U.S.A. CINEMA Renovated theater in Niles to feature second-run films

The renovated sixplex will feature second-run movies at discount prices.
THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
NILES -- Two entrepreneurs who turned an Austintown skating rink into a multifaceted indoor-outdoor recreation center a year ago are about to expand their entertainment expertise into Trumbull County.
Skate Zone Fun Center owners Larry and Cindy Maynard and two longtime friends, Randy and Janet Sharp of Austintown, are partners and new owners of the sixplex theater in the Great East Plaza, Niles, formerly known as Movie World Cinemas.
Together they've invested more than $250,000 on renovations to the theater they're renaming U.S.A. Cinema. They expect to open for business Aug. 1.
Improvements include new seats, wall-to-wall movie screens, state-of-the-art projection equipment, a computerized ticketing system and a refurbished refreshment stand.
Plans also call for installing "quiet rooms" at the rear of some theaters to accommodate parents with cranky babies or toddlers, part of the theater's family-friendly emphasis.
Here's the format
The owners say their marquis will always feature at least one family-suitable film; they'll be strict about banning young teens from R-rated films; and they'll be selective about the films they show.
"Just because a movie does well at the box office, doesn't mean it will be playing here," Larry Maynard said.
But what makes them think they can compete with giant movie chains, especially with Regal's 16-screen Boulevard Cinema just around the corner?
Second-run movies will be their niche, Maynard said.
Admission to first-run movies generally ranges from $7.50 to $8 in the Mahoning Valley. Discount movies are priced well below that, he said, but they generally hit the theater just two or three weeks before they're released on video or DVD.
Film distributors encouraged the Maynards and Sharps to consider offering second-runs, an industry trend, because they are a midpoint between first-run and discount. Theater owners can charge discount prices for second-runs, but their customers don't have to wait as long to see the films.
Plans are to charge $3 for evening shows and $2 for matinees. Popcorn, soft drinks and other theater goodies also will be discounted.
The partners examined the area's demographics thoroughly before signing a 15-year lease with the Cafaro Co., Randy Sharp said.
They discovered that the plaza, part of Cafaro's massive Eastwood Mall retail complex, serves a population of 85,000 within a 5-mile radius.
Entertainment spending in Trumbull County was twice as high as spending in Mahoning County in 2002, he said, and the owners are confident the theater will attract moviegoers from both counties.
"We wouldn't be a part of this if we didn't think it was a slam dunk," said Maynard.
The theater business is nothing new for Sharp.
He owned the three-screen Austintown Cinema in the Austintown Plaza for seven years, selling out in 1992, and spent 20 years as an area manager for National Theater Corp.
He'll serve as general manager at U.S.A. Cinema so the Maynards can devote most of their attention to their Austintown business.
Consumer target
Sharp believes the Niles theater is large enough to compete successfully against chain-operated multiplexes that run first-run flicks, and that discount pricing on admission and snacks will attract the budget-conscious consumer.
The partners want to make the movie house a community resource, so they'll offer its facilities to businesses, schools and churches for meetings, seminars, field trips and special events.
Larry Maynard said owning two noncompeting businesses will be an advantage.
He'll pass out free passes and discount offers for Skate Zone at U.S.A. Cinema, and vice versa.
The partners hope to work out a similar cooperative promotional arrangement with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers next spring.
vinarsky@vindy.com