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Kansas City, MO: AMC Mainstreet Opens to the Public May 1, 2009

Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:18 PM and updated on Thursday, October 7, 2021 3:13 PM


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Theater photoAMC Entertainment announced today that the AMC Mainstreet will open to the public on Friday, May 1, 2009.

Previously known as the Empire Theatre, the building has been renovated to include three "Cinema Suites" auditoriums and three traditional auditoriums, as well as a restaurant called "The Marquee Bar & Grill." The AMC web site describes the "Cinema Suites" as:

For the ultimate in luxury moviegoing at an affordable price, AMC® guests can upgrade to one of three upper-level Cinema Suites auditoriums featuring a premium in-theatre dining experience. Relax in plush, reclining seats with eight-foot row spacing while enjoying Seat-Side Service™, a full bar menu and a diverse list of appetizers, sandwiches, entrees, deserts and traditional theatre concessions. Just look for the domed lobby where you can mingle before and after the Cinema Suites movie going experience.

Guests must be at least 21 years old, or accompanied by an adult parent or guardian.

This type of luxury experience, often with dining and drinks options, is becoming very popular as theaters attempt to attract more customers with upscale amenities. Serving alcoholic drinks also requires a minimum age of attendance, which is attractive to those looking to avoid disruptions that often accompany unattended minors.

The press release also states that each auditorium is equipped with digital cinema projection systems, 11-channel sound, and the seats are equipped with transducers that vibrate with the bass frequencies in the movie, creating a more tactile experience. It's not clear if every seat in every auditorium is equipped with these transducers, nor are there any details about if their effect can be adjusted or turned off. (These may be the D-Box systems that we talked about in March that were being installed ahead of Fast & Furious.)

The Marquee Bar & Grill is a 90-seat restaurant located in the theater lobby, and it offers a menu containing "fresh, natural ingredients." The dining area boasts 40-foot ceilings and chandelier sculptures, and a mezzanine overlooking the restaurant will be available for private events.

For more information, please see the press release included below.

Related Information

Press Release

Experience a Classic Reborn: AMC Entertainment® To Unveil State-Of-The-Art AMC Mainstreet on May 1

Historical Venue Re-Opens as All-Digital Theatre in Downtown Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City, Mo. (April 29, 2009) - AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), a leading theatrical exhibition and entertainment company, today announced AMC Mainstreet, located at 14th and Main Streets in downtown Kansas City, Mo., will open to the public on Friday, May 1 with such early summer releases as 20th Century Fox's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and Warner Bros.' "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past." AMC Mainstreet, previously known as the Empire Theatre, has been completely renovated to include three auditoriums featuring Cinema Suites™, a premium, upscale in-theatre dining and entertainment option, three traditional auditoriums, and The Marquee Bar & Grill.

"AMC was happy to partner with The Cordish Company as the highly anticipated opening of AMC Mainstreet will provide a special entertainment destination for all Kansas City residents, employees and visitors alike," said Gerry Lopez, chief executive officer and president, AMC. "Guests will be amazed at the historical building's transformation while enjoying a modern, high-tech, out-of-home entertainment experience at this incredible theatre."

"We were extremely excited to partner with AMC to renovate this historic venue and now celebrate the opening of AMC Mainstreet," said Reed Cordish, vice president, The Cordish Company. "Combining state-of-the-art amenities as well as a destination restaurant, The Marquee Bar & Grill, makes for an entertainment and dining experience unmatched in the country. It is yet another incredible anchor to the revitalization of downtown."

AMC Mainstreet will feature reserved seating in each of its six, all-digital auditoriums and welcomes guests 18-years-old and over, and minors accompanied by a parent or guardian. The entertainment destination will also offer a combination of the most current movies and other types of entertainment, presented in the immersive, big-screen viewing environment of an AMC theatre.

For the ultimate in luxury moviegoing at an affordable price, AMC guests 21-years-old and over can upgrade to one of three Cinema Suites auditoriums featuring in-theatre Seat-Side Service™, where moviegoers will have the opportunity to order from a diverse menu as well as traditional theatre concessions. Entertainment lovers will dine from an extensive menu on unique swivel tables all while relaxing in plush, reclining seats with nine feet of row spacing.

