(Update: Company officials say construction on the theater will commence in Fall of 2012, with the opening planned for the Spring of 2013).
Lexington is slated to get a second movie theater -- an "upscale" 14-screen multiplex that would be located on the eastern edge of town.
Charlotte-based Stone Theatres Management says it expects to break ground on the 55,000 square foot, modern cinema house in January and open sometime next October or November.
The new theater would be part of the planned Corey Mill Retail Shopping complex. The Corley Mill development is planned for a 67-acre site located on US Highway 378, approximately 1.5 miles west of the intersection of Interstate 20 at Exit 61 in Lexington.
The new cinema will feature 2,800 stadium seats; 14 wall-to-wall screens, including one massive 65-by-35 foot screen; premium digital sound and projection (including 3-D); high-back rocker chairs; pizza, pretzel, hot dog and nachos concessions; and, special captioning for the deaf and hearing impaired, as well as descriptive video service for blind and visually impaired moviegoers.
"Stone Theatres is extremely excited to bring this much needed state-of-the-art facility to the Town of Lexington and the surrounding communities," said company president and CEO Herman Stone. "Additionally, we are extremely enthusiastic about this wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Corley Mill Retail Shopping Development.
We expect to build a beautiful theatre palace for the community, a place you will be proud to invest in and see movies," Stone added. "Having operated in this market previously, we are thrilled to be back with a new and state-of-the-art facility. The site will be convenient for this growing residential community and upon completion should employ as many as 50 employees."
"With all the growth in the Lexington market, we just felt that the community deserved a state-of-the-art movie theater," compoany official Dale Coleman told Patch.
Stone previously owned and managed Lexington's existing theater, Pastime Pavilion Cinema, located on S.C. 6 and U.S. 378, as well as the Columbiana Grand in Columbia.
