Megaplex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A megaplex is a movie theater complex with many screens. Definitions vary (the lower limit may be 12, 16, or 20); a theater with fewer screens is referred to as a multiplex. Megaplex theaters generally feature more than 20 screens (some more than 30), with stadium seating and other amenities often not found at smaller movie theaters.
For several years the world's largest theater was the 18 screen Cineplex in Toronto's Eaton Centre, and this is often considered as the forerunner to modern megaplexes. The world's first 20 screen megaplex is Studio 28 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which reopened in 1988 with a seating capacity of 6,000. [1] The first newly constructed megaplex in the world is the Kinepolis Brussels in Brussels, Belgium, which opened in 1988 with 25 screens. The first newly constructed megaplex in the United States is the AMC Grand built in 1995 with 24 screens.
Studio 28 and the AMC Grand 24 sparked a wave of megaplexes across the United States. This was financed in part by private equity money and caused a dramatic shift in the American urban landscape. AMC Theatres has since then led the way and has built many megaplexes with upwards of 30 screens.
In each town, a megaplex would often put the town's smaller theaters — even the multiplexes — out of business. They were often coupled with other big box stores that were reaching their zenith at the time. The expansion was executed much too quickly, and almost all the major movie theater companies went bankrupt at this time, although the daily operations of the local theaters were not much affected.
The largest megaplex in the Southern Hemisphere is the 30-screen Megaplex Marion in Adelaide, South Australia. The auditoriums sit on top of Westfield Marion, which is the largest shopping complex in Adelaide.
[edit] References
- Marlene Edmunds, "Kinepolis Keeps The Plexes Coming," Variety, June 15, 1998, p. 74.
- William Echikson, "Taking The Megaplex On The Road," Business Week, no. 3547 (Oct. 6, 1997), p. 21.
- Short film on the creation of the Cineplex
