CINEMASTAR TO BUILD MEGAPLEXES.

Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer

Southern California's boom in movie megaplexes received another boost Friday as upstart operator CinemaStar Luxury Theaters announced an agreement with developer J.H. Snyder to open up to 20 new facilities over the next five years.

The pact calls for the theater complexes, each with 10 to 20 screens, to be the anchor tenants in major retail centers to be developed in California and Nevada with the first site opening next year. The companies said all the developments will cost between $200 million and $300 million.

CinemaStar, which currently operates 64 screens at theaters in Chula Vista, Perris, Riverside and San Diego, said the new facilities would open in ``under-served'' areas but gave no exact locations. The theaters feature so-called stadium seating to enhance sight lines, wide aisles between seats and opulent lobbies with marble floors. The newest, a 14-screen complex in Riverside, features an upstairs coffeehouse and a souvenir stand.

John Ellison, president and chief executive officer, said the new theaters will be outfitted similarly. CinemaStar also plans to open American style-megaplexes in Tijuana and Guadalajara in the spring.

The announcement comes at a time when movie chains have been scrambling to open complexes with at least a dozen screens, borrowing from retailers the idea of one-stop shopping for moviegoers, particularly in Southern California.

AMC Entertainment Inc. has led the charge, followed by Mann Theaters, Edwards Cinema, Pacific Theatres, Cineplex Odeon and a partnership between Sony Corp. and Magic Johnson with local projects including the site of the former Winnetka Drive-In (Pacific) and the former General Motors plant in Van Nuys (Johnson-Sony). AMC opened a 30-screen facility at the Ontario Mills retail center in December, billing it as the world's largest, and Edwards followed a month later with a 22-screen complex at the same location.

Snyder is developing a major four-building office project in Burbank near the NBC, Walt Disney and Warner Bros. studios and set for groundbreaking this summer and occupancy late next year.