Large Downtown Tulsa Movie Theater

[cannon_fodder]

I was reading Blake Ewing Campaign blog and read what was news to me...

I believe that my adult life includes plenty of relevant and impressive qualifiers. While it’s awkward to list my own accomplishments in this way, I’ll do it for the sake of the conversation. By the time I turn 34, I will have created nine companies who between them employ 200 Tulsans and generate six million dollars a year in sales. I will have produced a full length motion picture. I will have opened downtown’s first grocery store in The Brady District. I will have announced the location of our large downtown movie theater project. I will have been a part of revitalizing downtown Tulsa and The Pearl District. Furthermore, my companies and I will have donated tens of thousands of dollars to local non-profits, served on a litany of boards, and won numerous honors and awards for promoting and improving Tulsa. I’m very fortunate to have the life I have. I get to pursue my dreams every day alongside the most wonderful employees I could ever ask for and I get to work to make the city I love the greatest in the world.

http://blakeewing.wordpress.com/

Exciting to see development downtown continuing and moving in more and more directions (first bars and restaurants, then residential, hotels, shops, new office space, and now grocery stores and living amenities).

Way to be Blake (and company, whoever else is involved...).  I can't wait to see the details. 

[David]

I think we need to concentrate of more residential life in downtown before we focus on large movie complexes.

[Hoss]

I think we need to concentrate of more residential life in downtown before we focus on large movie complexes.

Before you can draw those downtown to live you have to provide alternatives to driving out to the suburbs to do their entertainment.  While bars and clubs are fine, those are for the single people.  If you want to draw in families, movie theatres speaks volumes.

Think I'll defer to Blake's judgement here.  He is, after all, VERY successful in his downtown ventures so far.

[cannon_fodder]

I think we need to concentrate of more residential life in downtown before we focus on large movie complexes.

There was already the Renaissance downtown complex, the Tribune lofts, Philtower, and some here and some there.

In the last 5-6 years we have added:
MAYO Hotel
MAYO Building
The new residential across from Drillers Stadium

Under construction or already announced:
Old YMCA to be converted to lofts
Vandever building has funding to be residential on the top floors
The old Bill White Chevy site has funding to be lofts
Tribune II is under construction (as the Metro at Brady)
First Street Lofts is what it is
New construction is slated next to Hey Mombo.
119 Downtown is still there for someone to pickup and run with
The guys are still trying with 534 S. Boston (Enterprise building)
Ground is broken on a new apartments behind the Double Tree

That's a lot of residential downtown newly formed, under construction, or in the works.  While I agree that I would welcome MORE residential (my idea:  student housing.  Between TCC, OSU Tulsa, Langston, and TU just down the road I think you could work out a neat student housing complex with existing structures or new, a shuttle to and from the various campuses.  Near the Blue Dome?  Students would LOVE it and pay for it with loan or parents money [read: they can pay]), with so many projects underway most developers want to kinda of wait and make sure the market isn't saturated.  You also have the Chicken or the Egg argument - will having MORE things downtown cause more people to want to live there, or will more people living there cause more amenities cause more people to move in?

But I agree "just another movie theater" probably would have low margins facing off against the big commercial chains near 41st and Yale.  But I doubt Blake is going in that direction.  His places are meant to be a destination:  Joe Mommas doesn't really compete with Dominoes, the Max is not the same crowd at McNellie's, and his T-shirt shop isnt fighting with Old Navy for T-Shirt sales.

[David]

Before you can draw those downtown to live you have to provide alternatives to driving out to the suburbs to do their entertainment.  While bars and clubs are fine, those are for the single people.  If you want to draw in families, movie theatres speaks volumes.

Think I'll defer to Blake's judgement here.  He is, after all, VERY successful in his downtown ventures so far.

Disagree.

Adding a large movie theater isn't going to draw people in from the suburbs when they already have that option where they are. That being said, it's not my money and people are more than welcome to spend as they please.

[David]

cannon - The more people, the more amenities. There will be a certain breaking point with the entertainment aspect of downtown unless people start moving there in flocks. Concepts die after time, communities grow.

[cannon_fodder]

cannon - The more people, the more amenities. There will be a certain breaking point with the entertainment aspect of downtown unless people start moving there in flocks. Concepts die after time, communities grow.

