MJR Theatres was created in 1980 by Mike Mihalich with the acquisition of Main Theatre in
Royal Oak, Michigan. Main Theatre was sold in 1997 and later demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development. The name MJR was taken from their original slogan
Movies Just Right. During the 1980s and 1990s, the company purchased several theaters and drive-ins in
Michigan. Following their acquisitions, the company started building their own
multiplex cinemas, with the first opening in
Adrian, Michigan in 1990. In order to finance the new cinemas, MJR sold some of its existing theaters and drive-ins. During the 1990s, Luna Enterprises purchased an interest in the chain. In 2014, MJR introduced a
premium large format (PLF) known as "The Epic Experience", which uses a 65-foot screen and
Dolby Atmos sound. In 2019, the chain was acquired for $152.25 million by Belgian exhibitor
Kinepolis, This marked the chain's entry into the U.S. market, after having entered the Canadian market via its acquisition of
Landmark Cinemas. After the acquisition, MJR began to deploy the Kinepolis "Laser Ultra" PLF (with renovated auditoriums adding reclining seats) in 2022 at the
Brighton location, and became part of Kinepolis's existing partnerships with
CJ CGV and
IMAX Corporation, including opening a new
IMAX with Laser auditorium with reclining seats at the Southgate location in 2023, and Michigan's first
ScreenX auditorium at its Waterford location in June 2024. Two more ScreenX auditoriums were then added at the Marketplace and Westland cinemas. MJR then added another IMAX with Laser auditorium at the
Troy location in July 2025, replacing “The Epic Experience” format. Kinepolis would later acquire one of MJR's local competitors,
Emagine Entertainment, in 2025. The IMAX, ScreenX, and Laser Ultra formats have been expanded to multiple locations. The latter will come to
Chesterfield in May 2026, after the Waterford location saw the format arrive a month earlier, co-existing with ScreenX. This will make the
Adrian and
Warren (named “MJR Universal Cinema”) locations to not have a premium large format out of all MJR’s ten theaters, seven of which have the Laser Ultra format. ==References==