LAPLACE — Acadiana Cinemas will open for moviegoers by mid April.

The movie theater, located in the Riverlands Shopping Center on Airline Highway in LaPlace, is getting a major overhaul, according to new owners Cathy and Doug Collins.

Officials for Acadiana Cinemas, which has locations in Opelousas, Natchitoches, Picayune, Miss., and Eunice, first announced their acquisition in December. The report is welcomed news for local residents who saw the theater, which previously operated as Hollywood Cinemas 7, close Sept. 11 and fall victim to vandalism the next day when its front window was busted.

Planned additions include decked stadium seating, comfortable reclining chairs and a greater selection of concessions for moviegoers, the owners said.

“We’re trying to modernize it and keep up with the ones in the big city,” Cathy said. “Stadium seating gives you a better line of sight to see the screen. We had eight 18-wheeler trucks deliver the foam blocks for the decks for the stadium seating. We also went from seven to five theatres. We took three of the smaller auditoriums and turned them into one.”

Everything the customer touches will be brand new.

“It’s important because it’s what the market demands nowadays,” Cathy said. “Everybody likes things that are new and fresh. We like to provide what the market is looking for and what they are asking for. When you go to a movie, you expect it to be a nice night out. We call it a mini vacation. We like to offer our customers the latest and greatest things that they will be able to enjoy.”

Renovations to the movie theater, which will be the Collins’ fifth location, began approximately three weeks ago. The theater was first slated to open in March, but the owners are now pointing to mid April.

“We had a little slow down on the planning phase,” Cathy said. “It’s just taken us a little longer than we planned. We want to make sure we get everything right. It was just finding the right vendors and putting everything together.”

By having a movie theater locally, residents will no longer have to leave St. John the Baptist Parish to see their favorite actors on the big screen.

“Especially in smaller communities, (movie theaters) provide a nice form of entertainment,” Cathy said. “We really, really love saving theaters. We hate to see them close down.”

Doug said he was looking at smaller communities with vacant movie theaters and happened upon LaPlace.

“We feel fortunate, we’re lucky to get it,” Doug said. “From the customer’s view, it’s going to look like a modern-day theater. We just don’t have the high ceilings. For us, most of our business is mom, dad, kids and teenagers — people that want to stay local; people who don’t want to get in the car and drive 30 minutes to see a movie.”

The owners said they were ecstatic when they bought the location, adding they can’t wait for it to open.

“My favorite part about renovating a theater is getting it opened,” Doug said. “It’s a fun process and a lot of hard work, but when you get it open and you see the reaction from people coming in, it’s really my favorite part.”

District IV Councilman Marvin Perrilloux, who represents the region where the theater is located, said it is important to bring family business and restaurants to the community.

“It’s a good place for our kids to enjoy without traveling out the parish,” he said. “It also brings families together to enjoy with kids and grandkids. The movie theater is a good employment for our high school and college kids to keep money in their pockets.

“With this establishment opening back, I hope other family entertainment establishments will come to St John the Baptist Parish. I am looking forward to meeting the owners and bringing them to the Council meeting for introduction.”