September 5, 2019
Hannibal, MO. – Corey Mehaffy, Executive Director of the Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council (HREDC) announced today that B&B Theatres has embarked on a significant reinvestment project in Historic Downtown Hannibal.
The project involves reseating of all eight auditoriums to include electric recliner seating. In addition, the current arcade and party rooms are being removed to create a new bar and lounge area and new interior/wayfinding signage is being added.
According to Mehaffy, one of the most exciting aspects of the project will be the addition of MX4D movie-going experience. One of the eight auditoriums will include this technology. The seats are not recliners but rather attached to a gimble that will pitch the seat forward, backward and left or right about 8 degrees. Seats will also have water and air features as well as a subwoofer in each seat bottom. There is also wind, strobe, fog, rain, and snow effects in the ceiling to create an incredibly immersive experience.
B&B Theatres Director of Strategic Planning Dennis McIntire added, “I have researched it and to my knowledge Hannibal will be the only market outside of a major metropolitan area to offer the MX4D moving-going experience. We believe this will be a big draw for the community and we are happy to make this investment in downtown Hannibal.”
Mehaffy indicated that HREDC has been assisting B&B over the last few months to facilitate the project in Hannibal. Mehaffy added, “It has been a pleasure to work with B&B on this project. They have been a great corporate citizen in Hannibal for many years and I appreciate their continued investment in downtown Hannibal. An investment of this magnitude in downtown Hannibal is a real testament to the economic vitality of that district and will spur additional investment. We have been sharing this news with other prospects and they are taking notice of the significant opportunities Hannibal has to offer.”
McIntire added, “We are pleased to expand our operations in Hannibal. Working with HREDC and the City of Hannibal has been a great experience. Their team was very responsive and willing to partner with us to see this project become a reality. We are very happy with the theater in Hannibal and we are proud of our continued investment in the downtown district.”
Mehaffy added, “This project is a great example of the importance of public/private partnerships and what can be accomplished when we work together. I would like to thank the Hannibal City Council, City Staff, City Attorney James Lemon, HREDC Special Counsel for Economic Development Tom Cunningham of Cunningham, Vogel and Rost and General Contractor James Godert of Godert Construction for their support of this project.”
HREDC works to promote financial investment in Hannibal, and Marion and Ralls Counties. For more information on the organization, please visit their website at www.hredc.com.
