New movie theater opens to rave reviews

Moviegoers praise the county's newest and largest theater, the Brooksville Beacon Theatres, for its location and convenience.

By JOY DAVIS-PLATT

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 20, 2000

On Sunday afternoon, Jason Godizzaro greeted a seemingly endless line of moviegoers.

"Hello," he said time after time, never losing his bright smile. "Welcome to Beacon Theatres."

Crowds have been steady since the Brooksville Beacon Theatres, Hernando County's newest and largest theater, opened, said Godizzaro, who was hired and trained as an usher last week. Situated in the Western Way Plaza at Mariner and Cortez boulevards, the theater is a short walk for the 17-year-old, who lives in the High Point subdivision. "Where I live, everybody has been excited about this place opening," said Godizzaro as he waited for the front doors to open. "They're thrilled."

The site of an old Beall's, the theater's lobby is painted deep shades of purple and blue and flanked by arcade games including Galaga, Mortal Kombat and The Lost World.

After two years on the drawing boards and nine months of construction, the theater opened its doors Friday afternoon featuring four films, The Ninth Gate, Final Destination, Mission to Mars and Erin Brockovich.

The remaining six auditoriums are set to open at the end of the week, said Jon Rhodes, an operations manager with Beacon owner Theatre Management Inc. of Deland.

"We hear from a lot of people in this area who are very excited," said Rhodes, a self-proclaimed movie lover. "This is something for them and their kids to do."

"I'm so excited," said Elaine Trumble while she waited in line at the concession stand. "Now we don't have to go all the way to New Port Richey to see a movie."

Trumble, who paid $4.75 to see Erin Brockovich, sees at least one or two movies a week and said the new theater will be a great thing for the area.

"So far so good," she said. "Looks like a nice theater."

The 10 auditoriums hold from 90 to 290 seats each for a total of 1,800 seats. Three of the screens have Dolby Digital stereo sound; the rest have Dolby stereo. All of them will have surround sound. All auditoriums feature stadium seating and cup holders on the armrests.

Ed Borkowski, manager of the 25-year-old Brooksville Twin, said that although his facilities lack the modern conveniences of the Beacon, he does not expect the new theater to affect his business.

"My customers are looking for a different kind of movie experience," said Borkowski. "We're a smaller theater, so we can get more personally involved with the people who come every week."

For now, the new theater employs about 14 people, most of whom are from Hernando County. Eventually, Rhodes said, it will employ up to 25 people.

Betty McLaren, 78, a retired accountant, said she likes her new job as a box office cashier. "It's very interesting and it's lots of fun to meet all the people who come," said the Brooksville woman. "I like to keep busy and meet people."

Cindy Aderman is happy with the new theater's proximity to restaurants, shopping and an ice cream parlor.

"Things are a lot closer here for us," said Aderman, who lives in Spring Hill.

"We have everything around here. This place is going to rock."

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