If you are one of the 330,000 residents of Manukau city in New Zealand then beginning on September 13th you’ll have a brand new movie theatre to see the latest and greatest films in. SkyCity Cinemas is opening a flagship multiplex at the Westfield Manukau City on Saturday featuring ten screens and a combined 1,932 seats.
Eight of the screens will be reserved for traditional theatres complete with digital sound and extra-wide stadium seating that will provide plenty of leg room. The two remaining screens have been transformed into SkyCity’s premium auditoriums, Cinema Deluxe. They will seat 78 and 62 patrons respectively in reclining leather chairs. Despite what may appear to be limited seating capacity, the VIP screens are full sized theatres with the same screen size, throw and digital sound as featured in the multiplex’s other auditoriums. The largest screen in the complex will seat 364.
SkyCity Cinemas Manukau will also host a full bar in hopes of coaxing some extra New Zealand Dollars out of adult moviegoers before and after shows, as well as an interactive gaming arcade. In what appears to be a press release, SkyCity’s general manager, Jane Hasting’s was quoted as saying the company hopes to lure moviegoers back to theatre with their new multiplex:
“SKYCITY Cinemas Manukau will give the people of Manukau City the ultimate cinema experience providing the very latest in cinema-going comfort, customer service and technology reinforcing that the best way to watch a movie is on the big screen at the cinema.”
It should come as no surprise that SkyCity would decide to expand in Manukau City, which is just south of Auckland. The city is the fastest growning in New Zealand and is now the third largest behind Auckland and Christchurch. With the opening of the theatre, SkyCity, the largest cinema chain in New Zealand, will expand its number of screens to 106 in 13 venues. Owned by SkyCity Entertainment Group, SkyCity Cinemas began operation in 1991 as a joint venture with Village Roadshow, though bought out its partner in 2006.
]]>![Village Roadshow chairman, Robert G. Kirby [Lawrence K. Ho/LA Times]](http://celluloidjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/robertgkirby.jpg "Robet G. Kirby")
Village Roadshow chairman, Robert G. Kirby (Lawrence K. Ho/LA Times)
Back in March of this year, Australian exhibitor Village Roadshow Ltd. announced plans to bring their Gold Class luxury cinemas concept to the United States. Already a huge hit in Australia, Village Roadshow teamed up with television producer Norman Lear’s Act III Communications and investment firm Lambert Entertainment in a USD $200 million venture that has plans to open 50 theaters in the U.S. over a five year period. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times shed some light on what moviegoers can expect from Village Roadshow’s high-end cinemas.
Specifically, they can look forward to the price of admission - up to USD $35 per ticket.
Turns out Village Roadshow’s Gold Class Cinemas, which is based in Burbank, California, will be opening three theaters in the Los Angeles area by December of 2009. It should come as no surprise that these theatres will be built in affluent areas such as One Colorado in Pasadena, Triangle Square in Costa Mesa and at the Guasti Winery in Ontario. Rob Goldberg, the chief operating officer of Village Roadshow’s Gold Class Cinemas told the Times:
“First came the movie theater, then the modern multiplex. This is the third phase. It’s like an identity refresher. While the price point looks big, you get a lot for your extra 15 bucks.”
So what exactly are you getting for that extra USD $15? Here are just a few of the amenities:
- Online reserved seating selection
- Free valet parking
- Concierge desk at check in
- Over-21 screenings
- Comfortable recliners for seating
- No advertising other than trailers
- No late seating
- Seasonal Gourmet menus
- Wine list with over 100 selections
- Meals served at your seat
- On-call wait staff
Unlike standard multiplexes, which have about 150 seats in each theatre, Gold Class will seat between 30 to 40 in wide comfortable chairs next to strategically positioned dining tables. Of course food is not included in the price of admission. Pressing the call button near each seat to flag down a waiter so you can order a gourmet meal and a beer will nearly double the price of your trip to the movies. The reason for the high prices at both the box office and on the menu is most likely to cover operating costs. Running a Gold Class Cinemas venue is not cheap. Up to 30 workers will be on-site at any time, including chefs and cooks who can command $100,000 salaries.
Even with all the overhead, Village Roadshow reports that their luxury theatres in Australia, Greece and Singapore have turned profits. But as the Times article points out, in Los Angeles, they won’t be the only exhibitor trying to attract wealthy patrons with a luxury theatre experience. Pacific Theatres has opened Arclight Cinemas, their own version of high-end theatres, both in Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, while National Amusements Bridge Cinema de Luxe has been open for several years now. Muvico has plans to open The Oaks 14 in Thousand Oaks this December. The top price for a movie ticket at any of these theaters is between USD $12 and $16, about half of what Village Roadshow plans on charging.
