multiplex

On Christmas Eve in New York City 13 years ago, the director and his wife, actor Ilse Salas, visited a Times Square multiplex.

His interest in writing came about because he’d broken away from the rest of the family during an outing to the multiplex for a repeat viewing of “Titanic” and snuck into a screening of “Good Will Hunting” instead.

Although other theaters in the multiplex played “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Transformers One” and other hits, this crowd was celebrating one of last year’s most notable disappointments.

“It’s beautiful, and I just love the upgrade,” said Alonzo Mendoza, 42,who lives a few minutes from the multiplex.

The former mall’s 12-screen multiplex movie theater may be converted into lecture halls or performance spaces offering programming across the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences, the chancellor’s office said.