stadium seating

Houston-area movie theater kicks college football playoffs to the big screen

Now this is the way to watch football.

Photo courtesy of Cinemark

The Cinemark movie theater chain is hosting an unusual series aimed at college football fans. Cinemark Holdings Inc. has teamed up with ESPN to bring the college football playoffs to the big screen, including at one theater in the Greater Houston area.

A select number of Cinemark theaters will host screenings of three playoff games, as follows:

Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington
Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens
National Championship, the biggest game of all, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

The Cinemark 17 and XD theater in The Woodlands is the only local location to catch the games on the big screen.

Cinemark senior VP Justin McDaniel says in a statement that it’ll be a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that will make viewers feel like they are part of the on-field action.

“We are thrilled to offer an incredible opportunity for college football fans to gather and cheer on their teams in our immersive auditoriums with larger-than-life screens and surround sound,” McDaniel says.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday, December 31, at 4:30 pm: No. 1 Alabama will square off against No. 4 Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Friday, December 31, at 8:30 pm: No. 2 Michigan will take on No. 3 Georgia at the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl.
Monday, January 10, at 9 pm: The winners of the two games will go head-to-head for the College Football Playoff National Championship.

All showings will include ESPN’s live pregame studio programming.

The local markets for all four CFP semifinalists will feature theaters providing this unique experience. The full list of markets includes:

Huntsville, Alabama
Los Angeles
Sacramento
San Francisco
Colorado Springs
Hartford, Connecticut
Jacksonville, Florida
Atlanta
Baton Rouge
Baltimore
Detroit
Jackson, Mississippi
Albuquerque
Las Vegas
New York
Rochester
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dayton
Oklahoma City
Eugene, Oregon
Austin
Dallas
El Paso
Houston
Salt Lake City
Seattle

A $10 concessions package allows attendees to reserve their seat. Fans will score special prizes after each contest, based on the winning team.

For information or to buy tickets, visit Cinemark.com/CFP or hit up the Cinemark mobile app.

Fortunately, these games are not among those that have been canceled due to a COVID-19 surge, specifically, players who’ve contracted COVID-19, which prevented certain teams from having enough players to compete in a game. So far, five bowl games that were to have been played this week have been impacted.

The full schedule of games is listed on NCAA.com.

sports movies

Get Rodeo ready

Virtual races and a new rollercoaster debut at RodeoHouston for 2025

Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

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The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is less than two weeks away. Here are four new things added to the festivities this year that Houstonians won't want to miss.

AGVENTURE Park
Bees are an incredibly important part of the environment, and concerns about declining bee populations has led to an explosion in beekeeping as a hobby. In the past five years, America has added a million new bee colonies, mostly through people taking up beekeeping.

Agventure Park, presented by Oxy, is the Rodeo's new soil and bee exhibit. Both children and adults can interact with education stations to see the essential role of bees in agriculture. Visitors can plant sunflowers, live chat with experts, and learn everything they need to start their own hives at home.

Virtual Welding and Chuck Wagon
Virtual reality has come a long way in the last two decades. Even the Houston Museum of Natural Science rarely launches a new exhibit without some kind of VR attraction. The Rodeo is no different.

This year, visitors can get in the saddle for a virtual chuck wagon race, driving horses around a virtual dirt field in one of the Rodeo's most beloved competitions. Presented by Verizon, the event is completely free to try and a thrilling educational tool for understanding this part of the pioneer era.

If something more technical is your speed, there is also a VR welding experience that offers the experience of welding with none of the danger. Both exhibits are in Hall C of NRG Center.

Heidi Rollercoaster
A new ride at the carnival weds the German heritage of Texas with the thrill of a rollercoaster. Heidi is a high-speeding spinning coaster that rotates riders as they zip through over a thousand feet of track more than four stories in the air. It's an Octoberfest on wheel for those in the mood for a wild ride.

Nor is it the only new ride at the carnival. Overdrive is a new spinning ride that uses movie-level FX to heighten the experience. There is also a family-friendly Dragon coaster for the kids too small for the bigger rides.

Decadent Desserts
The Rodeo is one of the biggest food events of the Houston social calendar, offering chances to try new street cuisine and experimental vittles. This year, be sure to check out two new food stalls centered around desserts.

Strawberry cups have been a viral TikTok trend that's drawing people to wait hours in line in cities such as London and Dubai. These are strawberries drizzled in a variety of gourmet chocolates and served, obviously, in a cup. Candy Factory will bring the trend to the Rodeo Midway.

The other go-to sweet spot is Totally Baked Cookie Joint. Despite its name, its actually a refreshing ice cream stand where fresh scoops are topped with oatmeal cookie crumbles. Just another new experience for the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

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