Growing up in Pewaukee during the 1980s and ’90s, there were two movie theaters where my friends and I would see the latest flicks: Westown and West Point cinemas. Both, of course, were Marcus Theatres cinemas.
Both were located near Goerke’s Corners, where I-94, Bluemound Road and East Moreland Boulevard converge. Westown was just west of the freeway interchange on a site currently occupied by a former Gander Mountain store that closed earlier this year.
West Point was located east of Goerke’s Corners, at the current site of The Corners of Brookfield, the new shopping center that opened in April.
The Westown and West Point cinemas closed when Marcus opened its Majestic Cinema in 2007, just west along I-94 on Springdale Road.
Now, 10 years later, there are plans for two new movie theater complexes in Brookfield.
One is from Milwaukee-based Marcus, which wants to build a BistroPlex at Brookfield Square Mall. BistroPlex is a new food-centric movie theater concept, which Marcus first rolled out earlier this year at Southridge Mall. Brookfield Square is about five miles from both the Majestic Cinema and Marcus’ Ridge Cinema in New Berlin. That five-mile gap is a good radius to serve those heavily developed suburban areas, according to Marcus Theatres chief executive officer Rolando Rodriguez.
The other Brookfield movie theater proposal is from Miami, Florida-based Silverspot Cinema, which wants to open a nine-screen theater complex at The Corners.
How ironic. A movie theater that would complete with Marcus planned for a former Marcus Theatres cinema location.
The Marcus Corp., the parent company of Marcus Theatres, is not happy about this. The company led plans to redevelop the former West Point site, and a former Menard’s store property next door, into The Corners. But to complete the massive development, Marcus had to relinquish its majority stake to other partners. It retains a minority stake in The Corners.
Marcus says the development agreement for The Corners, signed by the Town of Brookfield, Marcus Corp. and Brookfield Corners LLC (the joint venture that now holds the majority stake in The Corners), requires the consent of all parties involved when changes are made.
But Marcus says it was not consulted on plans for a movie theater complex at The Corners. And, the company says a movie theater there would be a bad idea.
However, this simply looks like an attempt by Marcus to block a competitor. The company may, in fact, have a point about the development agreement, and if you have that leverage why not use it?
I can’t say I blame them for trying to do so, but I’d rather see plans for the movie theater complex at The Corners move forward and let the marketplace determine if it’s a good idea or if Brookfield can’t support three movie theaters.
Silverspot Cinema indicates it plans to focus on cultural programming at The Corners, but would also show first-run movies. Perhaps it will fill a unique niche and serve an untapped market in Waukesha County.
It would be great to let the marketplace find out.
