Early tickets available for cinemas' Jan. 12 grand opening

The 12 theaters have enough seating to accommodate 2,300 moviegoers and feature wall-to-wall screens, digital projection, digital sound, and high-backed, theater-style seats with retractable arm rests.

But anyone lucky enough to wind up in the complex’s lone “BigD” theater – the first clue will be the leather seats – can expect to experience something akin to “HD on steroids,” promises the company’s marketing director, Terrell Mayton.

Only one of 13 BigD theaters in the United States, the newest has a screen that is 62 feet wide and nearly three stories high. Its state-of-the-art digitized video format displays 1,000 colors and 1 million shades of color, all at 30,000 lumens, which is the brightest light output in the theater industry, Mayton said.

The picture seems to just “pop off” the screen, he said.

“It’s indescribable. Words do not paint the picture for BigD. You have to go in and see it and feel it.”

Admission on the Jan. 12 opening night is only $1, which matches what guests also will pay for small popcorns and small drinks. The night’s proceeds will be donated to The Tree House Inc. in Winder.

“All the movies will be recent releases, so there will be a wide variety of choices,” Mayton said. “We are finalizing the schedule with the movie houses this week.

“It will be a great opportunity for folks from Barrow, Jackson and surrounding counties to see the BigD auditorium and all the auditoriums we have there.”

Gateway Cinema 12 is located in The Gateway at University Parkway near the intersection of Highways 316 and 81. The theater is east of both the Chick-fil-A restaurant and Athens Regional First Care facility.