It may surprise some people to realize that there is no movie theater in the heart of Detroit. There are lovely venues capable of showing a movie, but nowhere to go on a random Sunday afternoon when you just feel like catching a flick. Two seemingly unlikely partners are set to change that—Paul Glantz’s Emagine Entertainment and rapper Big Sean, a.k.a Sean Anderson.

Big Sean and Emagine Entertainment explore options

Big Sean’s team reached out to Emagine to explore the possibilities. He grew up going to the company’s theaters and was always impressed by the quality. Now he wants kids in Detroit to have the same opportunity.

If all goes as planned, the aptly-named Sean Anderson Theatre is expected to open to the public in 2020 and will host 10 to 12 movie screens, equipped with up to 1,300 seats. The theater will also be used as a venue for live concerts, comedy shows and other events.

“We want to do something revolutionary with it,” Big Sean said during a press event alongside Paul Glantz from Emagine. “We don’t want to just make it a movie theater, traditionally. We also want it to be a hub for entertainment for the whole community.”

Next Steps

There is a lot of work to be done before the venue can come to fruition. An exact location hasn’t been set yet. They are still scouting, but are determined to put it in the heart of the city.

“I feel like one of the aspirations when you do something creative like music or any type of business, is to be an owner in something,“ Big Sean said. “This is one of the first things outside of music that I am actually an owner in, and I think it’s important to show the kids of Detroit, and show people in the city, that you can come up and that you can go in another field that you may not have intended to and do well.”

Emagine Entertainment

Partnering with Emagine is a solid step in forging that new direction. In addition to eight multiplexes in Minnesota, and one in Illinois, the company already has Michigan locations in Birch Run, Birmingham, Canton, Farmington Hills, Macomb, Novi, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, and Saline.

We’ll be following their progress. For more stories on the art and entertainment scene in Michigan, visit our Arts page.

Author: Lisa Diggs

Lisa Diggs is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, business consultant, avid traveler, and founder of The Catalyst Company, LLC, Michigan Positivity Project, and Buy Michigan Now.