In an effort to snag a share of moviegoers’ money, two cinema chains are planning competing state-of-the-art movie theaters for the Maine Mall area.

One of the country’s largest cinema chains, Regal Entertainment Group is forging ahead with plans to construct a large stadium theater on a parcel of land in the parking lot of the Maine Mall just down the road in South Portland.

At the same time, construction is progressing on the new 16-screen Westbrook Cinemagic theater, located on a 36-acre plot of land off County Road, a short distance from the Maine Mall.

Mark Adam, president of Zyacorp, Cinemagic’s parent company, said he was very pleased with the progress of construction and he expects the theater would be open sometime in June.

It is not known how the construction of the Westbrook Cinemagic would affect Regal’s previously announced plans to build a theater of a similar size at the mall.

In February, Regal, which operates 558 theaters in 40 states, announced the Maine Mall project, but construction has not begun. Regal Spokesman Dick Westerling said the company is still planning a stadium theater for the Maine Mall. “We feel the Maine Mall is the best location in the market for a new state-of-the-art theater,” he said.

Craig Gorus, manager of the Maine Mall, said the mall is still working out the details of the deal with Regal and he hoped to have an announcement in the near future.

“It’s our intent to have them here,” he said. “I would think they would like to be here.

Westerling said Regal working with mall ownership in regards to the project and hopes to have a construction start date soon.

When asked about the possible effects the Regal project would have on the Westbrook Cinemagic, Adam declined to comment. “We try to stay focused on what we’re doing,” he said.

While the Maine Mall theater would be a direct competitor for the Westbrook Cinemagic, it would also be compete with Regal’s own Clarks Pond theater, which is located in a shopping center very close to the Maine Mall.

Westerling said Regal plans to continue operating the Clarks Pond theater as normal, at least until the new Maine Mall theater is opened. “Once our new theater is opened we’ll evaluate the status of Clarks Pond at that time,” he said.

As for the Westbrook Cinemagic, Adam said all of the theaters would feature stadium seating with high backed rocking seats and digital sound. He added that some of the theaters would feature giant 50-foot screens and possibly even digital projection.

Currently, the only place in Westbrook for residents to see first-run movies is at the Prides Corner Drive-In on Bridgton Road, but that theater is open only in the summer months. Adam said Westbrook was a natural fit for the company that operates movie theaters in Saco; Salisbury, Mass., and Merrimack, N.H.

“Geographically, it makes sense for us,” Adam said. “It is a community that clearly is supportive of good family growth, and I’m looking forward to being part of that community.”

Westbrook Cinemagic A rendering of the 16-screen Cinemagic movie theater currently under construction on County Road. The theater is scheduled to open in June.

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