Great Escapes Theatres the 14th largest theater chain in North America installed twelve Christie projectors to support the premiere of Avatar in 3D part of a total purchase of 174; the rest will be in place before the summer. The chain also contracted Christie Managed Services for round-the-clock support and maintenance. Great Escapes Theatres focuses on mid-sized markets with populations from 100 000 to 400 000. The chain currently operates 277 screens at 24 sites in Georgia Illinois Indiana Kentucky Nebraska Missouri Ohio Pennsylvania Tennessee and West Virginia with 28 screens currently under construction for 2010. Anne Ragains president and CEO and a driving force behind the theaters’ remarkable growth is proud to note that their theaters always become a point of destination that spurs economic growth and development in surrounding neighborhoods. “Great Escapes has had tremendous success serving the underserved communities that larger chains often overlook ” she says. Chance Ragains COO of Great Escapes Theatres says “Our corporate philosophy has been simple and effective – build a quality cost efficient movie theatre in underserved markets and the audience will come. As part of our strategy selecting Christie means we can serve our markets with the industry-acclaimed projection systems that deliver the most exciting viewing experience at the lowest cost of operation. We’re committed to building Great Escapes Theatres into a top-20 company.” He says “We honed in on Christie digital projectors because they have a proven track record of delivering the brightest light output and sharpest image. Along with on-going support through Christie Managed Services we can depend on Christie for the best digital cinema package on the market.” “Thanks to its successful expansion strategy Great Escapes has quickly become an important player in the exhibition industry ” says Craig Sholder vice president entertainment solutions Christie. “Because the new Christie Solaria series of digital projectors are upgradeable to 4K digital cinema Great Escapes is ensuring that its audiences will continue to enjoy the latest generation of quality cutting-edge entertainment upon which it has built its reputation.” Christie Digital Systems www.christiedigital.com
