Blacksburg’s First & Main Shopping Center will host the region’s first IMAX theater.
In a press conference Wednesday morning at Bull & Bones, Dave Street of Blacksburg ADF Partners, LLC announced that they entered a deal with Frank Entertainment to develop a 12-screen theatre in the shopping center on South Main Street.
“I'm pleased to announce that yesterday we concluded our negotiations with the Frank Entertainment company out of Philadelphia,” Street said, the manager of Blacksburg ADF Partners. “Later this spring, we will break ground on our new cinema complex, the CineBowl & Grill.”
The project will place an IMAX theatre in Blacksburg, Virginia’s thirteenth and the first one west of the Richmond area.
“It will have the first IMAX theatre in this neck of the woods,” Street said. “We think it's going to be something very special for First & Main.”
The 60,000 square foot theatre will include the Red Brick Grille, a restaurant serving Americana cuisine, as well as an arcade and bowling lanes.
“This is a commitment that we have in Blacksburg now to make sure that First & Main is a success,” said Blacksburg mayor Ron Rordam. “We've said all along that we want to see this center develop to its fullest potential as a … mixed-use development that is a shining star for all of us and we've got to have an anchor for that first.”