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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Dinner-and-a-Movie Spot to Boost Glendale

Dine-in theater chain Studio Movie Grill this fall is moving into the former MGN Five Star Cinema space on Artsakh Avenue in Glendale’s downtown arts district as part of the city’s push to revitalize the area. With a soft launch scheduled for Oct. 17, the 10-screen, 60,000-square-foot theater will offer guests American-style dinner and a movie for roughly $25 to $35. It promises to bring ample foot traffic to a sleepy neighborhood just a stone’s throw from bustling Brand Boulevard and its Americana at Brand shopping center. “We like going to cities and places that need a spark,” said SMG Chief Executive Brian Schultz, an Agoura Hills native. “We think about these theaters as a community gathering space.” He pointed to a similar effort in Philadelphia’s Upper Darby neighborhood, which just a few years ago was littered with retail vacancies. Now, two years after SMG’s arrival, the block is 100 percent leased. Schultz called this the “multiplier effect.” Regarding the Glendale location, he said: “I’m looking forward to see how other tenants take advantage of the traffic we bring,” adding, “the city has expressed similar sentiment.” But location isn’t everything. The two previous tenants of the property were movie theaters too — first a Mann Theatre, then Five Star, which also included a dining concept — and they shuttered quietly. The building has remained empty since 2017. Schultz wasn’t spooked by the property’s rocky track record and seemed confident that SMG will succeed where its competitors failed. “We’ve been doing this for 26 years and have our execution of the model down at a good price,” he said. Plus, a comprehensive remodel will inject new life into the cinema, adding 780 heated recliners, chilled cupholders and a full-service bar and lounge in the lobby. The new theater will bolster Glendale’s already strong moviegoing market, which includes a Pacific Theater in the Americana plaza and a Laemmle Theatre on Maryland Avenue. Rather than viewing these as competitors, Schultz said he hopes the theaters can work out a symbiotic relationship. Laemmle focuses on showing smaller-budget indie films and therefore won’t infringe on SMG’s more mainstream screenings. And SMG’s dining options and luxurious setting set it apart from Pacific. Schultz suggested the theater network is “ripe for festivals.” “We’re movie lovers,” he said. “We want the industry to be strong.” SMG was founded in 1998 and opened its first theater in Dallas. The company has since grown to 33 locations in 10 states; Glendale will be its 34th. California locations include Simi Valley, Downey and Bakersfield. After receiving a $100 million investment from equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners in April, SMG now has nine additional locations under development.

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