Movie Theater Opens at Westfield Countryside Mall

Following a decade-long absence, Clearwater once again has its own movie theater.

The Cobb Countryside 12 Theatre opens for business today, three months ahead of schedule and just in time for the busy holiday movie season.

The crown jewel of a mall enhancement project that started a couple of years ago, the state-of-the-art facility will feature a slew of customer-friendly amenities designed to make the movie-going experience more enjoyable.

“We had been combing the area for years, looking for the right location,” Guy Austin, director of operations for Cobb Theatres, said on Thursday. “So when Westfield approached us about putting a theater here at the mall, it was a no-brainer.”

"It's amazing when you think of a city the size of Clearwater without a movie theater," Cobb COO Jeremy Welman added.

In addition to 100 percent digital projection and 7.1 digital surround sound, each theater will boast wide aisles, bigger seats and the ability to select personal viewing options like synchronized D-BOX motion seats and individual closed-captioning systems. 3-D capability is also available on six screens.

Concession options are impressive, as well, with an extensive menu of food such as Angus burgers and hot dogs, salads, wraps, funnel cakes and frozen yogurt, plus self-service, or pass-through, checkout, and the ability to be paged in your seat when your food is ready. 

“People want options nowadays, and we try to give them to them,” Austin said. “We try to have a little something for everybody.”

The theater is the anchor of a mall revitalization project that has included new shops and a new food court, plus the addition of dining destinations like BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, , and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, which opens next week.

“We completed a $12 million renovation a couple of years ago … and the addition of the theater rounds out the enhancements of the Westfield Countryside Mall,” said Tara Martin, regional marketing director for Westfield.

“We are also adding a restaurant collection … so we’re giving our shoppers … an amazing shopping destination, and we’re complementing that with dining and entertainment,” Martin said.

While the dining options should be a big draw, Austin believes the overall experience people will get when they come to Cobb Countryside 12 will be enough to keep them coming back for more.

“We’ve got a dozen all-digital theaters, 2,000 seats, surround sound, excellent concessions, online ticketing and wide, comfortable seats,” Austin said. 

“Our goal is to give the customers a seamless experience from car to theater."

Cobb Countryside 12 Theatre

Address: 27001 U.S. 19 N.

Movie Times: 727-683-0011