Landmark Theatres opening seven-screen cineplex in Baltimore

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Nov 2, 2007 by Louis Llovio

Baltimore's movie business gets a competitive jolt Friday when Landmark Theatres opens a glitzy seven-screen cineplex in the city's rapidly developing Harbor East area.

With gourmet concessions, a full bar, state-of-the-art projection systems and leather reclining seats, the new theater will challenge two established Baltimore landmarks, The Charles and Senator, for a chunk of the movie-going market.

Tom Kiefaber, owner of the Senator Theatre, is optimistic that Landmark's new entry will help his often-troubled movie house while James "Buzz" Cusack, of The Charles Theatre, is concerned about the impact on his business.

Ted Mundorff, chief operating officer of Landmark, insists there is enough business to go around.

"We think Baltimore is primed for a theater like this," he said. "But that doesn't mean there isn't enough room for everybody."

Landmark Theatres Harbor East is the first theater to open in downtown Baltimore since the United Artists nine-screen Harbor Park Cinema closed more than seven years ago following several incidents of violence.

Landmark executives believe they can avoid the problems that plagued Harbor Park Cinema because the new theater will cater to an older, well-educated demographic that is already dining or living in Harbor East or one that is looking for a specialized, limited- distribution film.

"We're creating an adult atmosphere as opposed to a mainstream one," Mundorff said. "Basically we want people to come here and have a drink at a beautiful theater and then watch a good movie."

Creating that atmosphere is important for Landmark because, while there are few city theaters, moviegoers have a lot to choose from in the suburbs.

There are 19 theaters with 179 screens within 20 miles of the city. This includes the Muvico Egyptian at Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover. With 24 screens, it is the best-attended movie theater in the country, with about 2.8 million tickets sold in 2006.

Because moviegoers have so many choices of where to see a movie, amenities can play a major role in their decision-making process.

Surveys show that "people will travel further to go to stadium seating," said Tal Newhart, CEO of Parcon Research, which operates Theatresforsale.com, a firm that deals with movie theaters. "That indicates to me that they are looking for the experience. It's not just what's on the screen."

If Landmark can create its desired atmosphere in Baltimore, then the Harbor East theater will work, he said.

The $15 million movie house is the only movie theater with a liquor license in Maryland and one of 11 Landmark theaters that serve alcohol nationwide.

The company has also equipped three of its screens with digital projectors for better picture quality. While many theater chains are slowly converting to digital projection, neither The Charles nor the Senator have done so.

Developer Michael Beatty, vice president of H&S Properties Development Corp., said Harbor East recruited Landmark to the area because it would fit in with the crowd Harbor East wants to draw.

"When we started Harbor East, we wanted an environment where people could come and stay," Beatty said.

Located between the Inner Harbor and Fells Point, Harbor East is turning into an urban entertainment center with several national and local restaurants. The movie theater adds another attraction.

"People can now come in, park their cars, have dinner, have a drink and see a movie," Beatty said. "Landmark will be able to draw from the entire city and, I expect, it will draw really well from [Baltimore] County."

He is betting that there will be enough moviegoers to make the theater thrive -- as are Landmark's owners.

"Apparently, Landmark knows a lot more about the movie business than I do," said Cusack, owner of The Charles Theatre. "They believe there is enough business to go around."

Cusack is not so sure.

The problem, as he sees it, is not location or amenities, but the availability of films.

The Charles, a five-screen theater between Charles Village and Mount Vernon, will now have to compete with Landmark for films it previously would have carried exclusively.

Landmark, like The Charles, will specialize in independent films. However, it also plans to show larger, Oscar-worthy studio films.

Opening weekend, for example, will feature a major studio production -- "American Gangster" -- two independent films -- a re- release of "Blade Runner" and "Control" -- and an animated feature - - "Bee Movie."

That mix, Landmark officials say, along with the amenities and

location, will draw customers in droves. But they would not reveal their specific attendance expectations for the Harbor East location.

Landmark's ability to draw worries Cusack, who said it will become increasingly difficult for him to compete for films. Independent film distributors who are already facing cost constraints will not send prints of the same movie to two theaters within several miles of each other, he said.

"What they are going to do is go where they can make the most money. And the most money comes from the place where the most people go," he said.