Viewing Pleasure

Emagine Entertainment Revamping Hamilton Town Center Theater

Writer / Jon Shoulders

Photography Provided

Paul Glantz, co-founder and chairman of Michigan-based Emagine Entertainment, says the company’s theater facility in Hamilton Town Center, formerly an IMAX theater run by Goodrich Quality Theaters, will provide a fresh, maximally comfortable experience for moviegoers.

“We’ve got a whole set of detailed plans and specifications, and we’re going to be giving it a real facelift,” Glantz says. “Our mandate is to provide our guests with an exemplary entertainment experience. It’s about comforts, service, smiling teammates, and 1,000 details to make the experience great.”

Goodrich Quality Theaters closed the space in March of last year. Emagine leaders plan to keep the theater open throughout the construction process.

“We think Noblesville is an incredibly attractive market for us, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity,” Glantz says. “We know it’s a suburb of Indianapolis that has grown and grown, and it fits within our wheelhouse.”

After opening multiple locations in Michigan, the Emagine Entertainment team opened theaters in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

“The opportunity to expand in Indiana is a real pleasure for us,” Glantz says.

The company plans to complete the renovations for the building in phases, closing one wing of the facility at a time. Glantz hopes to have all construction complete by the winter holiday season this year.

“All the chairs will be replaced with heated, powered recliners and will be built in a way that there’s no such thing as an obstructed view,” Glantz explains. “We’re going to move the bar so it’s more visible, and we’ll be making some alterations to the concession stand. We’ll be bringing in brick-oven pizza, which will be made right in front of our guests, and expanding the food and beverage menu pretty dramatically.”

Glantz adds that Emagine also plans to replace the existing IMAX screen with the company’s own large-format EMAX screen.

“There’s an enormous amount of ceiling height in that particular auditorium, and we’re actually going to have what we call a skybox in that auditorium,” Glantz says. “It will be a private seating area with about 20 chairs, and will have room for a portable bar and will have a restroom. It will be a really unique place in which to watch the big blockbuster films as a private viewing experience up above the rest of the guests.”

The facility will also be available for private rentals.

“We do a lot of work with philanthropic organizations, with birthday parties and family events,” Glantz says, adding that he’s seen a continuous uptick in business since January. “Hollywood just started dealing us a better hand, and now we’ve got more films that folks find compelling that will be coming out. When folks feel like they’ve got to come out to see the new “Top Gun” or James Bond movie, that will be what I think is the real acid test for the recovery of our industry.”

Glantz considers moviegoing to be one of the safest indoor activities available to individuals and families.

“There has not been a single report of COVID-19 among moviegoers worldwide,” Glantz says. “Most people wouldn’t necessarily realize that, and it stems from the fact that everybody’s looking in the same direction, and folks aren’t facing each other, so there’s less opportunity for direct transmission. On top of that, the engineering requirements for a congregate facility like a movie theater require a lot of air displacement. We’re bringing in a lot of fresh air as our HVAC systems are running.”

Glantz feels that amenities such as a bar with craft beer, specialty cocktails and wine, along with comfortable stadium seating and a food menu with choices beyond standard theater fare, will help to increase business as the company works toward completion of renovations.

“I’ve never predicted that our business would bounce back like a rubber band, but my expectation is that once the venue is renovated to our standards, and we’ve got the elements of food and beverage and the comfortable seating, then I think word of mouth will drive increased attendance,” he says. “I see the business growing throughout 2022.”

Glantz adds that Emagine Entertainment’s reception in the Noblesville community bodes well for the future of the theater.

“We have been welcomed with open arms,” Glantz says. “We bought the liquor license that was there from the prior owner, and Hamilton County has been very gracious in allowing that liquor permit to be transferred. The governmental support has been strong, and I think the community support will be even better once we demonstrate that we’re good to our promise, which is that we’re going to create the best moviegoing experience in the marketplace.”

For more information, visit emagine-entertainment.com/theatres/emagine-noblesville.