Starplex Cinemas Opening in Kingwood By Linda Dalton
Last night, I attended the VIP grand opening of the Starplex Cinemas Kingwood Movies 14. The stars were in attendance – at least their impersonators – as hundreds of members of the Kingwood Chamber of Commerce got a preview of the much-anticipated movie theater complex at the corner of Northpark Drive and U.S. Highway 59 in Kingwood. Starplex opens to the public on Friday, June 18.
Jack Sparrow and Austin Powers look alikes were meeting and greeting the crowd in the lobby. I also ran into Keller Williams Realty Northeast agent Jeremy Williams (dressed as himself) and his wife Lori who were enjoying the party. Waiters let us sample from the concession menu which includes some unique items for a movie theatre like chicken nuggets, corn dogs, pizza and hand-dipped Blue Bell ice cream.
We had our choice of 12 previously-released movies to choose from at the VIP preview. I chose to movie hop between the two 3D theaters and the Intense Digital Experience (IDX) auditorium. While the Real D 3-D digital projection was awesome, the IDX show took my breath away.
As Starplex describes it: “Patrons are totally immersed in the exceptional visual presentation which delivers a higher quality resolution than HD. Imagine a wall-to-wall, ceiling to floor screen with 3D and digital technology encompassed with sound that is three times the power of conventional auditoriums.” In other words, the movie images jump out of the screen and hover in front of you and the sound draws you into action. The only time I’ve ever seen anything like it was at Disney World.
Another unique feature is that all fourteen of the theaters are equipped with luxury, leather-like rocker chairs. Unless you sit in the back row, you can relax and recline while watching a movie.
Tod Hanna, COO of Starplex Cinemas, spoke to the audience before the start of each movie show. He pointed out that all the theatres are “one hundred percent digital.” He noted that online ticketing with no fees is available at www.starplexcinemas.com He suggested that everyone should get a Starplex Loyalty Card which allows frequent movie goers to accumulate points to use towards free popcorn and drinks at the movies.
The Starplex employees were also promoting the discount ticket pricing available for the movies playing before 6 p.m. Whatever the price, I’m glad to pay for a high quality movie theater experience close to home. Welcome to the neighborhood Starplex!