I haven't heard any rumors, but what is the likelihood that a new first run movie theater gets built downtown? I thought about this, as Eau Claire is done.
DT and Beltline will likely hit 60K population soon, so it could be supported. Add in Bridgeland and Kensington (close to train) as a bonus and it's getting to 70K I would imagine that most people in those communities have gone to other theaters that are nicer than Eau Claire has become for years. I know that living in Kensington, I rarely do Eau Claire and opt for a more modern facility.
A theater of 5 or so screens could bring 1000 people onto Stephen Ave almost every evening/night, creating a increased feeling of safety and also delivering more customers to bars and restaurants and making them viable into later evening instead of closing early.
I generally don't like government subsidies for private business, but given how much is being given out currently to revitalize DT, I feel like this could be a good "investment". We are dropping $150M to get an extra 2300 units and perhaps 3500 people downtown. On average, I suspect perhaps 600 of those people may be out providing street life in the evening and that's optimistic. If we offered say $5M to a theater company (Cineplex or Landmark) that could bring an extra 600 people, that seems like a good use of funds to me.
