Adults can belly up to theater's bar

Ybor City's soon-to-open multiplex will offer legal-age moviegoers more than standard movie theater fare.

[Times photo: Kristen Schmid] Aaron Verran puts glass stops on the interior doors at the new Muvico Majestic 20 at Centro Ybor in Ybor City on Monday. The theater is scheduled to open next month.

By BABITA PERSAUD

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 19, 2000

TAMPA -- Muvico officials were concerned that 20 screens might not be enough to lure the masses to Tampa's newest multiplex when it opens in Ybor City next month.

They needed something special, something very Ybor, something like alcohol.

So if you go to the Majestic 20 at Centro Ybor, you'll be able to order beer, wine, even martinis at a special section called "the Premiere."

Down the hallway from the regular auditoriums and past the lion fountain, the Premiere will be "an over-21 experience," said Randi Emerman, spokeswoman for Muvico, during a news media sneak preview Monday.

That means no teenagers.

Exclusivity comes at a price. A ticket will cost $10, a few dollars more than a ticket to a standard Majestic 20 theater, but popcorn is included. Sushi, cocktails and bread with a choice of toppings -- spinach and portabello, grilled chicken and artichoke -- is extra.

Seating at each of the Premiere section's four theaters will be assigned at the time of ticket purchase. The seating is stadium style like the other auditoriums, except the seats are leather and the armrests are wider for the trays of food.

Fort Lauderdale-based Muvico created Premiere because research showed 75 percent of moviegoers dine before or after, said Emerman. "Now, you can do everything in just one place," she said.

It's also a way to distinguish themselves from all the other new multiplexes.

Muvico has seven multiplexes in Florida, including one in Broward County modeled after an Egyptian temple. Another multiplex at BayWalk in downtown St. Petersburg is under construction and due to open before Thanksgiving.

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