Starting Thursday, Winder residents will no longer have to drive out of town if they want to see a movie on the big screen.

Carmike Cinemas is opening a 12-screen, 2,300-seat multiplex theater, Gateway Cinema 12, on Thursday on Georgia Highway 316 near Georgia Highway 81 in Winder.

“I’m delighted that Carmike has decided to open a theater here,” said Tommy Jennings, president of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce. “Not only will it bring in jobs at the theater but it also portends more growth around that area with the restaurants, shops and other businesses that will open to support the theater.”

Theater managers will host a preview gala at 7 p.m. Thursday, where local residents can try out the new theater for a discount with $1 tickets, $1 popcorn and $1 soft drinks.

All proceeds will benefit the Tree House, an advocacy center that provides counseling to children in Banks, Barrow and Jackson counties who have suffered abuse and other traumatic experiences.

The new Winder theater will be one of 12 Carmike theaters in the nation to feature the company’s new BigD theater format.

The screen in the BigD theater is more than 70 feet wide and three stories tall, and the projection equipment will allow the theater to show very high-quality versions of both 3-D and 2-D movies, according to a news release issued by Carmike Cinemas.

Because the BigD technology is so new and unique, Carmike Marketing Director Terrell Mayton believes the theater will see moviegoers driving east from Gwinnett County and west from Athens-Clarke to see movies on the really big screen.

“We absolutely believe we will draw customers from different parts of the region (with BigD theater), especially when large event movies like ‘Transformers’ come out,” Mayton said. “There is no question. ... In Montana, where we opened another BigD theater, people drove for an hour and half to get there.”

On Thursday’s preview night, theater operators will show “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in the BigD theater and “The Help,” “Dolphin Tale” in 3D, “Puss in Boots” in 3D, “Happy Feet Two” in 3D, “Breaking Dawn,” “Real Steal,” “The Muppets,” “Jack and Jill” and “Foot Loose” in the other theaters.

Winder residents haven’t been able to see a movie their hometown since the Jerry Lewis Cinema theater near the Holly Hill Mall on West Athens Street closed in the mid-1980s, Jennings said.

Having a theater in town will be nice for local families, but it’s also a sign that the area finally could be coming out the economic slump brought on by the 2008 housing crisis.

“These people are smart,” Jennings said of Carmike Cinemas’ team. “They know where the rooftops are, and they know when an area’s in a good position for them to open a theater. I think it’s a good sign that we might be starting to come out of the economic downturn. It’s a good first step.”