Unless people start using downtown as their entertainment district.  If people from South Tulsa, Bixby, Jenks, Owasso, Broken Arrow... and even friends of mine in Claremore, Skiatook, and Muskogee use downtown Tulsa as an entertainment vanue; and people in town for events and concerts contribute - direct area population can be overcome.    But I agree, to have a true downtown community we need to see continued population growth.  And we are.  I'm happy to see amenities and population grow together.

[Hoss]

Disagree.

Adding a large movie theater isn't going to draw people in from the suburbs when they already have that option where they are. That being said, it's not my money and people are more than welcome to spend as they please.

Fine, and that's your prerogative.  I just disagree with your assessment.  And obviously so does Blake and others.

But my point was that if you are drawing people to live downtown, do you think those people want to drive to the suburbs to go to the movies?  Maybe you didn't understand my counterpoint?

[David]

Fine, and that's your prerogative.  I just disagree with your assessment.  And obviously so does Blake and others.

But my point was that if you are drawing people to live downtown, do you think those people want to drive to the suburbs to go to the movies?  Maybe you didn't understand my counterpoint?

Completely understand it.

I just think something like a large movie theater comes after the population establishes itself. I was also a big opponent of the BOk Center and ONEOK Field, which were successful to at least some extent, because I thought we should spend that money on other things in downtown. In my opinion, I'd like downtown to be more of a business center and residential community...and less of an entertainment center.

[cannon_fodder]

I was also a big opponent of the BOk Center and ONEOK Field, which were successful to at least some extent, because I thought we should spend that money on other things in downtown. In my opinion, I'd like downtown to be more of a business center and residential community...and less of an entertainment center.

BOK was among the ... oh crap.  Earthquake.  Wow not stopping...

[ZYX]

BOK was among the ... oh crap.  Earthquake.  Wow not stopping...

Continue.....

[Hoss]

Completely understand it.

I just think something like a large movie theater comes after the population establishes itself. I was also a big opponent of the BOk Center and ONEOK Field, which were successful to at least some extent, because I thought we should spend that money on other things in downtown. In my opinion, I'd like downtown to be more of a business center and residential community...and less of an entertainment center.

But that's tantamount to buying a TV after you've moved in the house.  Maybe not the greatest analogy, but you get my point.  If people have to wait for those amenities to move downtown, they likely will hold off on doing so.

Hmm..you wouldn't be David Arnett by any chance...would you?

[David]

But that's tantamount to buying a TV after you've moved in the house.  Maybe not the greatest analogy, but you get my point.  If people have to wait for those amenities to move downtown, they likely will hold off on doing so.

Hmm..you wouldn't be David Arnett by any chance...would you?

Nope.

Was cannon really posting during the quake? Ha.

[TheArtist]

  The amount of housing is "building", and I am sure we will be getting  more.  We will also see more shopping. Plus, once we get several, real, established areas in downtown, those will indeed pull in people from other areas including the suburbs for dining/shopping/entertainment.  Another thing, I am starting to notice what seems to be a "run to be first".  I have had a lot of neat ideas that I would like to see happen downtown for there still wasn't a "this" or "that", which doesn't exist yet and thus presents an opportunity.  There are a lot of people who want downtown to succeed and will support you.  Then of course not long after I have those ideas, well those ideas start to materialize under someone else for they had the idea too (or they read it on here lol).  I only wish I had the money and or the know how to make my idea come true before it all gets done by others. I am excited that the Art Deco Museum is slowly becoming a reality, but at the same time I am working on another project as well (not gonna say what lol lest someone else with more means goes "o that is a good idea" and does it before me). But I suppose that will be a great day for us all when your not moving into downtown, and doing well because your first, (and there are still plenty of opportunities to do that, but many of the obvious options are dwindiling fast) but your moving into downtown with supposedly a better product/service than that first guy to compete with him.   Will be a tougher more competitive environment, but gonna be a fantastic day none the less.

[TheTed]

I don't really see a downtown theater as competing with the existing ones.

I assume it's gonna be a modern theater with adult beverages, waiters, food that you'd actually want to eat, etc.

Besides the fact that, considering the 41st and Yale theaters are somewhere between uninspiring and frightening (depending on how many dozens of juveniles are loitering in the lot at the time), this is the closest theater for quite a large number of people.