The Marquee Bar & Grill, a 90-seat restaurant located in the lobby of the theatre, will offer an assorted menu with fresh, natural ingredients. Guests will enjoy the lounge area with leather chairs, a four-sided bar with mirrored towers more than two stories high, an exhibition kitchen and a dining area with 40-foot ceilings, and custom chandelier sculptures. A mezzanine overlooking the restaurant will also be available for private events.

A unique feature next to the concession stand will be a flavor wall with self-serve drink stations including flavor shots, a popcorn seasoning station, expanded condiments and a coffee café with barista. In addition, guests will conveniently be able to pick snacks from grab-and-go coolers and choose from a selection of beer and wine.

Guests of AMC Mainstreet will enjoy free parking with validation for their first three hours, at the Main Street garage, on the east side of Main Street, just north of 13th Street, and the KC Live garage, located on the south side of 13th Street just east of Walnut Street. In addition to private lots around the theatre, valet parking is also available across the street from the theatre in front of Bristol Seafood Grill just east of 14th and Main Streets.

The renovated AMC Mainstreet, a nationally registered historic landmark, first opened in October 1921 as a vaudeville theatre and later movie house, including acts such as Cab Calloway, Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers. The building today still features exposed brick, steel beams and concrete from the original structure, as well as a restoration of the theatre's original neoclassical and French Second Empire exterior design, creating a playful tie between the theatre's historic past and its present state-of-the-art offerings.

AMC Mainstreet's other special features include:

  • A prominent blade sign on the exterior of the building rising 50 feet into the air
  • A 64-foot LED screen wrapped around the exterior canopy, showing current and upcoming titles, promotions and programs, complimented by three, 42-inch LCD monitors in the lobby bar area
  • Two, powerful carbon-arc lamp systems producing intense light beams from the rooftop to illuminate the night sky and draw guests to AMC Mainstreet
  • A coat check for all guests and a host station to seat guests at The Marquee Bar & Grill
  • Six all-digital auditoriums containing more than 540 seats with projectors capable of producing images with more than four times the resolution of HDTV
  • Stadium seating with 21-inch risers and 50-inch row spacing for a perfectly clear, unobstructed view in all auditoriums
  • Seat transducers installed under each seat to enhance the entertainment experience by creating a vibration through low frequency sound enabling the guest to hear and feel the bass
  • Eleven-channel digital audio in every auditorium, including overhead sound, for clear, dynamic distortion-free audio and lifelike special effects
  • One exterior and three interior Automated Box Offices (ABOs) for easy ticket purchasing and advance ticket order pick-up
  • AMC SELECT® - program that provides guests a year-round selection of the best independent and specialty films at state-of-the-art AMC Mainstreet

For additional information, please visit www.amctheatres.com/mainstreet.

About AMC Entertainment Inc.

Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., AMC Entertainment Inc. is a leading theatrical exhibition and entertainment company. With a history of industry leadership and innovation dating back to 1920, the company today serves hundreds of millions of guests annually through interests in 309 theatres with 4,628 screens in five countries. www.amctheatres.com.

About The Cordish Company

The Cordish Company (www.cordish.com) now in its fourth generation of family ownership, is a multi-billion dollar conglomerate including one of the leading real estate development companies in the United States. The company has diverse development expertise with divisions focused on Entertainment & Mixed-Use, Gaming & Lodging, Sports Anchored Districts, Shopping & Lifestyle Retail, Office and Residential. The Cordish Company also owns and manages a diverse group of operating businesses, ranging from restaurants/clubs to live music promotion to film/media distribution. In Gaming & Lodging, the company and its affiliates are best known for having developed the two Florida-based Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, FL and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa, Indiana Live! (outside Indianapolis, Indiana), and Charleston Place (Charleston, South Carolina). The Cordish Company has received the highest possible national awards in its various areas of expertise. In real estate, The Cordish Company has received an unprecedented six Urban Land Institute Awards of Excellence.



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