Admiring their work

Jackson Bell

After 18 months spent constructing the new AMC Entertainment Village,

builders got the chance to show their craftsmanship to family and

friends Tuesday night.

About 300 construction workers and guests were in attendance for

“Cast and Crew,” the completion party thrown by AMC featuring

complimentary popcorn, soda, screenings of “Daddy Day Care,” and a

first glimpse of the 16-screen megaplex.

“This is a thank-you to all the workers for their hard work on the

project for the last year-and-a-half,” said Doug Jaquay, the

project’s developer.

Meanwhile, about 150 AMC employees familiarized themselves with

their new workplace as they ran the theater. Later in the evening,

they celebrated with a staff dinner-and-a-movie party.

Henry Celis, a supervisor of carpeting and plastering, brought his

wife, Nicole, and friends to see his contribution to the building.

Nicole said she has watched the construction from the start and was

thrilled to see it before today’s grand-opening event, “6 Degrees: A

Kevin Bacon Film Tribute and Block Party.”

“It gives them a chance to show everything that is done and see

all of their hard work,” she said, “and it looks beautiful.”

Brothers Jim and Dave Diaz, who installed the ceiling and

handrails inside the individual theaters, said the AMC Entertainment

Village is a much-needed upgrade for Burbank.

“Some people just don’t like older theaters just because they’re

old,” Jim said. “This is just a nicer place to see a movie.”

Muneer Abusway, an assistant manager for AMC, said after spending

more than $65 million on such industry-leading amenities as

state-of-the-art projects and high-quality projectors to the

intricate tiling and decoration, moviegoers in Burbank will

experience the best the company offers.

“AMC usually spends $1 million per screen [when constructing a new

theater], but here they spent three times as much,” he said, “because

this place is going to draw a lot of people.”