Santikos Theatres

Santikos Theatres is a movie theater chain based in San Antonio, Texas. The company was started by Louis Santikos, a Greek entrepreneur, who had moved to Texas and immediately opened nickelodeons in the city in the early 1900s. His son John Santikos eventually took over the company and continued to create various movie theaters, including indoor multi-screen theaters and local drive-ins.

In 1987, John Santikos sold the company to Act III Theatres. John Santikos was able to buy back the company in 2001 due to the recession of 2001 that had affected the industry. It has expanded to seven local theaters, including the Palladium 19 IMAX and the Bijou at Crossroads, two upcoming theaters, and is currently expanding outside San Antonio with the Silverado Station 19 in Houston, which opened in 2008 [http://www.santikos.com/history.html] .

Current Theatres

*Rialto Cinema Bar & Grill
**Previously known as the Galaxy 14, the theater was completely remodeled into a dine-in theater, with a full menu of entrees, dine-in tables in the auditoriums and a bar. The theater is split into two parts: the Rialto main, which is meant only for people 18 and over; and the Rialto Piccolo, which accepts children. The Rialto is the second of three Santikos theaters that feature the "rush hour matinee".

*Palladium 19 IMAX
**Opening in December 2006 as a part of the Rim development in Northwest San Antonio at Loop 1604 and IH-10, it features 19 screens, including two "VIP" auditoriums for adults-only and an IMAX screen. With heavy Greek influences in its architecture, the Palladium also features an arcade room, a gelato bar, a fully-functional restaurant, and a mezzanine bar. A 65-million dollar investment, the Palladium was the largest theatrical development in the country in 2006, and it currently one of the most profitable IMAX theaters in the nation.

*Silverado 16
**Located at Bandera and 1604 in the Northwest region of San Antonio, the Silverado has 16 screens and was the first theater in San Antonio to feature Digital 3-D capability. With a Western theme, the theater also has a restaurant attachment called the Rough Rider Cafe & Bar.

*Mayan Palace 14
**With a Mayan influence in its architecture, the Mayan Palace has fourteen screens and is located at in the Southwest part of San Antonio. The theater now features Digital 3-D and occasionally features Spanish-dubbed screenings of mainstream films.

*The Bijou at Crossroads
**Built within the Crossroads Mall at IH-10 and Loop 410, the theater was completely remodeled into a six-screen arthouse theater with dine-in seating. The menu offers regular concessions, such as popcorn] or hot dogs, but also offers full-course meals and a modest wine list. It features independent movies, foreign films, documentaries, and even NC-17 films. However, there have been circumstances where it showed a mainstream movie, such as Grindhouse, ; and most recently, Get Smart.

*Embassy 14
**Built in the mid-1980s at Highway 281 and Bitters Rd., the Embassy 14 has finished a renovation process spanning two years, now featuring a built-in Starbucks parlor and an overhauled interior. It is one of three Santikos theaters that have the "price extravaganza", where between 4:00 and 6:00 PM matinée prices are only $4.25. At the end of the summer, the Embassy will install digital projectors with Digital 3-D capability in half of its screens.

*Northwest 10
**The second Santikos theater located at the I-10/410 intersection, the Northwest is a 10-screen auditorium. An adjacent building called the Northwest Annex, which has four screens of its own, was temporarily shut down due to repairs, but has recently re-opened two of the screens. The company is planning to renovate the Northwest into a dine-in theater in the mold of the Rialto, though no development has started. It is the third Santikos theater to have the "price extravaganza" and currently has the cheapest prices for a matinée theater in San Antonio.

*Silverado Station 19
**The first out-of-city Santikos theater, the Station features 19 screens, including an IMAX screen. It features many characteristics of the Palladium, including a restaurant, two mezzanine bars, and a game room. Located at HWY 249 near Tomball in Houston, the theater officially opened on February 29th. Construction on another 100,000 sq/ft of retail space will begin once tenants have been secured.

Upcoming Theaters

*Granada 16
**Located in the Southeast part of San Antonio, the Granada 16 will be built in a style that alludes to the Spanish city of Granada and will feature retail shops and a restaurant. Though it was due to come out in 2007, it is now expected to release in Spring 2008.

*Legacy Theater
**In April 2007, it was announced that an eight-screen theater would be built at the retail development project the Legacy at 1604 and 281 in San Antonio. The Legacy itself is being made by Santikos Investments, a real-estate branch also supervised by John Santikos. It is rumored to be an art-house theater. [http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA041807.02E.bizbriefs.297d9c7.html]