Live entertainment complex at Georgia’s biggest film studio to open this year

“There will be more people that interact with Trilith LIVE than they do anything else at Trilith, because it’s public-facing and an attraction we hope will be an international attraction,” Parker said.

Trilith is the largest mixed-use development on the Southside of metro Atlanta. Over the past decade, it’s come a long way from its beginnings as a studio lot with five soundstages. With the backing of the Cathys, the founding family of Chick-fil-A, Trilith has evolved into a minicity with hundreds of single-family homes, apartments and townhomes, a private K-12 school and more than 20 retailers and restaurants. There are now 32 soundstages, where features such as “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” have filmed.

Additionally, it’s soon to be the home of the U.S. Soccer Federation, which announced in 2023 that it selected a 200-acre site near Trilith to relocate its headquarters from Chicago and build a new training center.

The retail and residential portions, called Town at Trilith, and soon Trilith LIVE, provides a steady stream of foot traffic to the property that isn’t necessarily tied to production. This has become increasingly important as production remains sluggish after 2023’s Hollywood union strikes and as streaming services, studios and broadcasters peel back their spending on content.

Production in Georgia and throughout the U.S. is a fraction of what it was more than a year ago. As of the start of February, the state’s production tracker only lists one feature currently filming. There are 16 productions in total, with reality television accounting for 11 of them. This list, however, isn’t exhaustive, and doesn’t account for every project in the state, though it gives a sense of the volume at a given time.

Even during the slow period of production, Town at Trilith has done well, Parker said. The development’s restaurants and stores attract people from all over the southern end of the metro area throughout the week, and throughout the Southeast on the weekends, he said.

“We thrive when the studio is in full swing and the productions are happening, but we do way more than survive during the quieter times,” Parker said.

One of the goals of Trilith LIVE is to serve the community, Parker said. The auditorium will host both touring acts and community-oriented events like graduations or local theater productions.

Trilith LIVE’s new stages have been occupied several times since their completion. Usher rehearsed for his latest tour on one stage. A commercial debuting during the Super Bowl this Sunday filmed on another. A game show, which Parker did not identify, also filmed on one.

Unlike most of Trilith’s soundstages, which are reserved only for production companies, the live stages can accommodate all types of users. Parker mentioned the possibility of renting out the space to a fan experience, where fans can buy tickets to see exhibits with memorabilia for a particular television show or franchise.

Trilith aims to open the movie theater by the Christmas season, which is usually the busiest and most profitable for operators. Its partner is the Georgia Theater Co., which operates 25 boutique theaters throughout the Southeast.

“The goal is to enrich the lives of the creatives that live here, but also inspire creativity in everyone that engages with it,” Parker said.