Two cinema chains – Santikos Entertainment and EVO Entertainment Group – are developing rival family entertainment centres across the road from each other in Cibolo, Texas.
Santikos Entertainment has started construction on an 8,000sqm family entertainment centre as the anchor for a new mixed-use development called Cibolo Crossing. The 47-hectare development will consist of 32,500sqm of retail space, 9,200sqm of office space, two to three hotels and a residential complex.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Cibolo. This development will provide entertainment to our young families now and for years to come,” said Robert Herrera, city manager of Cibolo. “The partnership between the city of Cibolo and Santikos is one that will benefit not only Cibolo but the region as a whole.”
The family entertainment centre will include a cinema with 12 screens and 1,500 reclining seats as well as 16 bowling lanes, laser tag, a bar and restaurant, an arcade, and an outdoor live music venue.
“John Santikos was a pioneer in the development of theatre and family entertainment venues in San Antonio, and this new location will carry forward that spirit of grandeur and innovation” said Santikos Entertainment CEO, David Holmes.
“We look forward to offering the ultimate cinema experience along with an array of family entertainment options that will make this new location an exciting destination for entertainment seekers of all ages.”
The centre is expected to open in spring 2019. All of the utilities and roadway infrastructures are completed, with work currently concentrating on the building foundation.
Santikos Entertainment hopes to expedite the construction process and “go vertical” with the building structure in the next two months.
The company is keen to speed up the construction process as the venue will face stiff competition in the area. EVO Entertainment Group has also recently announced plans to build a rival entertainment centre across the street from Cibolo Crossing.
The EVO centre will form part of a retail development called Wiederstein Ranch. The 67,000sqm facility will feature laser tag, virtual reality experiences, arcade games and bowling in addition to a 10-screen dine-in cinema. It will also offer spaces for private events and a restaurant and bar. The company has set a target date of February 2019 for its opening.
Holmes told the San Antonio Business Journal that EVO Entertainment’s planned move into the area is “very strange,” as Santikos made clear its intentions for Cibolo some time ago.
Despite the competition from the rival site, Holmes said that Santikos is “forging ahead fast and furious to get this completed by as early as we can next year”.
https://seguingazette.com/news/article_62dc996c-53e1-11e8-91cd-076ac7aabf07.html
