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Topic: Harkins Bricktown 16 in Oklahoma City

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 06-22-2004 02:53 PM

I've been waiting to see what Harkins Theaters does with its first venture into Oklahoma with the Bricktown 16 in Oklahoma City, but the theater slated to open July 1 has had the opening date pushed back to end of summer or perhaps early fall.

There was an interesting tidbit I found in a news story about the theater on the Bricktown OKC website. Apparently the theater is being built with a different construction method from the usual sand-filled cinderblock we've seen in the past. The walls on this theater feature concrete walls up to 2 feet in thickness cast on site.

On the surface these thick, cast concrete walls (along with layers of sound proofing material and drywall) would seem to allow the potential for the screening rooms to have more beefy sound systems without much worry of sound leakage. However, "potential" doesn't automatically equal "follow through" for the appropriate hardware to be purchased and installed. An early press release about the Bricktown 16 claimed the theater would have the largest screen and seating capacity of any theatrical cinema screening room in the state.

I've never visited a Harkins' operated theater, although I understand they have had some good locations in their home market of Arizona. What are the opinions on Harkins and what can I expect with this theater? Naturally, I'm going to need to get some pictures of the place.

Here's a copy of the news story:
http://www.bricktownokc.com/press/pr57.html

quote:
Opening delayed for Bricktown’s 16-screen cinema
Steve Lackmeyer
03/18/09

The final walls go up today on a 16-screen Bricktown cinema, but the opening is being pushed back to early fall.

The $13 million Harkins Theatres cinema, a major anchor of the Urban Renewal project being built along the Bricktown Canal, originally was scheduled to open by July 1.

Spokeswoman Jackie Faubus said Wednesday the exact opening date is uncertain.

“We’re still hoping for the end of summer, but it could be early fall,” Faubus said.

Work also is almost complete on a $3 million improvement of the canal between Reno Avenue and Interstate 40.

City Engineer Paul Brum said a pedestrian bridge immediately south of the Sonic Corp. headquarters and new sidewalks through the area should be open within the next few weeks.

He said other improvements, including a vehicle bridge between the theater and Bass Pro Shops, and a plaza and fountain at the theater’s entrance, will open closer to the cinema’s completion.

This week was being hailed as a milestone for the theater, with the last of 130 concrete panels being installed today.

Weighing up to 250,000 pounds each, the wall panels are different from materials used to build most other theaters, Faubus said.

Instead of using cinder block and drywall, the Harkins walls were prefabricated on site and then raised by a crane.

The wall panels are up to 2 feet thick and include solid concrete at the core. They are surrounded by four layers of sounddeadening insulation before being covered with up to five layers of drywall.

“Harkins takes the movie-going experience seriously,” said Wayne Kullander, Harkins executive vice president. “These specially designed walls guarantee acoustically perfect auditoriums, which will be without rival in Oklahoma City.”