Gwinnett Daily Post

BETHLEHEM -- There's a new place to hang out on the weekends in Barrow County. Carmike Cinemas' latest movie complex, Gateway Cinemas 12, located off of University Parkway in Bethlehem near Chick-fil-A opens at 7 p.m. Thursday featuring 12 "recent blockbuster movies."

The 12-screen theater can seat more than 2,300 people and also has one "BIGD" auditorium, which is showing "The Rise of the Planet of the Apes" for the grand opening. The "BIGD" auditorium has a wall-to-wall screen (62-feet wide, three stories tall), surround sound and a digital projector capable of showing both 2-D and 3-D movies.

"We're providing the ultimate entertainment experience that centerpieces large format digital with bigger screens, bigger and better sound, and the finest in-theater seating for cutting edge presentation and the definitive enjoyment of our audiences," Carmike's President and CEO David Passman said in a recent press release.

For the grand opening, admission is $1, plus $1 small popcorn and $1 small drinks. All proceeds benefit The Tree House in Winder, a nonprofit which works to reduce the impact and occurrence of child abuse in Barrow, Banks and Jackson counties.

The other movies shown tonight include "Puss in Boots" in 3-D, "The Three Musketeers" in 3-D, "Real Steel," "Happy Feet Two" in 3-D, "Dolphin Tale" in 3-D, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1," "Footloose," "Jack and Jill," "Tower Heist," "The Muppets," and "The Help."

The theater is located at 416 Exchange Blvd. For more information, visit carmike.com.