Hundreds of guests made a champagne toast and celebrated the opening of the new Edgewater Multiplex Cinema last Thursday with oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard, who is known for his explorations of the wreckage of the Titanic. The 16-screen theater offers wall to wall curved screens and the best in Dolby Digital stereo sound.The Multiplex was built and will be operated by National Amusement, Inc., a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. National Amusement, Inc. operates 1,395 motion picture screens in the U.S., the U.K. and Latin America, and is an equal partner with the online ticketing service MovieTickets.com.
Viacom is one of the world’s largest entertainment and media companies and is active in the production, promotion and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and music. Its properties include CBS Television, MTV networks, Infinity Broadcasting, Paramount Pictures, UPN, Blockbuster and Simon & Schuster, among others.
State of the art
“There are so many things that makes this theater special,” said Dana Wilson, assistant vice president of Corporate Communications for National Amusements, at the opening. “This theater represents the highest level in movie technology.”
Wilson said that the Multiplex offers 3,600 custom-designed, deep-cushioned rocking recliner seats with cup holder armrests, and the stadium seating assures that every moviegoer has an unobstructed view of the screen.
In the lobby there are multi-station box offices with plasma video screens playing music videos and trailers for upcoming features. There is also a state of the art entertainment center featuring video games, and advance tickets are available by telephone or in the theater lobby at a Kwik Tix ATM.
“Another thing that makes a venue a special place to watch a movie is the great service you are going to get,” said Wilson, explaining that with over 100 employees, customers will get extra service and a selection of concessions they might not find at other theaters. In the lobby there is more than 80 feet of concession stand service that features traditional movie favorites like popcorn, hot dogs and packaged sweets, but also has extras like bulk candy by the pound and Schrafft’s premium ice cream sundaes.
Across the way from the concession stands is the New Movie Walk Caf