Tour of the new Coconut Grove movie theater

Mike Wilson, one of the partners in the new movie theater at CocoWalk, took us on a little tour of the theater yesterday afternoon. We are told that June 4, 2010 is opening day for phase one, which consists of 13 state-of-the-art movie theaters which will have reserved stadium seating, Sony high def projectors, as well as 3-D screens (three of them). Mike, shown here, is standing in one of the theaters, on the platform, where the stadium seating will be installed.

The name of the CocoWalk theater is not Muvico it is "Paragon Grove 13."

The movie projection equipment and screens will be the only type of their kind in Miami. People will have to come to Coconut Grove to experience this.

The seating is not in yet and right now the place is a gutted mess, but there are dozens of workers on the job daily, getting the place ready. In two weeks or so, all the chairs are scheduled to arrive. The entrance and lobby area were being worked on yesterday and should be done in a week. Local artists may be part of the process. Murals and other type art will enhance the entry area. You will see this as you walk up the entry steps to the main lobby.


CocoWalk's recent financial problems and permit delays were the main culprit in the work hold up, but now all things are full speed ahead.

Phase two consists of a bar/restaurant/bowling alley called U-bar, which will open at a later date. Part of that plan is also a meeting room/personal theater, which will have an upscale movie screen as well as club-type seating, i.e. sofas, tables, etc.


Upscale food and beverages will be available at this theater (our theater). Wine, beer, sandwich wraps and more are part of the selections. The goal is to offer a movie experience for 21 year olds and up in most of the theaters at night. Families will be accommodated during daytime hours.

What we saw, we liked. While it was mostly demolition and not much reconstruction yet, that part should move fast. The main thing was that there was lots of work being done during our visit. And Mike was very welcoming and friendly, he didn't mind us wandering around and taking photos or asking questions.

Sue McConnell of the Village of Center Grove is in negotiation with Paragon to have a designated Grove Day discount ticket with a Code 33 membership card. The specific offer will be announced within the next week.

So it looks like Paragon Grove 13 is ready to be the main attraction in the Grove come June.