“We’ll always have Paris” is a line so classic we don’t even need to name the film that it comes from. With another Bogart’s Bar & Grill (FJI August 2008) anchoring the Premier sections around the second-floor rotunda at the latest Muvico 14 in Thousand Oaks, Calif., it should be no surprise that Casablanca was playing on the 180-seat restaurant’s flat-screen. For the California debut of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based circuit, Muvico Theaters selected a decidedly Nouveau Parisian theme, replete with selected can cans and the Moulin Rouge soundtrack playing during the festivities. Studios and vendors graciously providing memorabilia and collectors’ items for a silent auction allowed Variety-The Children’s Lifeline and Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers to benefit from opening night on March 26.

As the 2000 Muvico Parisian in West Palm Beach pays movie-palace homage to a château of The Sun King, Muvico Thousand Oaks 14 is more of the Sun-Kissed Valley multiplex variety. Decidedly more Métropolitan, here the inspiration was drawn from the large areas of glass and the open rotunda design, says Muvico’s senior VP for strategic corporate development, Mike Wilson. “We inherited the site from a previous operator, so there were constraints as to how many modifications we could make,” he admits. Even without a signature Muvico porte-cochère, “we spruced it up quite a bit,” as Muvico felt “this market was very good for a sophisticated theatre and more architectural expression.”

Equally sophisticated, and more so when it comes to image quality, was the collaboration with Sony Electronics. (For more technical information, see sidebar below.) As evidenced during our exclusive tour of the 4K CineAlta booth-of-the-future-today, when it comes to good old-fashioned 35mm film, Thousand Oaks is “limited” to two Strong Super Highlight IIs. In the pre-show as well, rolling stock and even 1.3K or 2K are a thing of the past, as Screenvision will be providing 1080p HD-video to be projected via the SRX-R220 set-up. Sony not only effectuated all networking and wiring, operations manager Tyler Hart of Sony Digital Cinema Solutions and Services aptly demonstrated, but also provided its monitor-mastered LSM-100 screen-management system and a megabyte-sized bag of CHIPS (Central Hub Ingest Process Server). Make sure to stop by Sony’s ShoWest booth to ask Hart about SALSA too.

The entire theatre encompasses 108,000 square feet (10,000 sq. m.) on three floors, including two projection booths and generous administrative spaces on the very top. The ground floor provides access to 11 screens, while level two welcomes guests to the restaurant-bar and Premier areas. Flexibility options include two Premier-section auditoria and one fully Premier-style house. The decidedly VIP package for 21 years and up includes unlimited free popcorn and personalized services with ushers and special box office for reserved seating (at three additional assigned-seating houses with 960 seats). It also includes a voucher redeemable at both Bogart’s Bar & Grill and the dedicated concession stand.

Snack offerings there consist of homemade nachos, tacos, chicken wings and tenders, pizza and popcorn shrimp. On the Premier side, guests may opt for crispy calamari as well, homemade flatbreads, burgers, sushi, sliders and, of course, candy. In addition to soda and energy drinks from the Pepsi family, upgraded beverages range from imported and local hand-crafted beers to demi-bottles of wine and splits of champagne. At Bogart’s, beverage choices are even more varied, of course, with highlight-sounding menu items of Chorizo stuffed peppers, Poached Pear salad and a Peach Bellini.

In his inaugural speech, Muvico’s president and CEO Mike Whalen said he always wears blue in honor of “the greatest beverage company in the U.S.,” and the circuit’s longstanding partnership with Pepsi has led to another innovation. With a “Pepsi Max Experience”-branded cinema, “we wanted to create that special ‘Premier’ feeling for all ages as well,” enthuses Wilson.

Accommodating an entirely new entrance to that auditorium, explains Francisco Behr, principal at Behr Browers Architects, “required a lightning-fast response from both our firm and the contractor so that we could make the opening. The revised plans, permits and the construction were done in about four weeks.” In general, he attests, “The building is a very complex structure that had to be built in a very short time frame during a very challenging economic period. Close coordination with Aspen builders and numerous team meetings were required to meet the schedule and the project budget.”

The Westlake Village, Calif.-based firm further notes that the overarching goal beyond time and money was “to bring the unique signature architecture of Muvico to the West Coast.” Behr affirms, “Muvico always incorporates an architectural theme to all their theatres. This state-of-the-art cinema was inspired by the Art Nouveau style of design and the architecture of Paris in the 1900s. The idea was not to copy anything but to reinterpret it and reinvent it in modern materials and forms.”



By “avoiding any straight copying of an architectural style or theme,” Behr approached the task “a little differently.” Instead, “we searched for details and elements that we could design from scratch that embodied the spirit of Art Nouveau.” Examples that he names are chandeliers in the concessions lobby area, the unusual arches and flat panel signage and Nouveau graphics.

To the equally attentive observer, other highlights include granite countertops and sparkling mosaic-tile accents throughout. An abundance of Métro-green metal on window frames, columns and woven balustrades complements the mostly black stone flooring inlaid alongside ornate and colorfully woven carpets. That the latter, manufactured by Royal Thai Carpet, features the updated Muvico logo is part of a new branding effort, Wilson confirms. “You dream it up, they can make it.”

In closing, both he and Behr concur that the entire Parisian movie package makes for a favorite. While Wilson lauds the visual impact of Bogart’s, the architect names the faux night-sky oculus above the large dining and bar area upstairs and the Premier auditoria with large dual seats and huge screens. Though not quite reaching the height of the Eiffel Tower, images of which are incorporated in the wall décor of key auditoria, audiences have been enjoying the view.

Thousand Oaks at a Glance
“It was our clients’ and our goal to design the most technically advanced and most luxurious movie palace in the Southern California Area”—Francisco Behr, Behr Browers Architects
* Fourteen fully stadium-raked screens with a total of 2,626 Mobilario/Ideal seats, ranging from just under 100 to over 350 in individual capacities, including 338 74-inch wide double seats (188 cm) with side tables in three Premier auditoria that are marketing-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

* “Pepsi Max Experience” theatre has a branded entrance and all-black look, features 3D capabilities, reserved wider seats and spacious legroom, and enhanced sound capabilities.
* Off-lobby, soundproof game arcade and large meeting/party room.
* Southern California’s only Sony 4K projection, spanning from 30- to 64-feet wide screens (9 to 19.5 m), features SRX-R220 Digital Cinema Projectors, LMT-200 Media Blocks and LSM-100 Screen Management Systems.
* 3D capabilities (RealD, with two Christie projectors standing in until Sony’s 4K 3D solution becomes available) in four auditoria including Premier and reserved theatres.
* Sound technology from JBL-Harman Pro, Crown DSi 1000 and Dolby CP650.
(Additional manufacturers and service providers are mentioned throughout the accompanying article.)