IMAX theater planned in Bricktown

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A 375-seat "3-D IMAX" giant screen cinema<br>could be ready in Bricktown by April 2001.<br> <br>Officials with California-based Edwards Theaters announced plans<br>for the theater

Thursday, October 7th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A 375-seat "3-D IMAX" giant screen cinema
could be ready in Bricktown by April 2001.

Officials with California-based Edwards Theaters announced plans
for the theater Wednesday. The theater is part of a $40 million
development in Bricktown, a thriving entertainment and restaurant
area on the edge of downtown Oklahoma City.

Developer TMK/Hogan first pitched the idea of the Bricktown
Entertainment Center in 1997, but the project was delayed by
political and legal challenges brought by Moshe Tal, a Bricktown
property owner who wanted the land for a proposed $160 million
shopping mall.

The state Supreme Court rejected last week a rehearing request
by Tal for his legal objections.

Fred Bell, vice president of IMAX operations for Edwards
Theaters said the company is eager for construction to begin. The
Bricktown IMAX will stand over six stories tall. The screen, made
of latex imported from England, will weigh up to 1,800 pounds.

"With IMAX, you're seeing crystal clear images with a sound
system that has 18,000 watts of power -- the power of a small radio
station. The idea is to make people feel like they are a part of
what they are seeing on the screen in front of them," Bell said.

"IMAX is a brand in and of itself," Bell said. "It's a
destination property, and I think it will do very well in
Bricktown."

The IMAX will be the second large screen cinema in Oklahoma
City. Construction is nearing completion on a $7.5 million Iwerks
cinema at the Omniplex. The Iwerks will how mainly educational fare
and the IMAX will show more entertainment features.

The project will be built on land now owned by the city along
the Bricktown canal and south of the Southwestern Bell Bricktown
Ballpark.

"I think getting an IMAX is huge," Mayor Kirk Humphreys said
Wednesday. "It makes Bricktown something other than a dinner,
ballgame, or a special events. It makes Bricktown an everyday deal,
365 days a year."

Also Wednesday, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce
announced a new multi-media campaign aimed at companies across the
country.