Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 19, 1991 TAG: 9104190468
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV13 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOE TENNIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
For $2.75, patrons can pick up a 130-ounce tub of popcorn with free refills at the Radford Plaza Cinemas, which reopens Friday after a year of dormancy.
The theater is owned by Reel Entertainment, Inc., a company based in Spokane, Wash., run by Don Clifton, president, and Dale Reese, vice president.
"Our theatres have more popcorn on the floor than any other. People dump what's in a container and run for more," Clifton said.
This popcorn is made with non-cholesterol popping and topping oils. "People can eat tons - they might get fat but won't have to worry about high cholesterol," Clifton said.
"It's kind of one of our gimmicks. Popcorn is one of the highest markup items. So we can refill a tub three or four times and not lose money."
Combined, the two cinemas at the movie house will seat 472. Two movies will play at each cinema. Opening this week are "The Hard Way," "Career Opportunities," "White Fang" and "Edward Scissorhands."
Moviegoers do not need to worry about bringing a lot of dough: A family of four can get through the door for four bucks.
"It's fun to see a movie on a big screen and see everyone else's reactions in the crowd and do it for a buck instead of paying $2.99 to rent a video," Clifton said.
"Families can afford to come to the movies without taking a mortgage out on the house," he continued. "Here, they can go to the movies two or three times a month instead of two or three times a year."
Clifton said the company, which operates 13 other theaters, chose the Radford location because it looked like a good opportunity.
"We like college towns," Clifton said. "It's fun for us to open a theater in a smaller community where people tend to be more friendly and just tend to be real people."
Most seats in the chain's theaters are filled with "typically a lot of families, but this is also the kind of place for an inexpensive date or to just go out with a group of guys," Clifton said.
Keeping the large family market in mind, Clifton said the theater will always offer at least one movie with less than an R-rating at any given time.
Films shown at the theater will be what the cinema business calls second-run movies: those that are shelved just after showings at first-run theatres.
Clifton said he hopes to show such films as "Sleeping With the Enemy," "Home Alone," "Three Men and a Little Lady," "L.A. Story" and "New Jack City."
He said the theater's screens will focus on movies that were big hits the first time around. Still, there are exceptions.
Clifton called "The Doors" a minor hit but said, "We will probably play `The Doors' because there's so many college students who want to see it."
The theater will be "community-minded" and offer charitable organizations or Scout troops a chance to use the screens, usually for matinees, Clifton said. "The typical thing is that admission money goes to the group and the snack bar profits are used to pay overhead costs."
The theater will be staffed with two full-time and eight part-time workers, Clifton said. For more information, call 633-2434.
by CNB