Royal Oak Residents Impressed at Official Opening of Emagine Theatre

The  celebration at  late Monday afternoon drew dozens of community members to take a peek at the new entertainment complex, which features a theater, Star Lanes bowling alley, bar and various lounge areas.

The large group pushed through the entrance of the establishment following the ribbon cutting. “Ladies and gentleman, as I said, it’s show time — come on down,” , CEO of Emagine Entertainment, declared for the grand opening.

After a series of throughout the week, Glantz was pleased to see many repeat visitors as well as new faces in the crowd. He joked that thus far, the only criticism he has received is that the facility needed clocks to ensure attendees didn’t miss their movies.

“I don’t expect to be inundated with foot traffic today,” Glantz said. “The ribbon-cutting crowd certainly met my expectations and I am deeply humbled by the comments I’ve received.”

Many residents who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday noted being unsure about the complex when they first heard about it, but conceded that just seeing the venue has changed their mind. Among some of the concerns were parking and the theater contributing a rowdy atmosphere to that part of town. Glantz remains optimistic that the roughly 400-car parking structure next door, along with overflow parking nearby, will suffice the flow of traffic.

“It’s a nice addition; I am still a little concerned of what it will be like here at night, but it should be OK,” Scott LaFond of Royal Oak said Monday. “Parking should be all right with the structure there; if that wasn’t there then there would be big problems.”

A large amount of attendees noted they walked to the ribbon cutting or would be walking in the future when they went to see a movie at Emagine, located near the corner of 11 Mile Road and Main Street in downtown Royal Oak. The Uptown Palladium in Birmingham might see a decrease in moviegoers in response to the having a theater closer to home, some Royal Oak residents and visitors said.

"I'm glad to have a theater that shows kids movies close by,” said Royal Oak resident Sharon Reedy, who was at Emagine on Monday with her 6-year-old son, Sean.

This great addition to the community, as many residents referred to it, even left Royal Oak resident and Chamber of Commerce member Christine Chubenko speechless. She admitted to being among the people who were not sure that Royal Oak needed, or should be the site for, such a complex.

“This is awesome, truly awesome,” Chubenko said. “It’s not often that I’m speechless, but I am.”

“People come to Royal Oak to be entertained and this will be the hub,” said Howard Collens, Hunter Woods resident and vice president of the . “It’s beautiful, they haven’t missed a thing.”

The facility could make a good place for a bachelorette party or other celebration, Chubenko said. Royal Oak resident Meghan Waldron agreed, saying she couldn’t wait to return with her adult friends – though she is excited for a place she can go to entertain her children Riley, 2, and Michael, 6, as well, who were with her at Monday's opening.

Like Waldron’s children, 6-year-old Sean Reedy couldn’t contain his enthusiasm over the facility. He was excited about the pool table, video games, movies and bowling that Emagine offers its customers.

“I was so excited, even for them to cut the ribbon,” Michael said.