Sports News

Plano-based Cinemark opens its theaters for college football playoffs

Now this is the way to watch football.

Photo courtesy of Cinemark

The Cinemark movie theater chain is hosting an unusual series aimed at college football fans. Plano-based Cinemark Holdings, Inc. has teamed up with ESPN to bring the college football playoffs to the big screen.

A select number of Cinemark theaters will host screenings of three playoff games, as follows:

Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington
Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens
National Championship, the biggest game of all, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

Cinemark senior VP Justin McDaniel says in a statement that it'll be a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that will make viewers feel like they are part of the on-field action.

"We are thrilled to offer an incredible opportunity for college football fans to gather and cheer on their teams in our immersive auditoriums with larger-than-life screens and surround sound," McDaniel says.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday, December 31, at 4:30 pm: No. 1 Alabama will square off against No. 4 Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Friday, December 31, at 8:30 pm: No. 2 Michigan will take on No. 3 Georgia at the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
Monday, January 10, at 9 pm: The winners of the two games will go head-to-head for the College Football Playoff National Championship

All showings will include ESPN’s live pre-game studio programming.

The local markets for all four CFP semifinalists will feature theatres providing this unique experience. The full list of markets includes:

Huntsville, Alabama
Los Angeles
Sacramento
San Francisco
Colorado Springs
Hartford, Connecticut
Jacksonville, Florida
Atlanta
Baton Rouge
Baltimore
Detroit
Jackson, Mississippi
Albuquerque
Las Vegas
New York
Rochester
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dayton
Oklahoma City
Eugene, Oregon
Austin
Dallas
El Paso
Houston
Salt Lake City
Seattle

A $10 concessions package allows attendees to reserve their seat. Fans will score special prizes after each contest based on the winning team.

For information or to buy tickets, visit Cinemark.com/CFP or the Cinemark mobile app.

Fortunately, these games are not among those that have been canceled due to a COVID-19 surge — specifically, players who've gotten COVID-19, which prevented the teams from having enough players. So far, five bowl games that were to have been played this week have been impacted.

The full schedule of games is listed on NCAA.com.

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Concert News

Jimmy Eat World rocks iconic album on 25th anniversary tour coming to Irving

Photo by Christopher Wray-McCann

Jimmy Eat World will play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on September 10.

Rock band Jimmy Eat World will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Bleed American, on a 2026 tour that will include a stop at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on Thursday, September 10.

The 29-city tour, starting on June 9 in Denver, Colorado, will take the band around North America, as well as a trio of cities in the United Kingdom, over the course of five months.

In addition to Irving, they will play Austin's Moody Amphitheater on September 9. At both Texas dates, Jimmy Eat World will be joined by special guests Minus the Bear and Sparta.

The tour will also include their return to the Vans Warped Tour stage, as they will appear in all five cities — Washington, D.C.; Long Beach, California; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mexico City, Mexico; and Orlando, Florida.

The tour will feature Bleed American in its entirety, as well as other songs. Bleed American, released in 2001, was Jimmy Eat World's fourth album and their first to gain any kind of national attention after three earlier releases in the 1990s.

The album is best known for the hit song, "The Middle," which remains their biggest hit to date.

Released two months before 9/11, the album was changed to the name Jimmy Eat World (which is also the name of their first album) after the attack, only reverting back to its original name in 2008.

The band went on to release six more albums in their career, most recently the apt Surviving in 2019. They have released a few non-album singles in recent years, including "Telepath" in 2023.

For the North American dates, tickets will be available starting with an artist, Citi, and American Express presale beginning on Wednesday, February 11.

Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale date of Friday, February 13, at 10 am. For Information on tickets and more, visit JimmyEatWorld.com.

JIMMY EAT WORLD — 25 YEARS OF BLEED AMERICAN TOUR DATES

June 9 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 11 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
June 12 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
June 13-14 – Washington, D.C. – Vans Warped Tour
June 16 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
June 17 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
June 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Highmark Skyline Stage at Mann
June 20 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
July 3 – Calgary, AB – Spruce Meadows
July 4 – Fort McMurray, AB – Hello Summer Festival
July 17 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
July 18 – Seattle WA – WAMU Theater @ Lumen Field
July 19 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
July 22 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater
July 24 – Concord, CA – Toyota Pavilion at Concord
July 25-26 – Long Beach, CA – Vans Warped Tour
August 14 – Halifax, UK – The Piece Hall
August 15 – Cardiff, UK – Cardiff Castle
August 16 – London, UK – Gunnersbury Park
August 22 – Montreal, QC – Vans Warped Tour
August 23 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
September 6 – Phoenix, AZ – Chase Field
September 9 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater
September 10 – Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
September 12-13 – Mexico City, MX – Vans Warped Tour
November 12 – Nashville, TN
November 14 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
November 14-15 – Orlando, FL – Vans Warped Tour

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