Landmark Theatres brings seven new screens to Baltimore

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Baltimore filmgoers now have another city option to complement the five-screen Charles Theatre, the two-screen Rotunda Cinematheque and the single-screen Senator Theatre — seven new screens in downtown Baltimore.

Landmark Theatres Harbor East, located between Starbucks and the Maryland Athletic Club at President and Aliceanna streets, starts showing films Friday.

“We’re offering something that’s needed in the neighborhood,” Dan Hogan, Landmark’s general manager, said at a preview opening of the $15 million theater Tuesday night.

Keeping with the trend of upscale development in Harbor East, Landmark offers movie watchers a polished theater experience. Yes, the theater sells popcorn and soda, but it also offers wine and crab cakes. The theater will show independent films along with Hollywood productions.

“We wanted to make this more than just a movie experience, but a city experience,” said Michael Beatty, president of H&S Properties Development Corp., a major developer of Harbor East.

Beyond the ticket kiosks and before the gourmet concession stand, a fully stocked bar with wooden barstools and leather lounge chairs sits next to the lobby. Throughout the theater, more than 25 high-definition flat screens display show times, concession menus and movie previews.

The auditoriums, which are underground and range in size from about 100 to 200 seats, offer stadium seating with large, foam-cushioned chairs. The picture and sound quality is state-of-the-art.

“It’s a different experience than what we’ve got right now in Baltimore,” said Mike Evitts, spokesman for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. “It’s close to a lot of other things happening in Harbor East.”

“I think this theater is going to surprise a lot of people,” said Bill Banowsky, CEO of Landmark Theatres, which has 59 locations in 23 markets. “We’re getting better and better with each theater, and Baltimore now is the standard.”

Picture quality

» Four of the seven auditoriums at Landmark Theatres Harbor East are equipped with Sony SRX-R220 4K digital projectors, producing picture quality with resolution four times greater than a high-definition television.

» Projectors have the fastest lenses on the market and lamps that produce 30 percent more light than standard designs.

acannarsa@baltimoreexaminer.com

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