect for a Downtown movie theater,” he said.
Mr. Stern envisions a multiplex similar to the Manor, which offers a limited food menu and a bar featuring cocktails, beer and wine.
While the trust has looked at other potential operators, the “real dialogue” has been with Mr. Stern, Landmark, and Bow Tie, Mr. McMahon said.
“Obviously, we’re looking at what customers today are looking for. We want to deliver what people expect in modern movie theaters,” he said.
The trust is planning to convert the former Bally Total Fitness Club property on Sixth Street next to the Renaissance Hotel for use as the multiplex, which would show first-run major movies. The location was once the site of Gateway Theater until its closing in 1980.
Mr. McMahon has estimated the cost of the venture at $11 million, and the trust has been quietly trying to raise money to fund it.
It recently received a $750,000 state redevelopment assistance capital grant for the theater, prompting Mr. McMahon to say that the funding “very much makes [the project] real.”
It also has applied for a $2.25 million state grant in the latest round of requests to help with various facets of construction, including structural work, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, elevator and escalator installation, and life safety measures.
“We’re still moving forward. We’re a very careful organization and we’re not going to begin something until we have all of our financing in place.” Mr. McMahon said.
No timetable has been set for selecting an operator or starting construction.