Theater to reopen after fire

It’s hard to believe that in less than 24 hours, it will be show time for the reborn Springfield movie theater.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110714/NEWS02/707149893

Published July 14, 2011 in the Rutland Herald

Theater to reopen after fire

Restoration will finish in time for ‘Harry Potter’ showing

By SUSAN SMALLHEER

SPRINGFIELD — It’s hard to believe that in less than 24 hours, it will be show time for the reborn Springfield movie theater.

The summer blockbuster, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” will be the first movie shown in the restored theater, now called Springfield Cinemas 3, which was gutted by fire more than three years ago.

While the new marquee is still en route and many final details won’t be completed for a couple of weeks, workers Wednesday morning were putting the finishing touches on the three different movie screens and the state-of-the-art audio systems.

The new seats were in place, the paint was dry, but dozens of construction workers were still on task, doing everything from raking gravel, laying bricks and carpet and washing floors, they were doing whatever needed to be done to open a theater.

“It’s going to be done. They said it was going to be done if they have to work all night,” said Bill Morlock, executive director of the Springfield Housing Authority, which bought the Ellis Block after the July 8, 2008, fire.

Morlock said the “grand opening” of the theater for people involved in getting the theater rebuilt and reopened would be held Thursday at 1 p.m., with the first Harry Potter showing at midnight.

“Actually at one minute past midnight,” Morlock said.

The two other theaters will start playing movies Friday evening, he said.

“It’s going to be functional, but it’s not going to be totally done. There’s some detail work that needs to be done. The front isn’t done. The marquee was ordered, but it’s not going to be here until July 22,” he said. A tin ceiling for the lobby area still hasn’t been installed, he said.

Phil Meadows, the new theater’s consultant, said that once the order was placed with Warner Brothers for the Harry Potter movie, the theater had to open July 15.

Springfield will be one of several theaters to have the midnight showing, he said.

“We’re not 100 percent, but we’re happy with the progress,” said Meadows, whose family also owns and operates Key Cinemas in Keene, N.H. “There’s a lot of people trying to get things done.”

He said it would take a while to determine the viewing habits of Springfield, but he said he planned on booking first-run movies “basically what’s available” into the three-screen theater, which has stadium-styled seating. The largest theater has 150 seats.

“A lot of thought and effort went into everything,” said Morlock, giving an abbreviated tour Wednesday of the building, noting the theater was completely handicapped accessible.

Before the fire, the Springfield Movie Theater only had two screens.

Harry Potter will stay in Springfield for as long as people buy tickets to see it, he said, noting the theater has the high-tech digital 3-D showing. Special keepsake 3-D glasses will be given to early theatergoers to the Harry Potter film.

Meadows said the price of admission would be comparable to the Claremont, N.H., movie theater, the closest movie screens to Springfield.

Other movies on tap include “Captain America,” “Friends with Benefits,” “Rise: Planet of the Apes,” and “Apollo 18.”

There will be matinees every day, with the box office opening half an hour before show time.

Morlock said local people were hired to be the theater’s manager, assistant manager and projectionist. They will be employees of a new limited liability corporation formed by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce for the time being to get the theater up and running.

While the theater is opening on time, Morlock said it would be several more weeks before the apartments in the Ellis Block were ready for tenants.

He said he already had agreements for two of the nine apartments.

The small commercial space next to the entrance of the theater will probably end up being used by the theater for storage space, he said.

Storage built on the second floor isn’t enough space needed for all the concessions, he said.

The goal is family-oriented pictures, he said, and providing Springfield residents with a comfortable and clean theater.