The lobby is a bustle of activity at the new St. Michael Cinema, located at 4300 O’Day Avenue in the county’s largest community. Concession areas are being wiped down, point of sale terminals are configured and undergoing testing. Monitors programmed to flash show times and digital preview are being installed.
The familiar windmill and “Moulin Rouge” sign is back at the St. Michael Cinema, with screens (white space below) being installed above the ticket windows.
A theater is coming back to life.
Four years after being unceremoniously “ditched” by its owners, this “cina-plex” here has been at the center of several stories.
And now, it’s finally time to raise the curtain on the second act.
“It’s something I’ve thought about for a long time,” said Nathan Block, co-owner of the new St. Michael Cinema and part of Cinemasota, Inc., the group that purchased the theater last fall. “Five years ago, when word got around that Cinemagic was walking away from this theater, it was literally something that sent a ripple through the movie community here in the Twin Cities. Everyone knew how creative and beautiful this place was. I hadn’t been here since it opened, but the question we all had was, ‘How could that FAIL?’”
However it went down, Cinemagic did decide to walk away, and the theater sat vacated – stripped of seats, concessions, projectors and so much more – for more than a half of a decade.
“It was a feeling that never really left,” Block said of his desire to have a shot at running the St. Michael facility. “So when the price dropped down substantially, we decided, as a company, to revisit the idea.”
The “official” grand opening kicks off Friday night at 6 p.m., but there are some sneak peek showings of “Jurassic World” now set for Thursday night.
Cinemasota owns the Woodbury 10 Theaters in that community, so a complex isn’t out of the norm. And Block is a movie theater “lifer.” He’s worked as a ticket-taker, concession worker, assistant manager and manager before coming a co-owner with Loren Williams back in 2000.
“Our thought, and our hope, is that with a company that is locally owned and locally operated, it’s a more inexpensive business model that will help this theater thrive. The overhead is completely different,” Block said.
So with spit and polish, new seats, projectors, sound and so much more, St. Michael Cinema raises the curtain on Act II this weekend, thanks to a host of dinosaurs and “Jurassic World.”
“We will have four auditoriums going – three of them with ‘Jurassic.’ It’s a huge movie and we’ll have it on our biggest screen, as well as in 3D and 2D. We’ll also have ‘Spy,’ [with Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law] on a screen this weekend,” Block said.
It’s a huge summer for movies – a new Pixar adventure, “Inside Out,” opens June 19, there’s a “Mission Impossible” feature coming. Terminator returns, as do the “Minions.” For comic gurus there’s “Fantastic Four” and “Ant Man.” And, eventually, a closing movie for “The Hunger Games” and … “Star Wars.”
“They say it every summer, how it’s the most anticipated ever,” Block said. “But, this is a summer that truly has something for everyone. We’re excited to be part of it.”
Fresh seats line Auditorium 1, the “Eiffel Screen” theater.
The theater will open with four screens, and be expanded to at least 11 by the end of the year, Block and general manager Steve Cobbs, who lives here in St. Michael, said. There will be at least two 3D screens, as well as the “Eiffel Screen,” which is in the former I-Max theater. Future plans include reserved seating for existing reclining seats (the first couple of rows in most of the theaters).
The concessions will feature more than just popcorn and candy. And yes, the bar on the upper floor is open with select beer and wine.
“We’re phasing things in, because we want to do it the right way,” Block said. “It’s better to take your time and do it right and really tap into all the potential this place has.”
As for competing with two movie theaters nearby, Block said the St. Michael theater’s amenities are positioned well for the market trends.
“The movie is just part of the experience people want. Families love to have the convenience of getting dinner, having entertainment and being able to do that all in one place. If you head to Vegas, you have complexes with bowling, movies, dinner and Laser Tag, or something like that. So the movie is a piece of it. I think here, we can provide a more upscale experience. It’s a bar. There’s a café on the horizon. I think, really, Cinemagic was a bit ahead of the curve with this theater, and for one reason or another it was short-changed. Because this is really on the cutting edge, and we’re excited about that.”
French-themed signage once again greets customers to the concession/cafe area.
St. Michael Cinema will launch with 25 employees, including crew and four managers, led by Cobbs.
“The response from people here, it’s been so incredible,” Block said. “We’ve built a great Facebook following in Woodbury over the last five years, with about 4,000 followers. It took us less than four months to get 6,000 here. I wish I could shake the hand of every one of them. I really do. Because it gets the word out and gets us into the community before we even sell a ticket.”
Listings, information and some clever contests can be found on the St. Michael Cinema’s Facebook page.
If you’re not on Facebook – FEAR NOT! St. Michael Cinema will be posting movie listings right here on NorthWrightCounty.Today each week.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” Block said. “We’re ready. Let’s get started.”
IF YOU GO:
What: St. Michael Cinema Grand Opening, featuring “Jurassic World” and “Spy”
Where: St. Michael Cinema (theater), 4300 O’Day Avenue NE
When: Special showings Thursday, with four theaters opening Friday evening. UV Vodka event from 6 to 8 p.m.
Cost: Adults are $7, Children are $5. Matinee tickets before 6pm are $5. There’s a $2 upcharge for 3D