Hot Property

Type: 14-screen movie theater/Imax theater/retail

Size: 75,000 square feet

Cost: More than $10 million

Developer: CineMagic Theatres, Minneapolis

General Contractor: Engelsma Construction, Minneapolis

Details: You can't smell the popcorn just yet, but by this summer, movie fans in the south metro will have a new entry in the suburban theater wars.

A giant complex rising along Interstate 35W in Burnsville promises as much drama and action in the theater itself as on the screen, and a style that's part Hollywood and part Las Vegas.

The two-level, 75,000-square-foot structure, which dominates the southeast parking lot at Burnsville Center, will feature lots of neon and bright lights outside, original art inside, 14 regular movie screens and an Imax screen. There will be stadium seating, high-back rocker seats and concession stands serving popcorn, chicken wings, wraps and pizza. The project includes an arcade for kids and rooms for parties, conferences and events. Upstairs, there's a full bar and a restaurant that Sieve describes as a high-end concept used at event centers to serve restaurant food with an emphasis on quick service. The complex includes two retail spaces, which have been leased, although tenants' names haven't been released.

CineMagic is going for glam throughout the project. It has hired Blue Rhino Studios of Eagan to create murals, sculptures and interiors designed to evoke ancient classical art with a Las Vegas influence.

"When you walk in, this will feel like Atlantis when it was the Emerald City," Sieve says.

Is Burnsville ready for this?

"It'll be interesting to see how the public reacts to it," Sieve says. The bigger question is whether the investment will pay off. Sieve declined to disclose the exact cost. "Let's just say it's not a cheap investment," he said, confirming only that the final price will be more than $10 million.

The theater will bring the company's inventory to 90 screens in nine locations in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. It is similar to one that opened last year in St. Michael, Minn. Sieve says the depressed housing market is slowing growth in the area, but he noted that conference and event bookings are strong.

The nearest theaters to the Burnsville project are the Carmike 15 Theatre in Apple Valley and the Lakeville 21, a sprawling theater with an Imax screen, run by Muller Family Theatres.

CineMagic bought the 37.5-acre Atlantis site from CBL & Associates Properties Inc., owner of the 1.1-million-square-foot shopping center.

The center lost two theaters, one inside the mall and one in the same area as the new theater, in 2001. Three years later, Mervyn's pulled out as an anchor tenant.

Since then the center has redeveloped the Mervyn's wing with new stores and exterior improvements and has completed improvements throughout the interior.