The cinema complex that civic leaders are counting on to lead a downtown revival is now open.
This week marks the start of business for the Capitol Annex, the new Magic Lantern Theatres multiplex at the corner of 11th Avenue and 101st Street in North Battleford.
The four-screen facility kicked things off Thursday with a special VIP night, which included the one-time-only screening of the movie Cold Pursuit starring Liam Neeson.
The evening was described as a way to thank all of those who were behind the project from the start.
“We had some people in City Hall and just on the ground who really wanted a theatre and worked hard to get it here,” said the Capitol’s manager Ursula Swindler. They also paid tribute to those who worked directly on the construction.
Representatives from Armoury Brewery were there to serve craft beer for the occasion. A silent auction was also held for The Lighthouse Serving The Battlefords.
The next day, Friday, was the official first full day with paying customers. Scheduled for the first weekend at the Annex were Captain Marvel, Wonder Park, Five Feet Apart and Isn’t It Romantic.
The opening is the culmination of years of lobbying and effort to bring a new cinema to North Battleford.
Mayor Ryan Bater, one of many local “VIPs” at the Thursday screening, said a new movie theatre was something on the wish list of local residents for 20 years.
“To walk in the door for the first time is something I don’t think I’ll forget for a very long time. The quality of life of this community just increased substantially because citizens of the Battlefords and the surrounding area have an opportunity to see modern films in a modern facility, and it’s a long time coming.”
Bater credited Jennifer Niesink, director of planning and development, as well as the rest of their staff, for working with Tom Hutchinson, president of Magic Lantern, and his team to make the project come to fruition.
Civic leaders have been particularly invested in the development, as they have pinned their hopes on the new cinema as a cornerstone of their efforts towards revitalization of the downtown core. Bater believes it will achieve a primary goal of attracting more people to the downtown.
“This is an anchor, this is something that will attract people specifically to watch a movie,” said Bater.
“This will attract its own natural traffic, where other businesses can benefit from that as well. This is all part of the master plan for downtown. We’re investing in infrastructure at the same time, and it’s great to see.”
Over the past two years the city has already installed new sidewalks, lights, benches and curb extensions, among others, as part of its own rehabilitation of 101st Street.
Some new businesses have since opened along the street, and over on 102nd Street a new Giant Tiger store is scheduled to open in May.
For their part, the theatre is encouraging cinema-goers to walk around the downtown and see the businesses elsewhere, so that it is not simply “go to the show and leave” but “go have an experience and have a full night,” as Swindler describes it.
Swindler said the Capitol is looking to work with businesses downtown, so “when you come to the show you can either go have supper first and walk to the movies, or go back after the movies and have a drink or have something to eat.”
The North Battleford Capitol Annex is itself a brand-new standalone structure. However it is being billed by Magic Lantern as an extension of the original Capitol Theatre directly across the corner on 100th Street and 11th Avenue.
Magic Lantern has set up a common ticketing system for all five screens at both venues. The screen at the original Capitol is designated Cinema One, while the screens at the Capitol Annex are designated Cinema Two, Three, Four and Five.
The original Capitol continues to be the largest cinema with 179 seats. Cinema Two has 152 seats, Three has 102, Four has 130 and Five has 95.
Those who have experienced movies at the Capitol can expect a similar feel to the Annex, but there are differences. While the seats are comfortable leather chairs that have the ability to rock back a little bit, they do not fully recline.
More noticeable is the steeper-rising “stadium-style” seating in the Annex, compared to the more traditional theatre seating of the Capitol.
The increase in screens will mean immediate benefits for the Capitol in booking releases. One issue that plagued the Capitol was the demand by Hollywood studios for bookings of a minimum four weeks for blockbusters such as the Star Wars movies.
That length of booking was an automatic non-starter for the Capitol, as it could not afford to have one movie tie up its single screen for multiple weeks.
The addition of four more screens now frees up the Capitol to book those big releases for multiple-week runs, and offer a variety of other movies including different genres.
“We’re so excited because we are able to play five movies every week as opposed to one, so people have a choice” said Swindler. “That’s what North Battleford really needed.”
The new building also includes the requisite concession area as well as a new party room for kids’ birthdays and special events.
Swindler said a dozen new staff has been hired for the new cinemas, bringing their overall staff to 20.
The cinema project has seen several twists and turns ever since the city and Magic Lantern announced plans to build a five-screen cinema in July 2016. Magic Lantern had acquired the site from the city for a nominal fee of one dollar.
Contamination issues at the west end of the site held up the start of construction, and then plans changed again in February 2017 when Magic Lantern announced the purchase of the Capitol from Melfort-based Dynasty Theatres.
The Capitol was then closed for major renovations for three months before it reopened with the screening of Wonder Woman on June 2, 2017. The renovations were valued at $630,015. The city later granted a five-year tax inventive on the municipal portion of property taxes for that build.
Construction of the new cinema complex was put on hold until May 2018, when shovels finally went in the ground and the foundation started to go in. That build, as well, has qualified for the city’s downtown tax incentive.
An obvious question that has come up is parking, with residents expressing concerns it will be difficult to find parking around the theatre.
There are plans to alleviate the issue, but it will take a few more months. A new parking lot is slated for construction in the lot to the west of the Capitol Annex across from the courthouse.
Mayor Bater has confirmed paving work will begin sometime this summer and be completed this year. An amount of $375,000 has been allocated in the city’s 2019 budget towards that project.
Construction had not been able to start there until now as the land was needed to park the heavy equipment for the Magic Lantern build.
When finished, the lot will be paid-parking lot during weekdays and serve as cinema parking during evenings and on weekends.
Other public parking is already available in front of the liquor store and RCMP building, and in other parts of downtown. The City of North Battleford is contractually obligated under an agreement with Magic Lantern to provide 175 parking stalls within two blocks of the cinema for the non-exclusive use of cinema patrons.
