Plans for a five theater movie cineplex in North Grand Mall are in their final stages. The theaters are scheduled to open in the spring of 1996.

“We’ve been looking for a site in Ames to build new theaters, and when the mall space became available, we contacted North Grand right away,” said Roger Hansen, director of operations for Central States Theater Corporation.

The new theater will be located where the Department of Transportation and Linda Glantz Interiors were, in the southwest corner of the mall near Sears. There are currently four movie theaters in Ames. The existing Mall Theaters 1 & 2 will remain open along with the new theaters, to be called “North Grand 5.”

Since both theaters are owned by the same company, competition will not be a problem, said James Emerson, director of advertising for Central States Theater Corp. Hansen said he is hoping the new theater will play a diverse selection of films.

“The new theater will be a first-run theater, but we will try to run some of the art films. The problem with art films is that the Ames community has not responded well to them in the past,” Hansen said. “Also, 12,000 copies of a first-run movie may be released, while only seven or eight copies of an art film would be released for the entire nation.”

The 16,000-square foot space will use the latest equipment in projection and sound.

“All the theaters will use stereo surround sound, and some will use Dolby sound,” Hansen said. “The seats in the theater will have behind-the-seat cup holders which allows for more arm room between seats, unlike the arm rest cup holders that are used in many theaters now.”

The 40-foot concession stand will be “a little bit bigger than the stand at the Century Theaters. It will have more equipment, such as pop stations, to serve people quicker,” Emerson said. The new theaters and rest rooms will be completely handicapped accessible, including wheelchair spaces in the auditoriums and devices for the hearing impaired.