Community celebrates groundbreaking of ShowBiz Cinemas in Idaho Falls

SHOWBIZ MARKETING DIRECTOR BETH MISKA AND JACKSON HOLE JUNCTION MANAGING PARTNER MATT MORGAN ADDRESS THE CROWD AT THE GROUNDBREAKING IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.

IDAHO FALLS — Ground was officially broken on Showbiz Cinema’s entertainment complex inside Jackson Hole Junction in Idaho Falls Thursday afternoon.

Company President and CEO Kevin Mitchell tells EastIdahoNews.com construction will begin right away and he’s hoping it will be complete by the end of the year.

“Right now we’re shooting for Christmas. It’s going to be tight, and a lot of it will depend on the weather, but we’re hoping to have it open by the end of the year,” Mitchell says.

A ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration will coincide with the opening. It’s too early to tell exactly when that will be, but it will be announced at a later date.

Idaho Falls will be the sixth Showbiz Cinemas location in the nation and the first in the western United States. Current locations are in Texas, Oklahoma and Florida.

Matt Morgan, one of the managing partners for Jackson Hole Junction, began negotiating with ShowBiz more than a year ago. Mitchell says the growth in Idaho Falls was a major factor in the decision to come here.

“Idaho Falls is an underserved market and we’ve really enjoyed the people we’ve been working with,” Mitchell says. “We see it as an opportunity to spread the ShowBiz experience in other parts of the country.”

The Jackson Hole Junction project will be unlike anything people in eastern Idaho have ever seen, Morgan says.

“A full family entertainment center is something this community has needed for a long time and we could not have found a better fit for our community than ShowBiz Cinemas,” Morgan says in a news release.

The biggest misconception of ShowBiz Cinemas is that it’s just a movie theater. While movies are a major component of what it offers, Mitchell says there is so much more. The layout will be identical to other locations.

Among all the amenities will be 14 boutique bowling lanes, a cutting-edge modern arcade with redemption center, and eight state-of the art movie auditoriums, all with luxury electric recliner seating.

“Every screen is a wall-to-wall ceiling to floor screen. We call them floating screens. Every auditorium will have a Dolby sound system…(with) totally immersive sound,” says Mithcell.

The bowling lanes are 100% technology-driven and will offer at least 30 different games to customers, not just traditional bowling. The redemption center in the arcade will allow people to redeem their points for prizes.

There will also be multiple party rooms, a lane-side café with expansive food and drink options, a full bar with beer, wine and cocktails and a concessions area.

Free movie admission will be offered for law enforcement officers and firefighters and a variety of discount options, including $5 movie ticket pricing each Tuesday, will be available.

Every market is different, Mitchell says, so it’s hard to say what people enjoy most. But Mitchell says it will be a place that’s enjoyable and affordable for families to keep coming back.

“There’s something here for everyone,” Mitchell says. “We’re bringing something to eastern Idaho that everybody will appreciate.”

Mitchell says they’re looking at opening another location somewhere in Idaho in the near future. He hopes this is the beginning of a ShowBiz footprint in surrounding states.

ShowBiz Cinema is the second official tenant currently being developed in Jackson Hole Junction. Others include Holiday Inn, which is slated for completion in June, and Idaho Kidney Institute. Others will be announced in the coming weeks.