As theatre operators look to rebound from the pandemic, MJR recently announced they are bringing state-of-the-art technology to MJR Marketplace Cinema in Sterling Heights that will blow audiences away.

“We will be providing moviegoers with something they cannot replicate at home,” said Joel Kincaid, vice president of operations for MJR Digital Cinemas and a member of the original team put together by former owner and founder Mike Mihalich.

Coming soon to Sterling Heights will be a new auditorium featuring a massive wall-to-wall screen, a 4K laser projection system, Dolby Atmos immersive sound and zero gravity heated recliners.

“When combined these features will provide the ultimate theatrical experience in sight, sound and comfort,” said Anthony Taylor, director of marketing, in a news release announcing the upgrades.

One would think food and drinks were among the amenities that attract people to theaters but MJR surveyed Michigan movie goers and they said for them it’s the big screen and sound they love.

However, that’s not to say concessions aren’t important.

“Our focus has always been to make sure people enjoyed their movie experience,” Kincaid said, and that includes buttered popcorn, candy and other snacks, beverages and even cocktails.

MJR was among the first theaters in its market to add a bar, where patrons can catch the last quarter of a big game before seeing a show or gather with friends for cocktails inspired by blockbuster movies like “Barbie’s” Pink Dream or “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Minds” Eternal Sunshine of the Watermelon Lime.

This summer audiences attending MJR theaters will see several new food items added to the lineup along with movie merchandise, but again it’s all toppings.

“This market has a really solid movie audience,” Kincaid said, which means they want to experience the story from the best perspective possible.

That’s what MJR is showing with its new technology.

“The 4K laser projector, unlike a standard projector, gives you the crispest colors imaginable, the blackest of black and the brightest colors and the closer you get the crisper the details,” Kincaid said. “It’s amazing.”

Now add the sound featuring 40 channels that will bring on the rain, the screams and all of the background noises one might appear in a scene without distorting the narration of the characters. Sound editors no longer have the last say when a theater has this kind of system, which first debuted at MJR Brighton Cinema last year.

“The feedback we’ve received has been tremendous,” Kincaid said, noting the new auditorium in Sterling Heights will also feature a new concept, the Premium Sofa Lounger, which is a heated loveseat recliner designed to enhance the viewing experience for those near the front of the auditorium and provide a unique product that doesn’t exist in this market.

“It’s really going to be an immersive experience,” said Kincaid, whose management team and employees average about 800.

It’s been about four years since MJR Digital Cinemas was purchased by a European cinema chain.

Kinepolis Group acquired the Bloomfield Hills-based MJR, the Belgium company’s first venture into the United States market, for an estimated $152.2 million and after its purchase in 2019 continued to operate under its existing brand name and management team.

It was good timing on the part of its founder Mihalich as the following spring COVID-19 hit and theaters were closed.

Despite the bottom falling out of the entertainment industry, MJR, which operates 10 movie theaters in Macomb and Oakland counties, managed to come up with ways to stay connected to its patrons like takeout popcorn and distance seating options, until it was eventually able to reopen all of its venues.

MJR Marketplace Cinema 20 is at 35400 Van Dyke Ave., in Sterling Heights. The new auditorium is expected to be finished sometime in August.