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I have the opportunity to possibly grab a closed grocery store to use as the basis for a theater versus building from scratch. It's 72,000 sq ft and has only two main structure beams and is very open. Is 72K sf enough for a 4-screen theater of +/-100 seats/screen with a decent sized lobby?

It also only has 100 parking spaces. Is there a rule of thumb for how many parking spaces are needed per screen? This seems a little low. Or do demographics become a variable (population of ~30K)? Maybe this is something JK has experience in. (?)

That sounds way to big for a 4 screen with 100 seats each ...A 4 screen should be around 18,000 to 24,oo0 sq ft

Yeah... my quad was around 13,000... and it had an auditorium you could have split into 2 or 3 more.

Required parking for a theatre is usually mandated by local zoning based on the number of fixed seats. A standard ratio is 4:1 (meaning one parking space for each four seats). And for a multi-screen theatre 4:1 has proven to be a practical figure. Your requirements maybe higher or lower depending on your local municipality. You can also apply for a variance or waiver of the parking requirments depending on the circumstances.

However 100 parking spaces for a 72,000 square foot space seems awfully small no matter how you use the space. A standard ratio for retail is one space for each 200 square foot of retail space.

Are you sure about the 72K figure? That seems like an awful lot of space for a former supermarket and something that cavernous would generally have more than a couple of interior support beams.

[This message has been edited by muviebuf (edited August 11, 2007).]

That certainly is more than big enough. You could do a great 5-6 screen in half of that.

Parking: I have seen some codes say 1 space for every 3 people. So 100 might be a tad small. Any other parking close by? Streetside?

It can be done,

I was planning on getting this building http://www.egpropertylink.com/property/detail.aspx?liAdvertID=10623435&NoBanner=true and turning that into a cinema, make afew more floors maybe?

My new 4 screen theatre is just shy of 11,000 sq.ft. with a compact lobby. 1 aud. seats 200 and the other 3 auds. seat 95 each. My parking lot has 170 spaces. My town wanted a parking ratio of 3:1. I know of situations of 5:1 obtained by variance.

72,000 sq.ft. is big enough to do a 14 -16 screen with lots of space for whatever you want. 100 spaces would only be valid for a theatre of about 300-400 seats total. Unless you have more parking available, it would be a fight with the city and a problem for your potential customers.

Can the building be divided by the landlord so you can get the 12,000-14,000 sq.ft. you actually need? Can the parking be expanded? If it's an old grocery store, what are ceiling heights?

After reading everyone's posts, something doesn't add up. I double-checked the information and it does say 72,000 sf, but I think it should probably be 7,200 sf. That seems more appropriate given the size and it makes more sense for only 100 parking spaces. I'm betting the listing has a typo and should be 7,200 sf.

However, it sounds like 7,200 sf is too small for a 4-screen, which confirms my initial concerns that it might be too small. So then the question becomes how many screens that would be sufficient for with a good size lobby (not compact) and concessions. It sounds like maybe a 2-screen? Hmmmm...

Aha! As it turns out, the entire PROPERTY is 72,000 sf (about 1.65 acres) including the parking lot, not just the building. I need to find out how big the building only is now. Thanks for everyone's help though- it really has helped.

i have 3 screens and 12,000 sqft

Slap, is your lobby a decent size, or is it cramped? And if you had a chance to do it over again, would you allocate more space to the lobby, restrooms, concessions area, etc.?

lobby about 3,000 sq ft
main theater 5,000sq --200 seats
theater 2 about 2,500sq--100 seats
the screening room about 1,500 sqft 75seats

i think i have 12,800 sq ft total