Frank Johnson, general manager of the new Lewisburg Cinema 8, demonstrates the comfort to be found in a front row recliner in the theater’s auditoriums.
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — A long-anticipated multiplex movie theater in the Gateway Commons shopping development is slated to open its doors to the public just in time for Easter weekend.
A full 31 months after plans for the new theater were publicly unveiled, Lewisburg Cinema 8 will open Friday, according to Greg Pauley, vice president of GHTC Theatres, a partner in the project along with Barnette Development LLC and Wes Sheridan. Construction of the $5 million, 1,000-seat multiplex was delayed for a host of reasons, including stormwater drainage issues, design and siting adjustments and, most recently, harsh weather.
“We thought it would be a perfect fit for Lewisburg, since there are a lot of historic structures here,” Pauley said.
While the metallic textured and drapery-festooned walls and Moorish light fixtures hearken back to a bygone era of opulent theaters, the tiered stadium seating is designed to suit modern expectations of comfort, with plump upholstery, convenient drop-down cup holders and even a row of inviting recliners stretching across the front of each of Cinema 8’s auditoriums. Pauley emphasized that there is no “up-charge” for the recliners, but they are first-come, first-seated.
Ranging from 90 seats to 250, each of the eight auditoriums also includes spaces designated for wheelchairs. To further accommodate patrons with physical limitations, the theater has volume-adjustable headphones for people who have difficulty hearing, small LCD screens that fit in a cup holder to provide closed-captioning and “descriptive” headsets which provide descriptions of the action on the screen…