Another hurdle for Village Roadshow will be that their Gold Class venues will not be tied to a theatre complex with more traditional offerings. In other countries, their luxury theatres reside on a few screens in multiplexes that also cater to non-VIP customers at more moderate prices. This single focus solely on luxury cinemas has some exhibition executives predicting the worst for Village Roadshow. While a luxury theatre might attract guests during the weekend, Michael Whalen, president of Muvico Theaters Inc. wonders who will show up on weeknights. He told the Times:
“Movies are meant to be enjoyed by large crowds that laugh at the jokes together, and this business depends on regular customers. But I could be wrong. It’s a free world and everybody gets to try their concept.”
And you can bet that if Village Roadshow’s luxury concept turns to be a winner, that other exhibitors, including Mr. Whalen, will be quick to imitate it.
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As the multiplexing of India continues, Adlabs Cinemas and Phoenix Mills are teaming up to build a 15 screen screen at the Phoenix Market City at Kurla in Mumbai. The 140,000 square foot facility will have more about 4,000 seats. Like many exhibitors these days, Adlabs plans to fortify their offerings of first run movies with a heavy dose of live concerts and sporting events. The company will also build two of the screens as luxury theatres. No word on when the theatre will open.
Speaking about the news on Thursday Adlabs Cinemas chief operating officer Tushar Dhingra was quoted as saying:
“It is our endeavour to offer audiences a wide variety of viewing experiences. The Ebony Lounge will have live band performances round the year. It will add novelty and uniqueness to the cinema experience in India.”
Heck, having a music lounge at a movie theatre would be “unique” no matter what country it was located in. Adlabs recently announced they would be building a chain of luxury lounges geared towards moviegoers and this new complex seems to fit that plan. With an emerging economy like India’s such theatres would seem a natural fit, however lately many of the country’s moviegoers have been complaining, mostly on personal blogs, about the high ticket prices charged by such multiplexes.
While they had everybody’s attention by spreading the news about their plans for the Mumbai multiplex Adlabs also announced Kids 101, a new loyalty program meant to attract children and teenagers to the circuit’s 66 locations throughout India. To start out, the program will provide games and contests to members on Sundays.
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The Chelsea West Cinemas in New York City has long been a home to film industry events such as premieres and trade screenings. Now, in what Variety is calling “one of the boldest moves in Gotham exhibition this decade” the School of Visual Arts has taken out a 26-year lease on the theatre and will spend the next several months renovating the venue to reopen it as a repertory theatre. (AMC opening the Empire 25 on 42nd Street in 2000 directly across the street from a Loews multiplex must not count as bold, just extremely confident.)
The Chelsea West, which opened in 1963 as a single-screen theatre, is a 20,000 square foot, two-screen complex which had been operated by Clearview Cinemas until SVA recently took over the lease. Clearview will still operate the Chelsea, a nine-screen complex just across Eighth Avenue which shows first-run features.
The School of Visual Arts, a fine arts college, will spend the next few months fixing up the theatre with designer Milton Glaser. It will reopen as the Visual Arts Theater and will not only show repertory cinema, but also serve as a home for film festivals, trade screenings and special events. Michael Grant, an SVA spokesman, couldn’t provide details about the programming which will be shown but announced that a deal with the Museum of the Moving Image was in place and partnership talks had begun with groups such as Cinematheque Francaise, Women in Film and the National Board of Review. Gene Stavis, an SVA facult member, will act as the theatre’s director.
As Kent Jones, an assistant programmer for the Film Society of Lincoln Center, pointed out, New York City used to be a film lover’s paradise with numerous revival houses:
“There’s nowhere to go but up in terms of repertory cinema in New York. When I got to town (a generation ago) there were dozens of them.”
Now, Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater and the Film Forum are some of the last two venues left which show repertory programming.
]]>Maya Cinemas and Chicago real estate developer Urban Retail Properties have announced a joint venture to bring high-end, first-class multiplexes to inner-city Latino neighborhoods. The Los Angeles Times is reporting the two companies plan on building 500 screens in 40 locations in North America over the next five years and have already begun development or construction in cities such as Fresno, Bakersfield and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Maya Cinemas presently runs a 14 screen complex in Salinas, California with plans to open a location in Inglewood to play movies in both Spanish and English. Urban Retail Properties is best known for developing mixed use properties such as Copley Place in Boston, Valencia Town Center near Los Angeles and Water Tower Place in Chicago.
The Times article quotes Patrick Corcoran of the National Association of Theatre Owners as saying that of the estimated 175 million moviegoers in the United States a majority are whites and that Latinos and African Americans aren’t far behind. Of these groups Corcoran points to Latinos as the most consistent movie watchers, a group he says exhibitors have begun to take notice of over the past several years. The Motion Picture Association of America figures Latinos make up 17% of U.S. movie audiences, the largest minority ethnic group among frequent moviegoers.
Moctesuma Esparza, the head of Maya Cinemas as well as the producer of such films as “Selana” and “The Milagro Beanfield War”, attributes the high rate of movie attendance by Latinos, in part, to a younger demographic with more disposable income. While he doesn’t state his source, Esparza pegs the average American at about 40 years old and the average Latino at 26.
