Marquee news
Massive EVO Entertainment venue will bring movies and bowling to Forney

EVO Entertainment will open a new venue in Forney in fall 2026.
A major new entertainment destination is coming to Forney: EVO Entertainment has broken ground on an 82,000-square-foot venue that will bring movies, dining, bowling, and games to the fast-growing North Texas city.
According to a release, it's slated to open in fall 2026 in the burgeoning The Village at Gateway development.
The new EVO Entertainment Forney will feature so many attractions, it calls for a bulleted list:
- nine theaters, including one IMAX auditorium and two EVX auditoriums
- a full-service bar and restaurant
- an upper-level lounge area
- event and conference spaces
- 22 bowling lanes
- 125+ arcade games
- rock climbing walls
- a multi-level ropes course
- bumper cars
- laser tag
A January 20 groundbreaking event brought together community leaders, development partners, and local stakeholders to turn the first dirt.
“In Forney, we talk a lot about ‘Forney Family,’ and that spirit truly matters here,” said Forney City Council member Zahnd Schlensker in a statement. “EVO embodies that same sense of family ... This project is about honoring the past while creating a place where new memories will be made for generations to come.”
EVO Entertainment has a connection to Forney: Company CEO Mitchell Roberts' grandfather Lee Roy Mitchell was founder and former chairman of the board of Cinemark and a Forney native who, the release says, "helped shape the modern cinema industry —making EVO’s return to the city a meaningful full-circle moment."
Forney is a fast-growing city in Kaufman County, about 21 miles east of Dallas. It will soon be home to North Texas' newest H-E-B supermarket.
Forney's Kaufman County neighbor of Crandall had the second-hottest U.S. ZIP code for movers at the end of 2025.
The area is one of North Texas' biggest "boomtowns."
