Emagine Batavia finally opens in former Randall 15 theater location
Three years after Randall 15 IMAX closed its doors, the lights are shining brightly once again as Emagine Batavia now is welcoming guests back to enjoy movies and more.
Emagine Entertainment renovated the theater, located at 550 Randall Road, which opened on June 1.
This theater will be the first in the state with a Super EMAX auditorium, the largest movie screen in Illinois. That auditorium will open on July 1.
In addition to 12 auditoriums, the new theater includes a bar, fresh pizza oven, pool tables, heated recliners, video games and the first interactive bowling experience. The theater's four bowling alleys were created by Spark® and are the first of their kind in the nation.
“I look forward to seeing people's reactions [to the theater],” said Anthony Laverde, CEO of Emagine Entertainment. “COVID made [the process] take longer, but it was a labor of love.”
Scott Gajos, general manager of Emagine Batavia, has gotten to see the growth of the theater and hopes fans of Randall 15 will become fans of Emagine.
“[Through the theater], I look forward to serving the community and having the beautiful environment bring people together,” Gajos said. “Since Randall 15 closed, there was nothing going on. A new theater can bring nightlife.”
At Emagine Batavia's premiere, many guests were attending the live-action rendition of “The Little Mermaid.”
Patrons Luke Reimer and Olivia Rollen bought concessions before seeing the movie.
“We wanted to see whatever was out,” Reimer said. “I like the theater's closeness. There's nothing near Batavia.”
“When [Randall 15] was closed, [we] had to go to St. Charles,” Rollen said.
Hundreds of guests have turned out for Emagine's grand opening events, including a Q&A panel with actor James Jude Courtney, who played the villain Michael Myers in the “Halloween” horror movie series.
Laverde expects even more guests to check out the theater as the summer blockbuster movies hit the big screen.
“We expect crowds for the opening of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,' ” Laverde said. “We'll be playing everything from flashbacks, old, new and renditions of [old-school movies]. We hope to restore the community with what they had lost.”