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By: Lauren Handley   lhandley@wtajtv.com  Published 09/30/2015 for WTAJ-TV

Altoona, Blair County, Pa. – Wednesday was opening night for the brand new Carmike Cinemas in Altoona and while the Big D screen is massive, what’s even bigger is the change for the city.

Locals said the change is a much needed one.

“There’s nothing like it in Johnstown,” said Managing Director Erin Wyandt. “There’s nothing like it in State College. There’s nothing like it anywhere close to us except for Pittsburgh.”

The new Carmike Cinemas 12 in Altoona is certainly not your average movie theater.

“Anybody who’s an avid movie goer knows that we needed a new theater in this town for quite some time,” Wyandt said.

From cotton candy to a popcorn factory, all sorts of hot food options and beer and wine to choose from, the concessions are only half the experience.

 

“I think it’s a big change for our area considering, as a teenager around here, there’s not a lot to do,” said Lexie Wyandt of Roaring Springs. “So a theater like this is a big step up from the one we originally had.”

The building has over 2,400 seats for movie goers and a screen that’s 78 ft wide and three stories tall.

“It’s just something different, something new that we’ve never had or never seen,” said Erin Wyandt.

The massive screen is called the Big D theater. There are more than 450 seats in that theater alone and costs only $2 more than your average movie.

 

“There’s not a lot to do in Blair County,” said Lexie Wyandt. “So this is – I mean, with this they’re building hotels and stuff so it has to bring in people to Blair County. It has to be a big step up.”

The other movie screens are bigger than the ones in the old Carmike cinema, and the price of the tickets has gone up fifty cents to $11.

“We’ve had multiple emails and phone calls from residents here saying how excited they were for us to come so it’s been a really exciting time for us to know that we’re opening in a market that’s so welcoming,” said Carmike’s Marketing Project Manager Crystal Trawick.

The theater opens to the public on Thursday. Tickets will only be $2. A small popcorn and small drink are also only $2 each.

All of the proceeds from the evening will go to the Fort Roberdeau Association.