BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN)..It may take just a few weeks longer than first expected, but the revamped and rebranded Market Arcade Cinemas - a key anchor in the downtown Theatre District - are due to open later this month.
That's the word from Joe Masher, CEO of Schenectady-based Scene One Entertainment that is taking over the operation of the eight-screen Main Street cinema complex.
"Everything is shaping up," Masher said.
Scene One signed a long term lease with the Benchmark Group to take over the Market Arcade Cinemas - a key downtown and Theatre District entertainment anchor. The screens went dark in late December when AMC ended its run with the theaters.
Masher said besides basic renovations including repairing seats, adding new coats of paint and refurbishing the entire complex, his company ordered a state-of-the-art digital projection system designed to enhance the movie watching experience.
"My goal is to make sure everything is 100% the day we open," Masher said.
The new equipment began arriving on March 30. Training for the 25 hired workers is also starting this week.
At least one fund raiser that will center on showing "The Natural," a movie shot in Buffalo in 1983,
Once officially open, the theaters will show first run Hollywood productions and along with independent films.
The complex has 653 seats, with the two largest screening rooms each with a 126-person capacity.
Masher said he and his staff will work closely with other Theatre District groups to help cross promote and hopefully drive more people into the central business district.
Other special events include a James Bond film festival in August and an Alfred Hitchcock film festival in October.
As for the theaters, they are being rebranded the Scene One Market Arcade complex.
Revamped Market Arcade Cinemas due to open by mid-April
