CityCentre Switcheroo

Houston-based dine-in movie theater chain now starring at CityCentre

Star Cinema Grill's Richmond location previews the upgrades coming to CityCentre.

Courtesy of Star Cinema Grill

CityCentre’s movie theater is under new management. Star Cinema Grill will now operate the theater that had belonged to Studio Movie Grill.

Part of Culinary Khancepts, the local hospitality group behind State Fare, Liberty Kitchen, and the renovations currently underway at the historic River Oaks Theatre, the CityCentre location will be the 10th location of Star Cinema Grill. The location is currently closed but should reopen no later than April 18, according to a release.

"We are incredibly excited," Omar Khan, president of Culinary Khancepts, said in a statement. "Our luxury cinema brand perfectly complements the exceptional atmosphere of CityCentre. Houston is our hometown, and we are committed to delivering the ultimate dining and cinematic experience for all our guests for years to come.”

The theater will receive a host of upgrades as part of its change in ownership. Plans include the installation of a new Dolby sound system and laser projectors. Changes to the seating include the installation of heat recliners, privacy pods, and seat massagers. Star Cinema Grill expects to complete all of the renovations by November.

Star Cinema Grill CityCentre rendering A rendering previews the changes coming to CityCentre.Courtesy of Star Cinema Grill

“The theater will get a top to bottom update where no detail will be overlooked. We want to ensure Star Cinema Grill CityCentre provides the best cinema dining experience in the city,” Khan added.

Studio Movie Grill operated at CityCentre for 15 years. Primarily based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the company still operates a theater in Pearland and could look for additional locations in the Houston area.

“Leaving this location was bittersweet, but a future within CityCentre wasn't in the cards," Studio Movie Grill CEO Ted Croft said. “We extend a heartfelt thank you to our CityCentre neighbors for 15 wonderful years of ‘Eat. Drink. Movies’ and to Star Cinema Grill for collaborating with us to offer new opportunities to our cherished team members. We remain committed to finding new locations and maintaining our presence in the Greater Houston area.”

Operating at CityCentre is only one of Culinary Khancepts' current projects. Renovations at the River Oaks Theatre are ongoing, with an eye on reopening later this year. The company will also open Leo’s River Oaks, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant, next to the movie theater.

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Movie Review

Evil Dead Burn maintains this year's streak of top-notch horror movies

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Luciane Buchanan in Evil Dead Burn.

Horror franchises tend to endure because of several reasons. First and foremost, the title conjures up nostalgia for older viewers, as the many of the most popular ones started in the 1970s or ‘80s. Sequels can recycle key elements of past films as long as they tweak the formula enough to offer something original. And they’re also relatively cheap to make, as new films can bring in young or lesser-known actors to be terrorized.

All of those reasons make Evil Dead Burn a smashing success, giving viewers reminders of the past while still becoming its own thing. The film is almost non-stop from the jump as a series of people, known colloquially as “deadites,” get infected by a malevolent force. A long, 15-minute opening set piece introduces the main characters, including Alice (Souhelia Yacob), her brother-in-law Joseph (Hunter Doohan), his girlfriend Thya (Luciane Buchanan), and his parents, Susan (Tandi Wright) and Edgar (Erroll Shand).

They’re all mourning the death of Alice’s husband Will (George Pullar), who they think died while driving drunk. However, the infection in Will’s corpse soon latches on to Edgar, whose descent into murderous rage is initially masked by his intense grief. With the family all gathered together in an older, decaying home, no one is safe from the rampage of the supernatural force.

Written and directed by French filmmaker Sébastien Vanicek and co-written by Florent Bernard, the film is aimed directly at horror fanatics who are used to copious amounts of blood and gore. From the opening scene to the film’s final intense moments, Vanicek and his team come up with numerous hide-your-eyes sequences that test the stomachs of weak-willed viewers. But for those who can’t get enough of such things, they also indicate a creativity and willingness to push boundaries that is both thrilling and entertaining.

While some previous entries in the Evil Dead series leaned comedic, this entry follows the previous two films in 2013 and 2023 as as a pure horror. However, that doesn’t mean that the film is devoid of lightness. One of the most enjoyable aspects is Vanicek comically adhering to the concept of Chekhov’s gun. So many different potential weapons are introduced and later used that you can’t help but laugh when they come into play.

Ultimately, it’s the performances by the lesser-known cast that make the movie what it is. Doohan (Wednesday) plays a mild-mannered character who seems to be the main protagonist early on, but he cedes the spotlight to Yacob as the film goes along. The French actress knows how to hold the screen through both her actions and line deliveries. Shand, with his craggy face and bald head, turns into a superior villain, able to chill with just his intense stare.

Evil Dead Burn is not for everybody, but it’s another great addition to what’s turning out to be a banner year for horror movies. With highly effective, cringeworthy action sequences, moments that lighten the mood when needed, and a cast that carries the story, it’s an announcement of bigger things to come for all involved.

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Evil Dead Burn opens in theaters on July 10.

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