New Movie Theater to Open Downtown
November 02, 2010 20:53 Filed in: News
One of the things that has been missing from downtown is a full-time first run movie theater. This is about to change in a big way.
A new maquis will soon rise on Second Street between BoConcept and Malaga with 4 new theaters taking over the second floor of the AMLI 2 rental tower as well as a balcony with a nice view of the second street action. The new 8,000-10,000 square foot "Violet Crown" art house theaters will feature everything that movie lovers could want including:
- Digital projection
- A full bar and cocktail lounge
- Gourmet concessions
- Free validated parking
- 4 intimate 50-seat theaters
- Stadium seating
- Wide range of food options that can be ordered in the lounge and consumed in the auditoriums but without alamo-style theater food service
- Ability to reserve specific seats
A movie theater such as the Violet Crown will be a great asset for downtown -- and the 2nd street district in particular -- as it will draw people to the area who might not otherwise spend time downtown. The theater will also provide a convenient entertainment venue for the increasing number of downtown residents.
Here is additional information on the developers of Violet Crown from Austin360:
Banowsky, a veteran theater operator, founded Magnolia Pictures in 2001 and, from 2003 to 2007, was chief executive of Landmark Theatres, the largest art house chain in the country, which operates the Dobie Theatre . He's the founder and CEO of Carolina Cinemas, a four-theater, 52-screen art house chain in North Carolina. The Violet Crown is not affiliated with Landmark or Carolina Cinemas.
Banowsky also founded the popular Magnolia Theatre in Dallas, which is known as a sophisticated alternative to the traditional cineplex, with art house fare and a full bar.
The Violet Crown "takes the best of what we did at the Magnolia and updates it to the current realities of the exhibition business," Banowsky said. "You need different things to get people to the theater."
Combining food, drinks and movies is not a novel idea in Austin. For more than a decade, the Alamo Drafthouse has offered beer, wine and a full menu with its film screenings. But the Alamo has never specialized in exclusively art movies, mixing edgier fare with an array of mainstream blockbusters.
Once a bastion for art films, the Dobie Theatre next to the University of Texas has in recent years added commercial fare, leaving the Arbor in North Austin as the city's last theater to focus mostly on art films.
"There's a demographic in Austin that's not being served," Banowsky said. "It's not only that these kinds of films don't play downtown. Some people don't enjoy going to a traditional movie theater — they'd rather watch a movie on Netflix. But if you create the right facility in the right location, you offer an alternative."
The Violet Crown will serve "enlightened bar food, simple but innovative," several draft beers, "gourmet concessions," as well as the usual popcorn, candy and sodas, Banowsky said. Local mixologist David Alan will curate the bar. Unlike at the Alamo, customers will order in the lounge area and take their food and drinks into the theater without the aid of auditorium servers.
A new maquis will soon rise on Second Street between BoConcept and Malaga with 4 new theaters taking over the second floor of the AMLI 2 rental tower as well as a balcony with a nice view of the second street action. The new 8,000-10,000 square foot "Violet Crown" art house theaters will feature everything that movie lovers could want including:
- Digital projection
- A full bar and cocktail lounge
- Gourmet concessions
- Free validated parking
- 4 intimate 50-seat theaters
- Stadium seating
- Wide range of food options that can be ordered in the lounge and consumed in the auditoriums but without alamo-style theater food service
- Ability to reserve specific seats
A movie theater such as the Violet Crown will be a great asset for downtown -- and the 2nd street district in particular -- as it will draw people to the area who might not otherwise spend time downtown. The theater will also provide a convenient entertainment venue for the increasing number of downtown residents.
Here is additional information on the developers of Violet Crown from Austin360:
Banowsky, a veteran theater operator, founded Magnolia Pictures in 2001 and, from 2003 to 2007, was chief executive of Landmark Theatres, the largest art house chain in the country, which operates the Dobie Theatre . He's the founder and CEO of Carolina Cinemas, a four-theater, 52-screen art house chain in North Carolina. The Violet Crown is not affiliated with Landmark or Carolina Cinemas.
Banowsky also founded the popular Magnolia Theatre in Dallas, which is known as a sophisticated alternative to the traditional cineplex, with art house fare and a full bar.
The Violet Crown "takes the best of what we did at the Magnolia and updates it to the current realities of the exhibition business," Banowsky said. "You need different things to get people to the theater."
Combining food, drinks and movies is not a novel idea in Austin. For more than a decade, the Alamo Drafthouse has offered beer, wine and a full menu with its film screenings. But the Alamo has never specialized in exclusively art movies, mixing edgier fare with an array of mainstream blockbusters.
Once a bastion for art films, the Dobie Theatre next to the University of Texas has in recent years added commercial fare, leaving the Arbor in North Austin as the city's last theater to focus mostly on art films.
"There's a demographic in Austin that's not being served," Banowsky said. "It's not only that these kinds of films don't play downtown. Some people don't enjoy going to a traditional movie theater — they'd rather watch a movie on Netflix. But if you create the right facility in the right location, you offer an alternative."
The Violet Crown will serve "enlightened bar food, simple but innovative," several draft beers, "gourmet concessions," as well as the usual popcorn, candy and sodas, Banowsky said. Local mixologist David Alan will curate the bar. Unlike at the Alamo, customers will order in the lounge area and take their food and drinks into the theater without the aid of auditorium servers.