In December 1997, as Omaha’s rave party scene was declining, Westroads Mall said goodbye to its on-site movie theater. Roughly 10 years later, movies return to Westroads in an all-digital format with Rave Motion Pictures.
No film enters this state-of-the-art digital multi-plex. What used to be yards and canisters of film is now concentrated into a hard drive you can hold in the palm of your hand.
This digital format may seem colder, downloading the hard drive into a computer and punching its code into the specified projector. No film, no missing reels, just the threat of a possible 21st century computer meltdown.
“Digital images never degenerate. The analogy is like going from LP to CD. You’re getting a richer picture of 100 percent of pixels all the time compared to 24 frames per second with film,” said Jeremy Devine, vice president of marketing for Rave.
The digital age is a constantly changing industry, which sometimes isn’t perceived consciously. At Rave, the movie posters are digital and showcase both still pictures and movie trailers. The lobby has transparent ceiling tiles which reveal neon lights that seem to creep into every corner of your eye.
The theaters, of course, are the main attraction. There are 18-inch risers between levels of seating, making it fully possible for a Bluejay basketball player not to block the sight lines of a small child sitting directly behind him.
Stadium seating runs down into the pit of each theater, not just stopping at entry level. There are also 48 inches between rows of seating, designed for someone with long legs and to the advantage of that awkward person getting up in the middle of the movie.
Westroads Mall is a relatively close location for Rave and for Creighton students because of its central location. The closest non-art house movie theater to Creighton is Star Cinema in Council Bluffs or Cinema Center at 84th and Center Streets.
But three and a half miles away is a multiplex that is advertised as “the best presentation in the area,” Devine said.
The 7,000 square foot space also has a party room, video arcade, eight box offices and four 24-hour ticket kiosks, just in case you want to buy “Twilight” tickets at 3 a.m.
“Rave theaters are really comfortable, vibrant, exciting and represent the next wave of what movie theaters are about,” Divine said.
Feel like channeling your inner ’90s child? Disney’s “Bolt” is released Nov. 21 in 3-D.
Rave Motion Pictures is located at Westroads Mall (10000 California St.) between Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.G.I. Friday’s on the north side.
Regular student pricing is $7.75. Before 6 p.m. the cost is $6.75. Adult pricing for 3-D pictures is $10.75 and matinees are $8.75.