EVO Entertainment has broken ground on a new entertainment destination in Forney, Texas that will bring a movie theater and other entertainment options that include bowling, rock climbing, and more.

Located about 24 miles east of Dallas along Highway 80 near Gateway Boulevard, the new facility will feature nine movie theaters, including one IMAX auditorium and two of the company's premium EVX auditoriums. They will be flanked by a full-service bar and restaurant, a lounge, and event spaces. Also included in the 82,000 square foot venue will be 22 lanes of bowling, more than 125 arcade games, a ropes course, rock climbing walls, bumper cars, and laser tag.

The project is part of The Village at Gateway development, which will offer retail, dining, and entertainment options for the surrounding community. The EVO Entertainment - Forney is slated to open in Fall 2026.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held January 20, 2026 with community leaders, development partners in the project, and local stakeholders in attendance. Forney City Council member Zahnd Schlensker was quoted as saying:

“In Forney, we talk a lot about ‘Forney Family,’ and that spirit truly matters here,” said Schlensker. “EVO embodies that same sense of family—not just for the Mitchell family, but for the entire Forney community. With deep roots tied to this town, it means so much that those roots have led EVO to choose Forney. This project is about honoring the past while creating a place where new memories will be made for generations to come.”

The press release issued by EVO Entertainment mentions that it has a connection to Forney. The company's CEO, Mitchell Roberts, identified that his grandfather, Lee Roy Mitchell, was a native of Forney and founded what became the Cinemark movie theater company in the 1960s.

The Family Entertainment Center Trend

Family Entertainment Centers (FEC) are becoming a popular trend in the movie theater industry. As exhibitors have seen a decline in revenues from standalone movie theaters due to a variety of pressures from a pandemic that closed theaters across the country, a writers strike that limited the availability of new movies, and the myriad entertainment options available to consumers, diversifying into offering multiple forms of entertainment helps such operations get built. That helps the movie theater industry as a whole, because when a challenge comes along that decreases movie theater attendance, there are other aspects to the operation that keep the lights on.

EVO Entertainment is part of Austin-based Elevate Entertainment Group and the company operates seven locations in Texas and New Mexico under the EVO Entertainment and EVO Cinemas brands. Its first New Mexico location, the EVO Entertainment + EVX + IMAX - Santa Fe, opened in December in Sante Fe. Additional locations are currently under construction.

Where to Watch Movies on the Big Screen in the Forney Area

Until it opens, moviegoers in the area will need to visit one of the other nearby theaters, including the AMC Classic Forney 12 in Forney and the Film Alley Terrell in Terrell.

When it opens, this new movie theater and entertainment venue is going to place a lot of pressure on the AMC Classic Forney 12, which is less than a mile away. That location is a former Starplex location that AMC acquired in 2016 and its designation as a Classic-branded theater likely means that it does not offer the amenities that many people now expect at movie theaters.

Will AMC respond by improving that location to compete or are its days numbered? That answer likely will come in the next year or so.

The Film Alley Terrell also offers a bowling alley and an arcade, as well as a restaurant that offers "from-scratch" made menu items. It is currently advertising a stand-up comedy event, so it is offering something that wasn't mentioned in the EVO press release. Combined with the fact that it is about seven miles away, it stands a better chance of competing in the wake of the new venue's opening than the AMC does.

Source: EVO Entertainment Press Release. Images above are provided by EVO Entertainment and used with permission.