Kingsport IMAX theater groundbreaking kicks off construction

KINGSPORT — City leaders and business representatives gathered in the Fort Henry Mall parking lot Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking for the IMAX theater.Kingsport Mayor Paul Montgomery kicked off the ceremony by welcoming those in attendance and thanking the community for their patience throughout the project since it was first announced. He called the future IMAX a "premier entertainment center" that will be exclusive to our region."In October of 2023, we were in the mall area and we were thinking and talking about the renaissance of this mall," Montgomery said. "And with Rural King coming in, as you see we already have now, and now with the IMAX theater coming in, we are getting on the road."Jeff Geiger, president and CEO of NCG Cinemas, said Wednesday marked not only an exciting day for stakeholders but also for theatrical exhibition. He said the new theater will represent the "best of the best," with 400 luxury recliner seats planned for the space.This is an increase from the originally announced 225 seats inside the IMAX. John Mulherin, vice president of government relations for Hull Property Group, told the Kingsport Economic Development Board in June that the size and scope of the project was expanded to add an additional 1,250 square feet to the theater for "proper" IMAX viewing."[The theater] was designed using the best specs, working collaboratively with IMAX to create perfect size, the perfect acoustics," Geiger said. "It will represent not just the best theatrical presentation in the region, but in the country — and it'll be right here in Kingsport, Tennessee."Geiger also spoke to the planned upgrades for the existing NCG Cinemas theater. He said all seats will be upgraded to luxury, and elevated concessions, beer and wine offerings will be added.Construction is expected to officially start Thursday for the new theater, according to Geiger. He said NCG Cinemas expects to be fully operational while construction remains ongoing over the next few months."We'll have to live through it, there's no doubt, but we will stay operational throughout," Geiger said. "There will be occasional impacts, hopefully that we have to deal with that the customers don't."Starting constructionGemini Construction Company will be leading the project, with RLS Design Group as the architects and CainRashWest Architects as the civil engineers. Rob Johnson, president of Gemini Construction Company, said his team will also be partnering with Blalock Building Group who has experience in building these types of theaters.Johnson said construction is hoped to be completed by mid-summer next year."We're hopeful to be open by mid-summer, and very excited this project is going to be here," he said. "So we look forward to working with Jeff Geiger and NCG Cinemas again, we've worked with them on a number of projects.Economic impactMontgomery said he is a firm believer in the mall and called the future opening of the IMAX a "game changer." With the library's recent transition to the mall, he said mall visitors have increased."I think that this will be a magnet for other things to happen," Montgomery said. "Other outparcels that come to the outside of our mall. I think it will just draw other businesses to this area, because it's new and the best, so why wouldn't you want to be here?"Geiger echoed a similar sentiment, calling the IMAX theater a regional draw, with a slate of great movies coming out next summer."People today want to see great movies and great spaces and just be entertained and make it a lively experience and people," he said. "This will not just be for Kingsport, this will be for this greater region, Johnson City and Bristol, then we'll just kind of reinvigorate the excitement of coming to this area and being entertained."