Seefilm Bremerton Cinema garnered outstanding reviews over the weekend following a grand-opening Friday.
“I think it went really well,” said Daryn McLennan, a managing partner in the movie theater project. “We only had six of our 10 screens running, but other than that, it went great. There were obviously some little bumps and bruises with the first weekend, but overall, things went really well.”
McLennan said that he has been involved in the movie theater business for about 17 years and is also a co-owner of two cinemas in Roseburg, Oreg. He said he and his partners looked at several markets, but Bremerton proved to be the best choice.
“One goal we’d like to be a part of is downtown revitalization and being a part of something like that was a big draw,” McLennan said. “One of the bigger missing pieces in Bremerton was something like this for the downtown area.”
Indeed, many people believe that the cinema, located at the corner of Fourth and Park, will serve as an anchor to a newly renovated Fourth Street corridor that features improved sidewalks, lighting, planting, the placement of power lines underground and brick street pavers; a new multi-million-dollar United Way building next to the cinema; a parking garage and more. In all, the work, which the city is putting the finishing touches on, cost some $30 million.
The cinema also has some final touches in store. A coffee shop and cafe with indoor and outdoor seating will be put in at the corner, more siding and neon lighting will finish the 30,000-square-foot building’s facade and 20-foot posters, that will rotate three or four times a year, will go up on the south side of the building.
McLennan said Tuesday that all ten screens should be online by today. One of the theaters, number 9, for those that are 21 and older, includes a VIP room underneath the seating area where beer and wine will be available. The room features high-top tables capped with glass covered film reels and old-school movie posters updated with a modern and artsy twist line the walls. Moviegoers will be able to purchase drinks there and carry them to their seats, which are intersected with wooden side tables and cup holders. The cinema also has a party room with floor to ceiling windows along Burwell Street. In addition, four of the ten screens will allow for RealD/3D viewing.
McLennan said that the cinema has a full staff of 30 employees, of which three to eight will be on shift at any given time. The cinema is accepting applications.
