Ready for the BIG picture?
Mary Shapiro
Of the Suburban Journals
Chesterfield Journal
12/22/2004
The movie "Phantom of the Opera" will be shown starting today (Dec. 22) on the biggest movie screen in the region ? 4,000 square feet ? at the Galaxy 14 Cine in Chesterfield.
The $12 million, 2,700-seat Wehrenberg theater will open its doors for the first time today at 450 THF Boulevard, at the west end of the Chesterfield Commons shopping center.
Work has been under way day and night over the past week to get it ready.
Construction began in March, said Bill Menke, director of facilities for Wehrenberg Theatres. The 50- by 80-foot screen in the main auditorium went up only over the weekend, and including framework and installation, cost $50,000 versus $5,000 for a conventional screen, Menke said.
This will be the 16th Wehrenberg theater to open. The company has facilities in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.
Wehrenberg officials said the Galaxy is state of the art. It is housed in a 60,000-square-foot building that features 14 auditoriums, all featuring stadium seating; wall-to-wall screens; Dolby digital sound with sub-bass enhancements; and "snuggle seats." Those seats have a design based on the 22-inch-wide bucket seats in Ford Mustangs or, in the main theater, the 24-inch-wide Ford Excursion seats. All the seats have cup holders in the armrests.
"We feature 48-inch-wide rows, the widest in the area, to allow plenty of knee and leg room," said Kelly Hoskins, a Wehrenberg spokesperson.
The 8,400-square-foot main auditorium has more than 500 seats, giving it the largest seating capacity of any theater auditorium in the St. Louis area, Hoskins said.
Michael Hart of Chesterfield, a 1990 Parkway Central High School alum, is the projectionist. He can handle those duties for all 14 screens, in the facility's two-story projection area.
"Our No. 12 projector for the big mega screen will be amazing ? really high definition for a very clear picture," Hart said. "And there will be 48 surround-sound speakers behind the main screen and 24 along the outside of the walls there.
"These Dolby SLS speakers are brand-new and state of the art," Hart said. "We're the first (theater) to get them. The only other facilities that use them are concert halls."
The price tag for just the mega auditorium's sound/amplification system is $250,000, Menke added.
Hoskins said elevators will serve the new facility, aiding in handicapped access.
"This theater will feature a drive-through ticketing kiosk in the parking lot, where moviegoers may pick up their web-ordered tickets and purchase (them) using a Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card ? the first such facility in the area," Hoskins said.
Ticketing kiosks also will be featured at the front of the theater for walk-up patrons, Hoskins added.
At the Galaxy, credit cards will be accepted not only at the box office but also at the concession stands. One of those stands, called Fred's Drive In, is a dining area with a 1950s feel. It will offer selections such as real milkshakes made with ice cream; chicken tenders; pizza; toasted ravioli; nachos; buffalo chicken wings; and seasoned french fries.
The theater's upper lobby mezzanine will feature a family entertainment area housing more than 100 electronic games and other types of games.
Private party rooms will be available for children's birthday parties and offer refreshments, souvenirs, balloons and movie tickets.
Hoskins said the main auditorium could be used for special-interest films to accommodate, in the future, school groups, corporate employees, teachers organizations and more.
Wehrenberg Theatres Inc., founded in 1906, is the oldest family owned and operated theater chain in the U.S. and is based in Des Peres.
"Chesterfield is a wonderful location ? Chesterfield Valley is really growing," Hoskins said. "The traffic generated by Chesterfield Commons is great."
The Galaxy's opening will make up for the loss of the 1980s-vintage Clarkson 6 Cine, at Clarkson and Baxter roads, which Wehrenberg closed Dec. 5.
"That theater couldn't be rebuilt and retrofitted to allow for stadium seating or enlarged screens, which is what moviegoers want now," Hoskins said. "We had been on a search since 2001 for another theater location in the Chesterfield area."
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Mary Shapiro
Of the Suburban Journals
Chesterfield Journal
12/22/2004
The movie "Phantom of the Opera" will be shown starting today (Dec. 22) on the biggest movie screen in the region ? 4,000 square feet ? at the Galaxy 14 Cine in Chesterfield.
The $12 million, 2,700-seat Wehrenberg theater will open its doors for the first time today at 450 THF Boulevard, at the west end of the Chesterfield Commons shopping center.
Work has been under way day and night over the past week to get it ready.
Construction began in March, said Bill Menke, director of facilities for Wehrenberg Theatres. The 50- by 80-foot screen in the main auditorium went up only over the weekend, and including framework and installation, cost $50,000 versus $5,000 for a conventional screen, Menke said.
This will be the 16th Wehrenberg theater to open. The company has facilities in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.
Wehrenberg officials said the Galaxy is state of the art. It is housed in a 60,000-square-foot building that features 14 auditoriums, all featuring stadium seating; wall-to-wall screens; Dolby digital sound with sub-bass enhancements; and "snuggle seats." Those seats have a design based on the 22-inch-wide bucket seats in Ford Mustangs or, in the main theater, the 24-inch-wide Ford Excursion seats. All the seats have cup holders in the armrests.
"We feature 48-inch-wide rows, the widest in the area, to allow plenty of knee and leg room," said Kelly Hoskins, a Wehrenberg spokesperson.
The 8,400-square-foot main auditorium has more than 500 seats, giving it the largest seating capacity of any theater auditorium in the St. Louis area, Hoskins said.
Michael Hart of Chesterfield, a 1990 Parkway Central High School alum, is the projectionist. He can handle those duties for all 14 screens, in the facility's two-story projection area.
"Our No. 12 projector for the big mega screen will be amazing ? really high definition for a very clear picture," Hart said. "And there will be 48 surround-sound speakers behind the main screen and 24 along the outside of the walls there.
"These Dolby SLS speakers are brand-new and state of the art," Hart said. "We're the first (theater) to get them. The only other facilities that use them are concert halls."
The price tag for just the mega auditorium's sound/amplification system is $250,000, Menke added.
Hoskins said elevators will serve the new facility, aiding in handicapped access.
"This theater will feature a drive-through ticketing kiosk in the parking lot, where moviegoers may pick up their web-ordered tickets and purchase (them) using a Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card ? the first such facility in the area," Hoskins said.
Ticketing kiosks also will be featured at the front of the theater for walk-up patrons, Hoskins added.
At the Galaxy, credit cards will be accepted not only at the box office but also at the concession stands. One of those stands, called Fred's Drive In, is a dining area with a 1950s feel. It will offer selections such as real milkshakes made with ice cream; chicken tenders; pizza; toasted ravioli; nachos; buffalo chicken wings; and seasoned french fries.
The theater's upper lobby mezzanine will feature a family entertainment area housing more than 100 electronic games and other types of games.
Private party rooms will be available for children's birthday parties and offer refreshments, souvenirs, balloons and movie tickets.
Hoskins said the main auditorium could be used for special-interest films to accommodate, in the future, school groups, corporate employees, teachers organizations and more.
Wehrenberg Theatres Inc., founded in 1906, is the oldest family owned and operated theater chain in the U.S. and is based in Des Peres.
"Chesterfield is a wonderful location ? Chesterfield Valley is really growing," Hoskins said. "The traffic generated by Chesterfield Commons is great."
The Galaxy's opening will make up for the loss of the 1980s-vintage Clarkson 6 Cine, at Clarkson and Baxter roads, which Wehrenberg closed Dec. 5.
"That theater couldn't be rebuilt and retrofitted to allow for stadium seating or enlarged screens, which is what moviegoers want now," Hoskins said. "We had been on a search since 2001 for another theater location in the Chesterfield area."
