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

WNBA returns to H-Town

Tilman Fertitta pays record $300M to bring Houston Comets back home

Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

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Houston will soon welcome the return of a beloved local sports franchise. Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta’s company, Fertitta Entertainment, has reached an agreement to purchase WNBA franchise Connecticut Sun and relocate them to Houston as the Houston Comets.

Pending approval by the WNBA’s Board of Governors, the Houston Comets will begin playing at Toyota Center for the start of the 2027 WNBA season. The announcement confirms media reports of the deal that first circulated last week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but many outlets, including ESPN, report the price as a record-breaking $300 million. PaperCity was first to report the news.

“My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to bring the Houston Comets back to this incredible city,” Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta said in a statement. “Houston has a proud championship history in the WNBA, with banners from the Comets’ four historic championship seasons still hanging in the rafters of Toyota Center. We believe the time is right to begin the next great era of Comets basketball, and we look forward to working with the WNBA as we move through this process.”

As Fertitta notes, the Comets were one of the WNBA’s original franchises and won its first four championships from 1997-2000. The team disbanded in 2008. Currently, the WNBA has 13 teams with two more coming, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, that will bring the league to 15 when they begin play in May.

Fertitta Entertainment has launched houstoncomets.com as a source for news and information about the team’s revival. Fans may place a $99 deposit on a membership that will give them access to season tickets. WNBA Houston merchandise is also available.

“This is an exciting time for our organization as we welcome the WNBA back to the City of Houston and revive the legacy of the Comets,” president of business operations Gretchen Sheirr added. "The momentum and enthusiasm have been evident through the overwhelming interest from fans and the business community, all eager to support the return of this franchise. It is a true testament to the continued growth and investment in women’s sports, which deserve a place on the world’s biggest stages. We cannot wait for the Comets to begin their next chapter — reigniting the passion of their loyal fans while inspiring a new generation.”

Tilman Fertitta, currently the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, has a net worth of $11.7 billion, according to the recently released Forbes World Billionaires list. In addition to the Rockets, his extensive holdings include hospitality company Landry’s, Inc., the Golden Nugget casino chain, the Post Oak Hotel, and River Oaks District.

tilman fertitta houston comets houston rockets wnba