BELLINGHAM — Whatcom County moviegoers will have the chance to attend the opening day of “The Hobbit” in a brand new theater.

Regal Cinemas announced that the grand opening of its Barkley Village Stadium 16 theater will be Friday, Dec. 14, which is also the scheduled release date of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

The movie company also has announced three preview event days before the grand opening that will give residents a chance to check out the 16-screen, 68,000-square-foot theater.

The preview events are scheduled for Dec. 10-12. During each preview day, tickets, popcorn and soft drinks will be offered for $2 each, with the proceeds going to a local charity, said Rachel Lueras, Regal marketing manager.

Charities selected for the preview days are the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County (Monday, Dec. 10), Extend-a-Hand (Dec. 11) and Bellingham Food Bank (Dec. 12). Each of the preview days will have a theme: The theme Dec. 10 is family-friendly movies, Dec. 11 is inspirational films and Dec. 12 is holiday selections.

“The preview days will be a great opportunity to see one of the movies you missed when it was in theaters,” Lueras said in an email. “At the same time it will support three wonderful charities in the Bellingham community.”

The preview events won’t be available through Fandango; customers will need to buy tickets at the theater, which is near the Barkley Haggen store.

Lueras was unsure when tickets for the Dec. 14 opening will be available, but Regal will provide updates through its Web page for the theater. Go to regmovies.com/theatres/grand-openings and then click on the link for Regal Barkley Village Stadium 16.

The new theater has 16 screens, including an IMAX theater that seats nearly 400 people. Regal also will have a large screen for its own 3D technology, called the Regal Premium Experience.

Two of Regals’ other Bellingham theaters — Sunset Square and Sehome — are expected to close sometime after the Barkley theater opens, but closing dates have not been announced. The Bellis Fair theater will remain open.

The Woods Coffee is the one officially announced tenants going into the new Barkley development and is planning for a Dec. 10 opening, said owner Wes Herman. Woods will occupy a portion of the building that’s in front of the movie theater, and will feature a drive-thru window and a mezzanine level for seating.

“It’s been crazy busy, but we are on schedule,” Herman said.

A restaurant called Zen Sushi and Bar has applied for a liquor license with the Washington State Liquor Control Board for a space in the property, at 3101 Cinema Place.

Reach DAVE GALLAGHER at dave.gallagher@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2269.