REEL-LIFE EXCITEMENT
Royal Oak Emagine set to reopen today
Lights, action, camera (again)!
Yep, movie theaters are re- opening today.
Say goodbye to the itchy trigger finger and the remote control. Bid a fond adieu to interminably searching the archives of Netflix and Amazon Prime. It is adios to volume controls that are impossible to lasso while watching movies at home.
Say hello to huge screens and the gratifying all- encompassing experience of watching movies in a theater again.
Just last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer okayed the re- opening of theaters and set Monday, Dec. 21, as the date.
AMC including the Forum 30 on Mound Road in Sterling Heights did open Monday.
Both MJR and Emagine opted to reopen their theaters Wednesday. Emagine has one theater in Macomb County, the Emagine Macomb on 23 Mile Road in Macomb and several other locations around metro Detroit.
Of the three major theater groups, MJR has the largest presence in Macomb County. MJR theaters are located in Chesterfield, Sterling Heights, Clinton Township and Warren.
Emagine is showing new movies like Monster Hunter, Fatale and The Croods: A
New Age and classic movies like The Muppet Christmas Carol and Daddy’s Home 2.
Movie theaters have been closed since November 18. They had just re- opened in early October.
“I think it is a wonderful thing that we’ll be open for holidays,” said Paul Glantz, chairman and co- founder of Emagine Entertainment. “Move- going is a holiday tradition for many families. Being open between Christmas and the New Year allows folks to get back to that tradition.”
However, if you always need popcorn, Twizzlers and a Slushy chaser with your movies, you are out of luck.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services prohibits concessions from being sold and consumed onsite. They will be available for carry out orders on a limited and location- by-location basis.
Masks must be worn at all times.
All theater groups in Macomb County — including MJR and AMC — have instituted a variety of protocols to ensure the cleanliness of the venue for employees and guests, as well as social distancing procedures.
It was in 1988 when Glantz first got involved in the theatre business.
A certified public accountant, he and another young CPA went to work on the abacus and finally figured they could
make a go of it. By maxing out their credit cards and securing a bank loan, they purchased the one- screen Clarkston Cinema.
“We became students of the industry,” said Glantz. “We went to conventions and things like that. We learned everything we could.”
The current tally on Emagine movie theaters is 10 in Michigan, nine in Minnesota, one in Illinois and another in Wisconsin. Emagine operates theatres with a combined 24,500 seats and 208 screens.
Not bad for two guys who started with one screen in Clarkston.
“My favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption. There are not many movies where an accountant is the hero,” said Glantz, laughing.
The MJR theaters in the county are Chesterfield Crossing 16 in Chesterfield; Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 on Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights; Partridge Creek Digital Cinema 14 on Hall Road in Clinton Township; and the Universal Grand Cinema 16 on Dequindre in Warren.
AMC has the Forum 30 on Mound Road in Sterling Heights and AMC Star Gratiot 15 on Gratiot in Clinton Township
For a complete list of films, showtimes and to purchase tickets at Emagine theaters, visit emagine- entertainment.com
For more information on AMC theaters, visit amctheatres.com.
And, for more information on MJR, the website for MJR theaters is mjrtheatres.com.