We're under-screened no more

The smell of popcorn had yet to insinuate itself in the carpeted corridors. The marquee had yet to go up. The floors were anything but sticky.
Inside this modern model of movie magic, the anxious organizers seemed prepared for the initial onslaught.
Outside, 130 impatient toe-tapping disciples of the Gospel according to Luke (Skywalker) endured a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the doors could be swung open wide into the heart of Skittles, Milk Dud and Goober heaven.
Some had waited in line for as long as three hours. A handful of them looked old enough to remember a time in the Greater New Bedford area when there where not much more than a half-dozen movie screens.
The movie industry has a term for cities like ours.
They call us, "under-screened."
Today, with 31, we are under-screened no longer.
The brand-spanking new, 12-screen Flagship Cinemas opened amid much acclaim and anxiety yesterday, deep within the hinterlands of the Fieldstone Marketplace on King's Highway.
It may very well have been the only theater in America that didn't have advanced tickets sales to the latest-and-greatest Star Wars extravaganza because the ticket system wasn't on-line until 20 minutes before yesterday's premier showing.
But not to worry. Once the doors did open yesterday at 3:15 -- a month earlier than originally planned -- you hardly noticed the quiet desperation beneath the calm.
So much for The Phantom Menace. On screen and off.
Three-quarters of the theater was filled by the 3:50 p.m. start of George Lucas' hyped-beyond-capacity-of- human-endurance prequel to a series of Star Wars sequels.
"It has taken a tremendous amount of work to get this theater opened on time," said Andrew Poore, director of operations for Flagship, who says he was working on two-hours sleep. "Now that the doors are opened and people are actually buying tickets, it feels as if I'm in a dream."
And this stuff of which cinematic dreams are made amid a darkened air-conditioned luxury complete with cup-holders, lots of leg room and a backdrop of Dolby digital sound.
This is this small, independent company's first multi-plex theater in Massachusetts. They have three others in Maine.
An adult ticket will go you $6.50, while senior, children and matinee tickets before 6 p.m. all cost $4.50.
"We have a good idea of what (particular) films go well in different locations," says Vice President Christine M. Ollis. "We find that out by attendance and requests. After awhile, we get to know the tastes of our frequent movie-goers quite well."
This theater has it all, right down to the ergonomic seats (a fancy word for human engineering, connoting that they are comfortable as hell, which in fact they are) and nachos (at $2.50) at the concession stand. There are 12 available screens, ranging from 115 to 238 seats.
Why, they even offer you a free refill on an order of large popcorn ($4.75) with a large soft drink ($3), should you become so all-consuming as to get past the initial 170 ounces of popcorn and 44 ounces of soda.
"We want to make the community happy," said Flagship Cinemas President John Crowley. "In Maine, we have a large French population and we have brought in the occasional French (speaking) movie from Europe."
So, what are Flagship's chances of bringing Portuguese films here as an adjunct to the mainstream cinema?
"Oh, we're going to do it," Mr. Crowley says, "because it's the right thing to do. We are not a big chain which books the exact same movies in all their theaters. We want to work along with this community."
Sounds great to me.
New Bedford is under-screened no longer.
Now, if we could only do something about not being under-railed.

Dick White can be reached through the Internet at: soitgoes@s-t.com