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Source: Doktor Hippy
Star John R opened as a 10 screen in late 89/early 90. The theatre underwent an expansion in 1998 which included the additional five stadium seating auditoriums. The lobby was remodeled at a similar time as well, based upon the art deco themes of architect David Rockwell.
AKA Madison Heights 10 - AKA Star John R 15
Source: Steve Bielawski
I once saw that AMC had a six-screen theatre not far from corporate headquarters in Kansas City which was called the Mainstreet 6. It was the laboratory in which they tried various things, from concession items to new seating. The theatre was intimate, but it served a purpose. That particular property has been abandoned by AMC and became an Alamo Drafthouse theatre. But the lessons from that theatre live on. The AMC Star John R, as it is now called, was getting a bit long in the tooth. It wasn't bad, but at fifteen screens, it was more limited than some other AMC theatres. And since there were newer cinemas not far away, a facelift was needed. AMC spent some money updating this particular facility.
They now have a McGuffin's (i. e. , a bar area) in the lobby. They have replaced the old-but-not-ancient stadium seating with recliner seats. This reduces the number of seats in each auditorium (as they refer to the room with a movie screen), but in return, each seat has a particular seat number and row letter. As you buy your ticket, you can select which seat you wish to sit in. They eliminated the rest rooms which used to exist within the larger wing (i. e. , the wing with ten screens, rather than the one with five screens), but they actually painted both the rest room stalls and the doors to the auditoriums so as to give them a pattern and make them seem less industrial and metallic.
They also replaced the automated box office from two wall-mounted units (which often did not work) to four free-standing units (which are kept inn better shape). And the human-staffed box office is no longer a part of the concession stand but rather is a separate area. In the concession area, they have now installed self-serve soft-drink units behind the stands. Some people were confused, because one has to first select the variety of soft drink from a touch screen, then push a button marked push to dispense the refreshment. I figured it out quickly, and pointed out the button marked push to others. It may not be obvious, but yes, it works. And yes, they did update the projectors as well. One move I saw was in Sony 4K digital projection. All in all, it's a nice update to an older facility.