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LOEWS PREMIERES LUXURY MEGAPLEX AT N.J. CENTER

By Debra Hazel

This Loews Cinema prototype at Jersey Gardens is the first new theater to open in Elizabeth, N.J., in 30 years.

One of the largest, and certainly the most spectacular, new movie theaters to open in northern New Jersey made its debut at the Jersey Gardens value megamall in mid-August.

Located in Elizabeth, the 20-screen complex is a new prototype unveiled by Loews Cineplex, offering increased food and amenities — meals and alcohol may eventually be served in a special reserved balcony section — and upscale finishes. One 653-seat auditorium features the largest screen in the region; all auditoriums have Sony Dynamic Digital Sound and Dolby Digital.

The state-of-the-art 5,000-seat theater is one of only five operating around the country so far, and takes up about 100,000 square feet on a pad close to the main mall, which is owned by Glimcher Realty Trust, Columbus, Ohio.

“We could never build that building in Manhattan,” where structures must grow vertically, said Michael Norris, executive vice president of Loews Cineplex, New York City.

Working with New York City-based architect David Rockwell & Associates (which also designed the mall); FTC&H, Grand Rapids, Mich.; and its own designers, Loews created a building far more elaborate than its existing units.

The auditoriums feature loveseat rocking chairs with additional padding. All theaters have stadium seating, with 18-inch risers, so even the smallest patron has a clear sight line. The largest auditoriums offer eight-channel stereo. “The public is more demanding than ever. They can sense a difference,” Norris said. “They know when they’re walking on terrazzo tile.”

Loews is still working with the state of New Jersey for a liquor license for a second-floor VIP lounge. If it comes through as hoped in the spring, the theater will offer light meals and alcoholic beverages for customers willing to pay for premium reserved seating. The upper-floor lounge is larger than at other Loews theaters.

“We wanted to make it something special for a special customer, someone who wanted a reserved seat with a light meal,” said John Faltings, senior vice president of design and construction for Loews.

A lot has gone into the decor, too, which is Spanish Baroque; a stucco exterior houses a main lobby area with a ceramic tile floor. Tapered columns separate the ticket booth area from the central lobby, which is dominated by a central concession stand larger than those in the standard theaters, and offers more point-of-sale stations. The Lucite theming element on top of the concession shows popcorn boxes, soda cups and other snacks. Large video screens and video games offer pre-film entertainment.

Nearby, a cafe area offers specialty coffee drinks, and there is a small ice cream parlor serving sundaes and sodas. The cafe resembles a living room, with comfortable seating and a patterned carpet.

“We do have coffee bars in other theaters, but they’re not as nice,” Faltings said.

The corridors on opposite sides of the main lobby leading to the individual theaters are up to 7 feet wider than in more standard megaplexes.

Those surprised by having an upscale theater at a value megamall shouldn’t be, said Denise Palazzo, manager of Jersey Gardens.

“The mall itself was designed to be very upscale, with carpets. It’s not like an outlet environment,” she said. “The whole ambience in the mall and the movie theater are very much the same.”

Jersey Gardens continues to lease to more upscale tenants, such as the recently opened Bruno Magli, and hotels are under construction around the mall’s perimeter.

Loews also hopes to serve food — and alcohol — in the auditoriums.

“It’s certainly a growing area, and the city and Glimcher are committed to the site,” Norris said. “It’s one of the busiest financially growing areas in northern Jersey. Northern Jersey is screaming for a new theater.”

But the road to the opening of the first new cinema in Elizabeth, N.J., in 30 years was a bit longer and more circuitous than anyone at Loews Cineplex or Glimcher Realty anticipated, coming more than a year later than planned: Originally it was to open in spring 2000, just a few months after the center’s October 1999 debut. But, as did most of their competitors, Loews suffered financial problems as a result of the saturation of the national marketplace with multiplexes, eventually filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February. The move delayed the theater’s completion, and gave Palazzo more than a few qualms.

“It was frightening, having the theater almost 70% built, and knowing that with the industry problems, it would be hard to fill,” she said. “Here I have a beautiful new mall, with a structure out there empty.”

Given that more typical megaplexes cost about $1 million per screen to build, and that the additional features of this prototype added approximately 12 percent to 15 percent to that cost, according to Norris, it took time to work out the financial details.

The construction also provided challenges. Both the mall and the theater are sitting on landfill, which means that Loews had to build an entire support system on a special foundation.

“We’re self-supported,” Faltings said, with pilings that go down 40 feet. “The earth can settle, but the building won’t.”

A methane venting system also is in place so that flammable gases from the landfill are safely siphoned off. But the biggest design challenge came from a neighbor: The airplanes flying into and out of nearby Newark Airport, the busiest airport serving New York City, all of which required the installation of additional layers of acoustic material, including a double ceiling.

Loews plans to build three to four units in the new prototype annually for the next two years, though at press time, no locations had been announced.

“We’re going to be conservative in our expansion plans,” Norris said. “But we’re not going to stop.”

Meanwhile, Jersey Gardens also continues to grow. Eventually, a restaurant will be located on a pad between the mall and cinema, and Glimcher is exploring the costs of building a canopy to connect the three.

“The theater’s one of the pieces of the puzzle that we really needed to get,” Palazzo said. “It’s very exciting to see it done.”

 

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