Studio Movie Grill Opens Four Additional Theaters This Weekend

SMG Sunset Walk. Image Courtesy SMG.

Dallas-based dine-in chain Studio Movie Grill has announced that they are reopening four additional locations this Friday, August 14.

Studio Movie Grill currently has nine locations open—six in Texas, one in Georgia, and two in Florida. This weekend’s batch will see SMG open doors to locations in Texas’ Arlington Lincoln Square and Plano; Duluth in Georgia; and Wheaton in Illinois. The weekend after these theaters open, the first major release to open in U.S. theaters in some months—the Russell Crowe-starring Unhinged, for which advanced tickets are currently on sale—will open in theaters. Starting that same day, August 21, SMG locations will screen a tenth-anniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan’s Inception, leading up to the release of Nolan’s Tenet in select markets on September 3. 

“SMG is extremely happy to safely welcome guests back to movies on the big screen,” said founder/CEO Brian Schultz in a statement. “We have a wide variety of films playing, including classics and several new releases from smaller distributors, which are impressively driving pre-pandemic levels of attendance. New movies from the major studios are right around the corner, including the highly anticipated Tenet from Warner Bros.

Information on SMG’s safety procedures can be found here.

In addition to reopening select cinemas to the public, SMG has been offering private auditorium rentals for a fee of $200; an official statement from the chain notes that these rentals have been “immensely popular for birthday parties, movie events, surprise parties, and other socially distanced get-togethers.” Dine-in food is available for purchase during these private screenings. 

In addition, SMG Access loyalty members can currently reserve up to four free tickets to select repertory films using the SMG app. Free tickets can be reserved up to once a day through August 23. Added Tonya Mangels, head of revenue and marketing: “We added new perks [to the loyalty program], including earning points on food and drinks, plus upgraded the app for convenient, contactless menu ordering.”

SMG Sunset Walk. Image Courtesy SMG.