New Oahu On one of the two biggest movie weekends of the year, which this time features the release of the intensely ballyhooed "Pearl Harbor," Hawaii's oldest and newest movie theater companies are in head to head battle as 26 new movie screens light up on Oahu.
movie complexes
staging their own war
Consolidated and Signature are
By Erika Engle
pulling out the stops to lure patrons
to their weekend debuts
Star-BulletinConsolidated Amusement Co. Ltd. opened its new 16-screen flagship complex, Ward 16, on Auahi Street today. Also today, Signature Theatres Management Co. opened Windward Mall's long-awaited movie multiplex in space vacated by J.C. Penney two years ago.
The Windward Stadium 10, as it is called, is smaller than Signature's 18-screen flagship multiplex at Dole Cannery on Iwilei Road, but it is more "state-of-the-art," according to company President Phil Harris III.
He echoed the sentiments of many, that Oahu, and for the most part the state, may have reached its movie screen limit.
Chuck Boller, executive director of the Hawaii International Film Festival, cited a study that found Hawaii has the highest percentage of movie goers in the nation, and said he is pleased to see the new theaters come on line.
However, he added, the state may now have enough.
"We probably now have hit the maximum number of movie screens for Hawaii."
Mainland officials at Wallace Theatre Corp., Hawaii third movie-house chain, did not return calls.
The 43,000-square-foot Windward Stadium 10 has an overall capacity of about 2,000 people, officials said. It features three large theaters, or "houses" with 300 seats, four medium sized with seating capacity ranging from 175 to 200, and three smaller rooms with 150 seats.
Consolidated's 85,000-square-foot Ward flagship has four theaters that seat 500, the remaining 12 range in seating capacity from 300 to 150.
Signature Theatres publicist Ed Nishioka said both companies purchased loads of advertising for their new theater locations, but people reading one company's ad might still go to a competing theater to see "Pearl Harbor."
Charge-by-phone tickets for the Disney extravaganza were available for most Consolidated and Signature facilities days ago, but "Pearl" tickets were not available for the Ward 16 until 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Regional Director Glenn Yim said at that time, some 50 people were lined up at the box office.
Signature's Harris said of the company's 40 screens in Hawaii, 13 of them will be showing "Pearl Harbor."
Of Consolidated's 96 Oahu venues, 19 will show the film.
As part of opening weekend for the movie and the new theaters, Consolidated and Signature are offering different incentives to lure moviegoers.
At Consolidated, according to publicist Eileen Mortenson, each ticket holder will be entitled to one free small bag of popcorn, while other sizes will be $2 off at the Ward and Koolau locations. Ward will open with a Chinese Lion dance, feature vintage military artifacts, and sport live broadcasts by radio stations and entertainment by local per- formers.
Signature Theatres is offering a special price on hot dogs, 85-ounce-bags of popcorn and plain mochi crunch, at 50 cents each, at each of its locations from today through Monday. "We have 100,000 hot dogs in a freezer somewhere," Harris said.
Oahu theaters
As of today, the three major movie house chains in Hawaii operate 156 screens on Oahu.
Consolidated
Theater (screens) Aikahi Twins (2) IMAX Theatre Waikiki (1) Kahala (8) Kapolei (16) Koko Marina (8) Koolau (10) Mililani (14) Pearlridge West (16) Varsity (2) Waikiki (3) Ward (16) Total -- 96
Signature
Theater (screens) Dole Cannery (18) Pearl Highlands (12) Windward Stadium (10) Total -- 40
Wallace
Theater (screens) Enchanted Lake (3) Kailua Cinemas (2) Keolu Center (4) Laie Cinemas (2) Restaurant Row (9) Total -- 20
Hawaii Theater Listings