An EPIC beginning

An EPIC beginning

New 'Star Trek' movie starts theater's debut

By ANTHONY DEMATTEO
Special to the Record
Publication Date: 05/08/09

For longtime St. Augustine resident Skip Goodson, everything old is new again.

Goodson, who has lived in town long enough to remember the dueling movie theaters on Cathedral and King streets, attended the Thursday night grand opening of EPIC Theatres' 16-auditorium movie complex on State Road 207 -- "Star Trek" ticket in hand.

"It's like a new beginning for a lot of people here," Goodson said. "I look at the young people getting jobs here. It's great. It's a great investment."

The new theater features 16 auditorium theaters with digital projectors, four 3-D auditoriums and a party room that can be booked for private events.

Twelve separate movies played Thursday.

Six spaces are for lease in the large complex, which EPIC occupies alone. Dirt where parking lots will be spills onto new sidewalks, mingling with yellow flags warning "Caution. Buried Gas Line."

Pine trees, too new to be green, are circled by miniature roses in a concrete courtyard where Miley Cyrus smiles from her new movie poster.

Jordan Hall, 16, sold tickets and fielded questions in her new white uniform top. It's her first job at a movie theater.

"Things are going well," she said. "We're expecting a big crowd."

One patron was excited about seeing the 7 p.m. showing of "Star Trek" but not about her ticket price. "Ten dollars is way too expensive for a single adult ticket," said Kristin Kleyla.

Adult tickets are $10. Tickets for children and matinees are $8.

Inside, a painted concrete foyer fronts a neon-lit concession stand flanked by arcade games and a soon-to-be-open ice cream stand.

"I think we bring excellent entertainment value, and St. Augustine is more than deserving of a complex this size," said project manager Weegee DeMarsh.

DeMarsh has been on the project since the land was purchased for its current use about five years ago. As new customers filed past him, he had mixed emotions.

"It's exciting, and it's a relief all at the same time," DeMarsh said. "We hope to keep everybody happy and coming back."

Nearby, Nathan and Mary Shearer were loaded down with nachos and oversized sodas.

"I couldn't wait to get in here, and I'm just as excited once I got in the door as I thought I would be," Nathan Shearer said.

Goodson said he wonders about the effect the new theater will have on a struggling Ponce de Leon Mall, where the red Regal Cinemas sign has holes from the absence of its marquee. But he said the new theater might push the mall to better things.

"It all depends on what the mall does itself," Goodson said. "This is strictly for movies and entertainment. The mall has other things to offer. Maybe this will improve the mall."


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