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ok what is the average median price of building a stadium auditorium, say not getting too expensive with the sound fold and seats, say price per sq ft. (this does not include projection equipment but would include screen)
this is to say if were just building the auditorium (the rest of the buikding does not exist)

I think per screen is a better guestimate.

sq footage is construct cost and varies from locale to locale. NYC vs. Maine?

Friends built a non stadium style 7 screen with new large parking lot for 2.3 million and I don't know about the land if lease or buy! That's 330,000 per screen.

Then we bought our twin and built a third screen onto it for a total of 286,000.00 0r 95,300.00 per screen.

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

I assume that was equip and everything.
That is about the price I was looking at here. for non stadium. I was just wondering how much risers add to the cost. (and elevators if required)My land cost would be about $350,000 or less for 7+ Acres

Stadium seating will add 50% to your construction Budget. So if the building would cost you $1,000,000, a building with stadium risers will cost you $1,500,000.

Ouch!

When Act 3 Theaters was building new theaters, their costs were an average of $1 million PER SCREEN.

That is about what it was rumored with the company i worked for. But they went all out on the expensive decorative items and such. the $51,000 fiberoptic signs etc. My cost estimate is closer to the one mike and large gave me.

IMHO, a well designed conventional slope auditorium can offer all the advantages of stadium seating, without the disadvantages (added construction cost, problematic acoustics, keystone distortion with steep projection angles, handicapped/elderly access, tripping hazards, etc.) People like stadium seating for the comfortable seats, cupholders, lots of legroom, and good sightlines. A conventional sloped auditorium can provide all these without the stairs.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
EI Worldwide Technical Services
Research Labs, Building 69
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
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Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Thanks John,
I worked in a stadium 24 plex and did the majority of the projection install and sound equalization. I was trying to find a way to keep from having to do stadium because of all the costs involved plus I am sure insurance would be higher. We had such a long throw in our largest house that even with 7000k lamp the lens sucked away the light and you had barely enough screen light.

Go to your local library, and look up Mean's Square Foot Costs - this will provide you with info on construction costs for all types of buildings including theatres with a variety of grades of construction. They also have local area multipliers to use to better target costs for your region. Note those multipliers usually run about a year behind the curve, so add in for inflation.

After you've purused Mean's, look up Marshall's Valuation service, this is used by estimators and insurance company's do determine value - its also a handy reference for replacement costs. These two sources should give you a good idea of what you are looking at on a square foot basis.