MJR Theatres

MJR Digital Cinemas (formerly MJR Theatres) is a movie theater chain headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[1] MJR Digital Cinemas serves the Metro Detroit area. Currently, MJR owns and operates ten movie theaters with 164 screens under the MJR banner.

History

MJR Theatres began in 1980 with the acquisition of the then-Main Theatre (now Main Art Theatre) in Royal Oak, Michigan. During the 1980s and early 1990s, they would purchase drive-ins in Monroe and Adrian and indoor theaters in Waterford, Livonia, Brighton (the chain's first first-run theater) and the Norwest Theater in Detroit. In 1989, the drive-in in Adrian was demolished and replaced in June 1990 by the MJR Adrian Cinema 6, which added four screens to become the MJR Adrian Cinema 10 in 1997. The chain took its name from its original slogan, "Movies Just Right."[2] MJR's current slogan, implemented in 2001, is "It's More Fun at MJR," as heard on its advertising jingle which appears in the chain's policy trailer.[3]

During the 1990s, MJR would begin building more multiplex cinemas, including an 12-screen (later expanded to 16-screen) theater in Chesterfield Township in 1995 and an 11-(now 16-)screen theater in Waterford which replaced the Waterford Twin and Summit Place 3 Cinema (which MJR owned in the late-1990s) in 1996. In order to help finance the new cinemas, MJR sold some of its existing theaters, including the drive-in in Monroe (the first to be sold off), the Livonia Mall Cinemas and the Main Theatre in Royal Oak in 1997. Luna Enterprises purchased an interest in the chain at this time.[4] The Southgate 20, located at Southgate Shopping Center, was the chain's first megaplex, opening in 1998, followed by the Brighton 20, which opened in 2001 with 16 screens (as a replacement for the older 9-screen Brighton location), and the Marketplace 20 in Sterling Heights, opening in 2005.

In September 2007, MJR began using digital cinema projection, which replaced the chain's 35mm projectors. One month later, MJR opened the Partridge Creek 14 in Clinton Township, and in 2011 opened the Westland Grand Cinema 16.[5]

In December 2013, MJR announced its first Studio Bar and Lounge, to be built adjacent to the lobby at its Marketplace location in Sterling Heights.[6] Nine of MJR's locations currently feature a Studio Bar; with the only exclusion being the Adrian location.

The 16-screen Troy Grand Digital Cinema 16 opened on June 20, 2014.[7] This was also around the time that MJR created its first PLF (Premium Large-Screen Format) titled the EPIC Experience. The EPIC Experience at the Troy location features one of the largest Cinema screens in Michigan, measuring 43' tall and 80' wide. The EPIC Experience also includes 4K projection and Dolby Atmos.[8]

On April 7, 2017, the 16-screen Universal Grand Cinema 16 opened in Warren. On September 3, 2019, MJR Digital Cinemas entered into an agreement to be sold to Belgium-based chain Kinepolis Group for $152.25 million, allowing Kinepolis to enter the US market, while keeping MJR's name and management. This deal is expected to close before the end of October 2019.[9][10]

gollark: Of course, due to the lagmonster problem, TJ09 removed the mystical Green Zyumorph aeons ago.
gollark: If all seven of them are put together, they shall unleash a great monster to destroy the lands of DC - the ***LAGMONSTER***.
gollark: Zyus = pure evil pretending to be good.
gollark: Do you *need* to fog it, though? At this point, would viewbombing not *help*?
gollark: Someone get me TJ09. We need to file a complaint.

References
  1. MJR Theatres at Luna Enterprises website Archived 28 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Rivest's Ultimate List of Movie Theatres: Detroit Suburban Theatres
  3. MJR Theatres Policy Trailer jingle
  4. MJR Theatres at Luna Enterprises website Archived 28 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Rivest's Ultimate List of Movie Theatres: Detroit Suburban Theatres
  6. "Roncelli Inc | MJR Studio Bar & Lounge". roncelli-inc.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  7. City of Troy and MJR Digital Cinemas announce $16 million deal
  8. "The Epic Experience | MJR Digital Cinemas". www.mjrtheatres.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  9. "Belgium's Kinepolis to buy MJR to enter U.S. market | Reuters". www.reuters.com. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  10. "MJR Digital Cinemas expected to keep name after being sold to Belgian company | Detroit Free Press". www.freep.com. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
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