If you thought Miami movie-going couldn't get better than a plastic cup of wine at Paragon Grove theater, think again. Soon, Brickell will have its very own luxury dine-in cinema, courtesy of Mexico City-based Cinemex.
Developer Swire Properties Inc. announced this week that Cinemex will open its first cinema in the U.S. at Brickell City Centre in 2016. The $1.1 billion City Centre project, which began construction last year, is Miami's largest mixed-use urban development.
The 622-seat dine-in theater will feature oversized leather seats in 11 viewing rooms. For the Miami location, Cinemax has partnered with Mikel Alonso, chef of Mexico's world-renowned restaurant Biko, and Mexico City mixologist Mica Rousseau, to create the cinema's dining experience.
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"As the sixth largest cinema chain worldwide, our main focus is to bring the success of Cinemex to downtown Miami. We believe Brickell City Centre will create the perfect setting for Cinemex. As our first U.S. theatre and part of our expansion plan, we could not have chosen a better location," stated Javier Ezquerro, vice president of concession.
Miami's Loguer Design, the team behind the Bond on Brickell condominiums currently under construction, will handle design for the cinema. According to Swire, the theater's exterior will feature a large-scale LED screen with animated content that simulates a theater curtain. The facade also serves as part of Brickell City Centre's Climate Ribbon that will span 150,000 square feet of the Centre and provide shade from the sun, collect rainwater for reuse, and create air flow.
Cinemex and Swire will host a series of public outdoor film events to celebrate the cinema's launch. Since its founding in August 1995, Cinemex has grown to 271 locations and 13,000 employees in Mexico. Similar luxury Cinemex operations, like Cinemex Platino, offer gourmet meals with wine and cocktail options delivered to patrons' seats, which can be reserved.
Currently, Brickell and downtown have few options for movie-goers, the Olympia Theater at Gusman Center being one of the only spots to catch films in the area, albeit somewhat irregularly. The last movie theater to operate in the area was an AMC Theatres location at the Omni Mall, which closed for good in 1999.
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