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Development around The Alerus


The Sicatoka

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[*]The G.F. movie scene is controlled by one company with relatively low prices, so other companies would probably be hesitant to compete (or is demand high enough that Carmike would find it worth opening more screens? Are the Carmike 10 stadium seating? If not, they could be attacked on that front).

I think that the people who own the movie theatres in grand forks will have to start looking seriously at what they are going to do. If a big theatre complex is put it, it will seriously hurt their business.

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I think that the people who own the movie theatres in grand forks will have to start looking seriously at what they are going to do. If a big theatre complex is put it, it will seriously hurt their business.

Maybe, but only if they don't want to compete.

Face it folks, GF theaters suck. Go down to Fargo and look at Century 10 or West Acres 14. Those theaters are real theaters. Now go to a big city like Minneapolis and there are theaters there that put Fargo's to shame. Nevertheless, the outmoded run down theaters in GF have to change.

What I would do is what the owner of West Acres did for his theater: Renovate by building around the already built structure. Yes, there are space issues, but if they could do something, that would be more than adequate.

OR they could build a new megatheater across the street somewhere and make it a megaplex like West Acres 14 has. Then they can turn Columbia 4 into a cheap theater with limited hours. With this new theater they can house whatever they want in there, stadium seating, install an IMAX if they wish or an extreme screen (like Century 10 has). They could salvage several items from Midco that will save money. True, prices will have to go up some at least for a little bit, but that's the price of capitolism. Whoever acts first will usually benefit the most.

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The theater issue is interesting. An IMAX would be a terrific addition to the city. I've been saying for years that if a stadium seat style theater was built more people would go. I hate sitting behind people and rarely go to movies in the first few weeks. The problem is that many films don't stay for long, because the blockbuster films take up so many screens. Thank goodness my girlfriend works for the theater I've been going free for a few years

The stadium theater's in Cali are only 8 to 9 dollars with big reclining chairs. The prices were just bumped up in GF to 7.50. If I couldn't go for free, I wouldn't see many movies, because I don't want to spend that kind of money for bad conditions unless it's a huge blockbuster (ala Lord of the Rings).

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I just got done watching the Leo and the City Council on TV discuss the issue. It was pretty interesting and got me excited to go swimming. :glare: The hotel will be eleven stories, and the movie plex will have "comfortable bucket seats" huge lobby, arcade. The water park will have a wave pool, slides, etc.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I think the Carmike reps are mad because they are going to actually have some competition in this market. They might actually have rethink what is played on their movie screens in the future. They might also have to think about upgrading their theatres as well. The competition will only bring better services to Grand Forks.

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I think the Carmike reps are mad because they are going to actually have some competition in this market. They might actually have rethink what is played on their movie screens in the future. They might also have to think about upgrading their theatres as well. The competition will only bring better services to Grand Forks.

I would guess this will mean the closure of Columbia 4. Although it would be great if they could operate that as a second run theatre, something missing in this market since the closure of the Plaza Twin. Another option would be a cinema grille route with arthouse type films, something every college town should really have.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 months later...
Some updates on the Alerus complex. Sounds like what we were promised is not what we are going to get. So much for Carmike having some competition.

Surprise Move

Cozier Seats, Discount Films

Luxury to More Ordinary

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This really makes me mad, because the city was told they were going to build a bigger theater than what we are getting now.

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Let's now complete the circular journey and look at the article that Sickatoka started this topic with.

What Holdman said he really, really wants isn't tourism or profit. What he really wants is to get Grand Forks residents to invest in the city instead of sending their money somewhere else. It's an idea that has not yet entered the public discussion on the water park.

Holdman is in the business of philanthropy fund raising is his job so he figures a way to do this is to give the rich a worthy cause to spend their money on. That cause is the National Collegiate Hockey Hall of Fame, the National Collegiate Aviation Hall of Fame and the car museum that Holdman and Becker and their friends want to put up north of the Alerus Center.

It was the museum complex that came first, then the Canad Inns hotel, then the water park. Not the other way around.

The would-be museum builders needed a hotel to anchor their complex and realized they could do that if they built near the Alerus Center, whose plans call for a hotel to attract big conventions. So, they called Canad and revealed their plans, which appealed to the tourism-minded company.

Then, the Park District thought it could hitch its proposed water park to this proposed museum complex and take advantage of the traffic. Water park proponents mobilizing to convince voters found a natural ally in the museum people and so Friends of the Aquatic Center was born.

Any new developments if this group is still trying to go ahead with a museum, hockey hall of fame?

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