ENTX IS HERE!

WORDS Joshua Brosnahan

Christchurch’s new home of entertainment is taking shape with the opening of EntX – the long-awaited central city entertainment destination.

Located on the corner of Lichfield and Colombo Streets, just a hop, skip and jump from the Bus Interchange, EntX features a ground floor dining hub with food outlets and a state of the art HOYTS cinema complex on two upper levels.

The complex contains seven theatres, including two Xtremescreens with the latest Dolby Atmos sound systems, and two LUX auditoriums featuring luxury seating and food and drink service.

But wait, there’s more good news: every seat is a recliner. Ahhh, this is futuristic relaxation.

Calder Stewart broke ground on site in November 2016 and progress has been steady, meaning all milestones have been achieved. Known for their commitment to investing in the Christchurch rebuild, they developed a vision – to create more than just a cinema. And it happened: this is a fully blown entertainment destination, right in the centre of the city. It’s an ambitious and unprecedented move for Christchurch, and being so central and so lush, it’s certainly a drawcard for tourists as well as locals and domestic travellers.

‘City meets nature’ defines EntX’s fit-out. Upon arriving through the main entrance, visitors are drawn into The Glade: an impressive double height atrium. There are industrial vibes with reclaimed brick, natural timbers and plants throughout. It’s a cool space to be in and you don’t feel like you’re in just another mall.

EntX is packed with eateries. The ground floor has Joe’s Garage, Nando’s and a gastro pub called Cleaver and Co leading the way. There’s Thai, salads from Habitual Fix, smoothies, dumplings and even ‘design your own’ self-service pizza from Infinito. There are 13 food outlets so far and more on the way that will further add to the diversity and deliciousness already on offer. With common area seating for up to 200 patrons at any given time, it’ll be interesting to see how the ebb and flow works pre-film and at other times.

If the popularity of nearby eateries and cafes are anything to go by, it’s likely that EntX will be just as busy with the non-flick-watching crowd as it is with those there to see a movie.

Lichfield and Colombo streets have gained considerable foot traffic in recent months, with no signs of declining in the near future. The re-opening of The Crossing and other key amenities in the area are testament to this. EntX joins this list as a central destination for the entire family.

Calder Stewart felt Christchurch deserved something really special. The completion of EntX really does show they have more than delivered on this.

The inner city’s brand new home of entertainment promises to be a unique inner city hotspot.

EntX will be open to the public from Friday 28 September. See you there.