Madison movie theater moves forward
From left, Ambarish Keshani, president of Cinema Group, Inc., Madison Mayor Troy Trulock and Madison Chamber of Commerce executive director Elaine Ballew. (Record Photo/Nick Sellers)
By Nick Sellers | Staff Writer
MADISON – For now, the patch of land exists as just a flat, barren dirt field with patches of gravel.
However, as Madison Mayor Troy Trulock pointed out, the site of the future Cineplanet 15 Cinema was farmland seven months ago and, hopefully, will be home to a 15-screen functioning movie theater seven months from now.
Trulock, representatives from the Madison Chamber of Commerce and Ambarish Keshani, president of Cinema Group, Inc. were present at a press conference May 1 detailing the progress of the movie theater project and outlining the future of the site.
Keshani, who said he has opened similar movie theaters in Jonesboro, Ark. and Olive Branch, Miss., closely researched prospective sites for more locations and the city of Madison came up repeatedly.
“Madison was an automatic flag on our radar,” Keshani said.
The precise location for the theater, 2050 Hughes Road, sits on the northern side of the Publix on Highway 72 between Wall-Triana Highway and Hughes Road. Trulock said in his introduction he anticipates the movie theater becoming an anchor retail spot for a development that will extend directly west to Wall-Triana.
Accordingly, Keshani alluded to the fact that the movie theater he built in Jonesboro in 1999 attracted some dozen retail shops and restaurants around the theater.
A release handed out at the press conference detailed the offerings at the theater, including smart phone reservations for movies and “luxurious High Back Rocker seats” like those at Monaco Pictures at Bridge Street.
Keshani said the theater will play movies “from A-Z,” including all ratings.
“More secrets will kind of be revealed when it is around opening time,” Trulock said.
Both Trulock and Keshani reiterated Christmas as the target opening date for Cineplanet 15 Cinema, with Keshani adding he anticipates it to be open by then barring any more weather delays.
