Carmike To Bring "BigD" Theater To Wilmington

Jul 7, 2011

Carmike Cinemas, Inc. (NASDAQ: CKEC), a leading DIGITAL cinema and 3D motion picture exhibitor, today announced the projected summer 2012 opening of a new Carmike entertainment complex to be located at The Villages at Myrtle Grove in Wilmington, North Carolina.

The new Carmike location will feature ten screens with total seating for 1,800 and will be highlighted by a state-of-the-art “BigD” DIGITAL EXPERIENCE auditorium, Carmike’s premium theater environment. With the opening of the new location, the Wilmington, NC area will join a select and growing list of domestic regional markets offering Carmike theatergoers the exciting new “BigD” format.

Carmike President and CEO David Passman noted: “We look forward to providing the ultimate entertainment experience for our friends in Wilmington, NC and surrounding towns with the opening of the new state-of-the-art Carmike 10-plex next summer. All screens will be DIGITAL, several 3-D compatible, and our “BigD” auditorium will showcase our large format DIGITAL EXPERIENCE featuring a bigger screen, bigger sound and luxurious theater seating for cutting-edge presentation and the definitive enjoyment of our audiences.”

The Village at Myrtle Grove, located at 5511 Carolina Boulevard, provides Carmike’s new theater location with an attractive and strategic high-traffic intersection (where Highway 421 and Piner Road meet) in the heart of a retail hub, and also convenient to southwest Wilmington and nearby beaches. A population of over 100,000 resides within 15 minutes of The Village at Myrtle Grove, making it an ideal location for a brand new theatre. “Bringing a theater group of Carmike’s high quality to Wilmington’s Southside and greater Carolina Beach/Kure Beach area is something we recognized as very important and I applaud both Carmike Cinemas and center owner Ziff Properties (ZPI) for their commitment to make this happen,” said Bryan Greene, Cape Fear Commercial Senior Vice President and broker representing ZPI on the deal. “This will be a major amenity to area residents and seasonal visitors and a major addition to the local economy.”

Area movie-goers to the “BigD Experience” will be drawn by the many enhanced theater amenities offered by a colossal wall-to-wall screen measuring 60 feet wide and over three stories tall, boosted by the latest in 7.1 surround sound and DIGITAL projection of both 2-D and 3-D features. In technical terms, Carmike’s “BigD” DIGITAL Experience is powered by a cutting-edge Christie Brilliant 3-D flash projector, which is also capable of projecting 2-D images. The end result is a light output of 30,000 lumens, creating a picture quality with noticeably higher resolution than HD.

The new environment will be further embellished by the comfort of plush leather high-back rocking seats placed for optimal viewing in a stadium seating configuration.

“The success over the past years of 3-D releases including ‘Avatar,’ ‘Toy Story 3,’ ‘Transformers Dark of the Moon,’ and this past week’s record-breaking new ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2,’ proves that audiences are not only excited about and enjoy the new DIGITAL experience, but they are also demanding it,” added David Passman. “These early successes will no doubt persuade producers to release more movies and alternative content in this format, and with the “BigD” experience – in either 3-D or 2-D DIGITAL – Carmike is proud to provide our guests with the best-in-breed technology and total luxury that brings theatergoing to an even higher level.”

Commenting on the summer 2012 addition of Wilmington to Carmike’s “BigD” Experience locations, Terrell Mayton, Director of Marketing noted: “Whether it is a Hollywood movie, musical concert, live sporting event, motivational speaker or church service, our valued patrons will find “BigD” placing them at the heart of the event.”

View the original story on the Business Wire website.