Collegiate Times

The Lyric Theater may receive a blow to its ticket sales come 2008. A new multiplex theater and family entertainment center will be included in the new “Boulevards at Blacksburg” shopping center located on South Main Street. In addition to the multiplex theater, the new Regal Theater next to the New River Valley Mall is set to open later this month.

“It remains to be seen how it will affect the Lyric,” said Susan Mattingly, executive director for the Lyric. “In the radius of the Lyric we used to have 12 screens; now we will have 29.”

The new Frank Theater/SuperPlay USA is expected to be a boost in the economy for Blacksburg. The two-story 73,000-square-foot center will include a 14-screen theater, with full stadium seating and digital state-of-the-art projector, a bowling center, laser tag, arcade, mini-golf, a restaurant and sports bar, billiards and party rooms. It will be the first mainstream theater to be built in Blacksburg.

“We continue to add to the model everyday,” said Frank Bruce, president of Frank Theaters.

The center will cost the company over $10 million. An exact price was not disclosed.

As a result, the Lyric, which mainly shows well-reviewed and award-winning films, may face some competition. The Frank Theater will also be incorporating films of this genre in their screenings.

“Someone will have problems,” Mattingly said.

The Lyric will not be changing the types of films it screens.

“I don’t think it will serve our mission,” Mattingly said.

In light of this new theater, the Lyric will remain a landmark and significant trait of Blacksburg. The town, which contributes $15,000 a year to the Lyric, will not abandon it.

“We will continue to support the Lyric,” said Marc Verniel, the Blacksburg town manager. “It is an important part of the town.”

Each year, the town donates $15,000 to the Lyric for operations and public programming, one-third of which comes from state grants. $5,000 goes toward public programming, while the other $10,000 is put toward capital improvement such as the recent installation of the new digital projector, and façade renovations.

However, with a new mainstream theater in the process of being built, this can harbor some problems. The Lyric’s annual operation budget is $400,000. Mattingly said that this budget will be difficult to pay if a new theater playing the same films moves in.

Bruce believes that the new theater will attract a blend of moviegoers and that the bowling center, in particular, will be popular.

“Bowling is the fastest growing sport in America,” he said. “So we are expecting some bowling leagues.”

All of this comes from an announcement last Friday stating that a new commercial development will be built on South Main Street when the developers announced its tenants. Construction for the center will begin this summer and it will be expected to open in August 2008.

“(The Lyric) is a community venue,” Mattingly said. “We have a big community following and are looking at a lot of revenue possibilities to weather the competition.”