Montreal: Giant-screen developer Showmax is investing $7 million in a 450-seat theater in the Montreal Forum Entertainment Centre, one of 11 theaters in development by the privately held Newport Beach, Calif.-based exhibition company. Three additional Canadian sites – in Windsor/Detroit, Toronto and Vancouver – are also planned, says Linda Nelson, Showmax’s coo.

The six-story Montreal theater will house a 15/70 IWERKS Entertainment projection system and is slated to open in late fall ’99.

‘The projection room is being designed to upgrade to 3D,’ says Nelson, who was in Montreal Oct. 7-9 for meetings with Canderel Properties, developer of the Forum Entertainment Centre, and representatives from the Bank of Montreal.

Nelson says Showmax will also invest in large-screen productions, facilitating participation by production/distribution consortiums and playing a role as an executive producer.

Four films are currently planned for Showmax exhibition, including Olympic Glory (Nagano), which has completed principal photography and was produced by Frank Marshall with sponsorship from u.s. retailer/marketer Home Depot, a film on Australia’s aboriginals and another on Formula One Grand Prix, to be shot in both Montreal and Australia.

‘Because of the advantages of filming in Canada, we are having discussions with the National Film Board,’ says Nelson.

‘The key is to improve on the content and story-driven films with dramatic elements. That’s what has kind of been missing in the past.’

‘Sony is committed to the format,’ she says. ‘They have four or five films in development.’

Nelson says the growth of the international giant-screen distribution network corresponds with a sharp increase in production, with some 60 large-format films currently in development. ‘If you went back maybe just three years ago, if there were 10 in production a year, that was a lot. We also plan to do concert films,’ she adds.

The Forum Entertainment Centre will also include a 30-seat AMC Theatre multiplex and a Rain Forest Cafe. Much of the center’s space has been preleased, including a 20-year contract with amc, which will rent almost half of the complex’s space.

Other planned Showmax sites include Minneapolis and Philadelphia and four installations in development in California and Arizona. Showmax plans to open some 20 theaters in North America in the next five years. ‘We are reachable worldwide through our Website (www.showmax.com),’ says Nelson.