Big changes are on the horizon this year at Monaco Pictures in Huntsville.

Bryan Jeffries, vice president of marketing and promotions for Cinemark Holdings, said six auditoriums at the movie theater reopened Feb. 24 with new Luxury Lounger electric recliner seats, which allow guests to lift their legs all the way up or lean their seats back with the push of a button.

Monaco's remaining seven auditoriums are closed to convert to Luxury Lounger seating by mid-April. Jeffries said Cinemark is planning other upgrades, including updates to the concession area, theater lobby, the Scene restaurant and lounge, and the second-level VIP lounge for adults ages 21 and older.

"Our restaurant will convert into a Cinemark Movie Bistro," Jeffries said. "Plans for that are still being discussed, but we hope to begin that project after the Loungers are all in place in the building."

A new XD (Extreme Digital) theater is also in development with a projected opening date of late March. It will be the largest screen at the Monaco and feature a state-of-the-art projection system.

Jeffries said plush seating and a custom Barco Auro sound system with immersive digital surround sound will complement the wall-to-wall screen at Bridge Street Town Centre.

"The digital images are delivered by a Doremi server and a Barco DLP digital projector, which offers the brightest light standards in the industry and is capable of producing 35 trillion colors," he said. "The XD auditorium exhibits the newest movies every week, including 2D and RealD 3D pictures. You feel like you're in the movie."

Cinemark operated 526 theaters with 5,903 screen in 41 U.S. states, Brazil, Argentina and 13 other Latin American countries as of December 31, 2016. The company, which partnered with Illinois-based Miller Capital Advisory, Inc. on the renovations, announced the Huntsville remodel in April 2016.

Since acquiring the theater in 2014, Jeffries said Cinemark has "desired to make (Monaco Pictures) the complete entertainment destination" for moviegoers.

"These upgrades to the seating, the restaurant and the addition of a Cinemark XD screen will complete the vision we had for Cinemark Monaco," he said.

Bridge Street spokesman Van Geroux said Moe's Southwest Grill is scheduled to open a 2,100-square-foot Mexican-inspired restaurant and outdoor dining patio next to Michael Kors in late March, while Element Hotel will launch 150 extended-stay guest rooms April 4.

Urban Cookhouse, a first-to-Alabama eatery, will debut in the second quarter next to Mountain High Outfitters. Geroux expects to make more new-to-market tenant announcements soon.