|
|
Author
|
Topic: 15 Screen Cinemark to Open In Strongsville, Ohio
|
Joshua Waaland
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 800
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Dec 1999
|
posted 10-27-2005 10:10 AM
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports today that Cinemark plans to build a new 15 screen cinema as part of the $60 million effort to renovate the Southpark mall in Strongsville, Ohio. Here is the article below:
SouthPark's $60 million facelift Mall to add theater, retailers, restaurants Thursday, October 27, 2005 Janet H. Cho Plain Dealer Reporter
Westfield SouthPark mall in Strongsville planned a fireworks show Wednesday night to kick off a $60 million expansion and renovation that will add a 15-screen Cinemark movie theater, 26 retailers and two restaurants.
This will be SouthPark's first major update since the 1.3-million- square-foot shopping center opened at Royalton (Ohio 82) and Howe roads in October 1996. Completion is expected in spring 2007.
Westfield SouthPark's managers are hoping the expansion will make the mall fresher and more appealing to the shoppers now flocking to lifestyle centers like Crocker Park in Westlake and Legacy Village in Lyndhurst.
"Westfield has coined the phrase hy-style' for the project, giving a little bit of a lifestyle feel to the property," said Andy Selesnik, the mall's marketing director. "The whole front of the mall will look almost like a streetscape."
He stressed, however, that the changes are not at all related to competition from Crocker Park.
Westfield Corp. Inc. of Australia operates more than 120 shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, including six in Ohio. The company is known in the retail industry for snapping up older, enclosed malls and spending millions to expand and update them, branding them with its scarlet "Westfield" logo. The company recently dropped "Shoppingtown" from its mall names.
SouthPark, Westfield's youngest Ohio mall, is among eight U.S. malls undergoing multimillion-dollar facelifts this year.
Westfield also plans to update SouthPark's landscaping, add outdoor dining and relaxation areas and install brick paving.
And in a nod to Northeast Ohio's unpredictable climate, SouthPark will also get a second covered drop-off area, this one at the south entrance.
The Cinemark theater and a 50,000-square-foot Dick's Sporting Goods are the only confirmed tenants, but that almost doesn't matter, said retail consultant Robert Antall, chief executive of LakeWest Group LLC in Cleveland.
"We're heading into the Christmas season, and the more publicity they can get, and the earlier they can get it, the better they'll do," he said. "The Christmas season really starts around the first of November," which is why malls try to generate buzz in September or October.
Legacy Village opened Oct. 24, 2003. Crocker Park opened Oct. 28, 2004.
"Malls in general have been on the decline for the last 10 years, with very few exceptions - and SouthPark and Beachwood Place are the exceptions," Antall said. "But most of the malls are just struggling to survive," and anything that draws more shoppers helps.
"Right now, lifestyle centers are the hot new concept, and they are a novelty," he said. "And once the novelty wears off, I think they will struggle" because Northeast Ohio's climate isn't ideally suited for outdoor shopping centers. "I think that craze will run out." [ 10-27-2005, 08:48 PM: Message edited by: Joshua Waaland ]
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Mark Lensenmayer
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1605
From: Upper Arlington, OH
Registered: Sep 1999
|
posted 10-27-2005 09:53 PM
There are 4 Cinemark Theatres around here.
First is 15 years old. Other than 3 digital units, it is basically unchanged since the beginning. At one time, it was the finest theatre in the area, with 2 supurb THX-certified rooms. They had the first digital sound in town for JURASSIC PARK.
Second is a dollar house in a suburban shopping center. Also, no changes other than a couple of digital units. Does good business.
Third is a 10-plex that was built right on the cusp of stadium seating. They set the screens high to allow for stadium seating, then never put it in. So, the viewing angles are not very good. A mixture of SDDS and DTS. Again, no upgrades.
There is a 16-plex with a some stadium seating rooms and the first Dolby Digital unit in town. Again, very few upgrades. It is now located close to a gigantic AMC 30-plex, but it still seems to do some business.
They have some very good locations, but there has been no attempt to improve. They are now some of the oldest locations in town.
They were involved in that split-up a few years ago when some of the Cinemark locations were spun off to an insider. Looked the same and sounded the same, but they were'nt allowed to use the term Cinemark. Weird.
Quite frankly, I'm surprised they are still open.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Matt Fields
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 545
From: Ohio, United States
Registered: Jun 2005
|
posted 10-29-2005 08:34 AM
Just my 2 cents on the Columbus, OH market...
With the reopening of the old Westerville Super Saver, the Westland theatre, the Marquee on Tussing Road, and the Screens at the Contintent, the city is again getting way overscreened.
Add into the mix opening of the Rave at Polaris (18 screens), and the new Gateway theatre by OSU, and the market is getting sliced into so many pieces that I doubt if any one company is making any real money, except AMC.
I follow the grosses of the Columbus theatres, and the Cinemarks do lousy.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|