(The theater) is marvelous, said Cathy Houle from Chehalis, who came to watch the opening of Quarantine Friday afternoon at the new 10-screen movie theater in the Lewis County Mall. Its about time we had something thats up date here.
And few wasted any time to take a look, as the long-awaited Midway Cinema opened its doors for the first time to the general public at around noon Friday afternoon. Within the first four hours, an estimated 150 tickets were sold. Six hours later, approximately 600 tickets had been purchased.
The theater even surprised a few who came for the grand opening.
I thought it was bigger than it would be, said Stephanie Cabrera, who also watched Quarantine. I thought itd be small, but it was actually pretty big.
Out of the 10 screens, the smallest screen seats 80 people. The average screen seats about 160 people, but the largest screen seats 203 people.
The cinema boasts stadium seating with reclining chairs that rock and have cupholders, but the general manager of the cinema, Michael Heninger, believes that everyone will really enjoy the most basic components of any theater, the picture and the sound.
The quality of the picture and sound are better than anything thats out there, Heninger said. People want a perfect picture. Theyre gonna get it. They want perfect sound. We got that.
Heninger says this is because of the fact that the theater is completely digital. This means the movie isnt on a film, which may have scratches, but on a hard drive. The hard drive is then loaded into a central server and then sent electronically to its proper projector.
I like the stadium seating and the surround sound, Houle said. I always had to go to Olympia to see all the new movies, so its good they have them down here now. Its a long time coming.
Moviegoers are not the only ones who are pleased by the opening of the new cinema. Joe Rosbach, property manager of the Lewis County Mall, is happy to see everything finalized.
I think (the theater) will revitalize the mall and give us a better standpoint on leasing, Rosbach said.
Rosbach also went on to say that he believes the theater will bring positive change to the mall sooner rather than later.
We had some interest from some possible tenants before the theater doors opened, Rosbach said. So hopefully more will follow.
Midway Cinema is still not complete, though. The polish found inside cant be found on the outside quite yet, as the facade at the former Rite Aid Pharmacy is still under construction. Heninger said a date for final completion has not been determined, but that it should be soon. Scheduling problems with the sign company led to the delay, he said.
But on Friday youd be hard pressed to find someone who cared much about that. Those who came to watch a movie at Lewis Countys newest cinema seemed to be glad they had a new theater to call their own.
