Grand Square Cinema is back, new and improved

The Grand Square Cinema in Cold Lake will reopen its doors this Friday with a line-up of new and classic movies along with some significant upgrades.

Like many businesses across Alberta, Grand Square Cinema closed its doors as COVID-19 began to spread through the country, resulting in many films having their box office runs cut short.

However, before the pandemic forced its closure the theatre was in the midst of a serious face lift, and what was once a vintage, maybe dated theatre is now a facility which could be comparable to chain theatres such as Cineplex.

“We’ve changed out all the old seats for luxury palliser recliners, which are state of the art, as well as high back rockers in the front rows. And both of those have vinyl cushioning instead of fabric, so they’re much more comfortable,” said May Theatres VP Noel May on the new seating for Grand Square.

“We’ve also changed out our old siding, since that was a little dated, but we did keep it in one theatre for anyone that wanted to keep their nostalgia.

“We’ve got other surprises and improvements we’ve made as well that we’re keeping close to the vest for the time being, and we’re looking forward to seeing peoples reactions very much.”

To help celebrate the theatre’s reopening there will be specials at the concession as well as price drops to help reflect the current economics. The line-up for opening night includes Jurassic Park, Ready or Not, The Goonies, Trolls World Tour, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Grand Square’s sister location in Lloydminster has screened classic films such as Ghosterbusters, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jaws, which May have said have all been very successful and have strong chances of making their way to Cold Lake.

When it comes to keeping crowds safe, the theatre will be adhering to AHS guidelines, such as offering hand sanitizer at the door, sanitization of high touch areas, and requiring employees to wear a mask.

Customers, however, will not be required to wear a mask.

Additional measures will include the grouping of joint movie-goers with two empty seats between them and other groups, which will be assisted by the theatre’s new seating system.

Customers will have the option to purchase tickets in person or online.