Film lovers in the Marquette area have a brand new place to enjoy this summer’s latest blockbusters.

The Thomas Theatre Group opened the doors of its state-of-the-art Marquette Cinema Friday. Business began with showings of the newly released Godzilla on its Thomas Theatre Experience screen, which the group believes will be a unique experience for moviegoers.

“We’ve done a lot of special design to create the sweet spot with all the 30 VIP seats in there,” said Thomas Theatre Group President Thomas Andes. “We’ve created all sorts of non-obstructed sight lines, so the screen looks just as good from the back row as from the front row. It will vibrate you out of your seat. It is literally you are involved in the film, and that’s what I believe everybody wants. You want to be part of the action, and we’ve created that here in Marquette.”

Thomas Theatre Group says the facility’s construction was completed by utilizing as many local contractors as possible. Despite working through the harsh winter, those contractors were able to successfully accomplish the project’s goals.

“These guys worked through unworkable conditions to build this facility, and I think from what you see here, we have a very first-class facility, so I’m very proud of what they’ve accomplished,” Andes added.

The facility features ten screens in all. The group says that new digital cinema technology, despite having a learning curve, has helped to provide additional quality and features that help to make the theatre unique.