Manitoba

Not grandpa's Rec Room: New Cineplex entertainment centre will feature restaurant, bar, live venue

Cineplex is set to open a new entertainment venue in Winnipeg next month, but visitors won't find anything resembling a movie theatre on-site.

Entertainment complex targeted at millennials, 'who really value social experiences that they can share'

Christina Kuypers, vice-president of operations and guest experience of The Rec Room and Playdium, at The Rec Room in Winnipeg on Friday. The new 42,000-square-foot entertainment venue on Sterling Lyon Parkway is set to open in mid-February. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press)

Cineplex is set to open a new entertainment venue in Winnipeg next month, but visitors won't find anything resembling a movie theatre on-site.

The Rec Room, located on Sterling Lyon Parkway west of Ikea, is part of the company's expansion into the world of food, beverage and social gaming. The 42,000-square-foot space will include a full-service restaurant and bar, sprawling arcade and live entertainment venue geared toward a very specific clientele.

"The Rec Room was created to really fill a need, particularly for a millennial demographic, who really value social experiences that they can share together," said Christina Kuypers, vice-president, operations and guest experience for The Rec Room.

"They value material goods less. I'm a millennial and we don't care as much about owning a home and owning a car and having stuff, we want to share memories."

The local venue is expected to open in mid-February and it will be the eighth Rec Room Cineplex has opened in the last four years.

Read more from the Winnipeg Free Press by clicking here.

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