THOUSAND OAKS : Action Rolls for 1st Time at Movie Theaters

With opening night just hours away, workers scrambled around the new Mann 9 Theatres at the Janss Marketplace on Thursday afternoon, polishing windows, firing up the neon displays, and spraying fake snow on the Christmas trees outside.

After a ribbon-cutting ceremony and fireworks display, the theater screened its first nine movies Thursday to an invitation-only audience, including city and company officials.

When the theaters open to the public late this morning, Mann hopes to expand its presence in the booming Conejo Valley movie theater market. For the mall, the opening caps another stage in the shopping center’s redevelopment.

With seats for more than 2,000 moviegoers, the theater should help the marketplace attract shoppers, said mall General Manager Bill Mendelsohn.

“It becomes more of a draw, not just for shopping, but for a more complete experience, including dining and watching a movie,” he said. “It’s going to be a big help to our small businesses because it provides an incentive for browsing time.”

Mann had selected the first night’s films--including “Lawrence of Arabia,” “My Fair Lady” and “The Fugitive”--to show off the theater’s state-of-the-art sound systems and picture quality, said Rich Given, director of marketing and advertising for the chain.

When the theater officially opens for business today, the slate of movies will have changed to include “Jumanji,” “Sabrina” and “Money Train.”

Mann’s old two-screen theater at the mall screened its final films last week and will be demolished next year, Mendelsohn said.