21-Screen Megaplex Being Built In Boise

Construction is starting on what will be Idaho’s largest theater, with 21 screens and luxury seating for 4,500 viewers, as part of an estimated $50 million entertainment complex.

Developers of the Boise Spectrum staged a ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday for the 106,000-square-foot megaplex designed by Edwards Theatres Circuit Inc. It is expected to be open for the 1997 holiday movie season.

It will be the first location outside Southern California for Edwards Theatres and will feature state-of-the-art sound, oversized concave screens and steeply sloping stadium-style seating, said Hawkins-Smith, the local commercial developer.

Hawkins-Smith also plans a 30-acre entertainment complex at the Boise Spectrum site near Interstate 84.

The complex will include restaurants and interactive high-tech games and simulators.