But Esparza isn’t hoping to simply attract twenty-somethings to his theatres; he’s shooting for the whole family. He has plans to put soundproof “crying rooms” in each theatre where parents can sit with their screaming kids and watch a film. Nor will Maya and Urban Retail Properties chintz on any of the finer details. Venues will sport marble and stone décor along with comfortable stadium seating. Esparza said:
“We believe these communities have suffered substandard developments which become self-fulfilling failures.”
Esparza and his partners at Urban Retail Properties are joining the growing trend of exhibitors building theatres in the United States aimed at minority minority audiences; former basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson has built multiplexes in African American neighborhoods and companies such as Adlabs have announced they will be acquiring theatres in the U.S. to play Indian language films. One can only hope that two years from now we aren’t looking back at this announcement as an ambitious pipe dream with iffy financials and poor timing.
In the Times piece, Ross Glickman, chairman of Urban Retail Properties, states that each of the multi-use centers in which Maya Cinemas plans on building a complex will cost “a minimum of USD $75 million” and possibly go higher than USD $100 million. If you do the math, talking 40 locations at the cheapest USD $75 million that Glickman is forecasting, it comes to an even USD $3 billion. Certainly not chump change during a time when every economist and investment banker worth their salt is predicting a recession in the U.S., if not a world wide economic downturn.
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Movie Palaces Inc. are expanding their five theatre empire in Casper, Wyoming with one more ten-screen multiplex on the east side of town. The Casper Star Tribune reveals that because of parking and building size issues downtown the multiplex has to be situated at the east side of town. Randy Pride, the co-owner of Movie Palaces, proudly states “I compare it to Wal-Mart building a new location on the west side,” but re-assures readers that the cinemas downtown won’t be closing as a result. But not everyone is convinced: “Tina Wulf, director of the Downtown Development Authority, hopes the new multiplex won’t negatively affect downtown, but it remains to be seen.” There’s even discussion about whether this will have an impact on downtown restaurants.
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Can a movie theater make movies better? That was the question residents of the San Fernando Valley found waiting for them at the end of their driveway last Thursday. At least those residents who subscribe to home delivery of the Los Angeles Times. The question was posed on an insert folded into Thursday’s paper advertising Pacific Theatres latest theatre opening; Arclight Sherman Oaks.
The Arclight Sherman Oaks is modeled after 14-screen, 140,000 square foot Arclight Hollywood which Pacific opened in March of 2002 next to the historic Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard. At the time there was a great deal of hoopla over the new complex for a number of reasons, not the least of which was its USD $14 ticket price for prime shows and the USD $6 parking fee. Pacific eventually caved and picked up USD $4 of the parking fee which led some to speculate that the Arclight may be doomed due to its high operating costs.
Soon enough however, the buzz on Arclight Hollywood began to focus more on the theatre’s superior customer service. Ushers will show you to your reserved seat and not only introduce each film, but wait for the film to begin to ensure the quality of the picture and sound. In addition, the Arclight has banned preshow advertising and does not seat latecomers more than five minutes after the movie has begun. Every auditorium is equipped with stadium seating and “exceeds” THX standards. Indeed, the Arclight has been cited as having the best sound out of any Los Angeles theatre by more than a few of the city’s media outlets.
It has since become the premiere movie theatre destination in Los Angeles and has played host to events such as the AFI Film Festival, the Hollywood Film Festival and countless others. On any given weeknight it is not surprising to find a studio or distributor holding trade screenings there. The Arclight’s restaurant, located in the lobby, is halfway decent and has certainly helped attract patrons. In fact, on weekends, if you want to see a movie at the Arclight Hollywood it is best to plan ahead. Lines at the ticket counters, ticket kiosks and concession stands are usually quite long and wading through the lobby packed with people can be chore.
So, while many in Los Angeles prematurely predicted a quick demise for the Arclight, Pacific has found a formula which has proven so successful they are opening their second complex about ten miles west in the Sherman Oaks section of the San Fernando Valley. Pacific has transformed its 16-screen 84,000 square foot complex in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, which opened less than 5 years ago, into an Arclight that contains all of the same services and features of their now renowned Hollywood facility, including the lobby cafe and gift shop. The full color, four page newspaper insert boasts in bold headlines
- No Commercials - Period
- Movies that Speak; Audiences That Don’t
- Users That Actually Usher
- See Films The Way Filmmakers Intended
- Our Movies Are Make-Believe; Our Butter Is Real
And that’s just a sampling. The insert also highlights Arclight Sherman Oaks’ “membership” program, essentially a loyalty program where patrons gain points for ticket and concession purchases which can be redeemed for. . . well, ticket and concession purchases. The one benefit is that members can also get points for eating at the restaurant.
So, with circuits throughout North America beginning to copy some of the tricks that made the first Arclight successful, specifically in regards to reserved seating, Pacific seems to have learned something companies such as Mercedes Benz and Ritz Carlton have known for years; customers are willing to pay a little more for luxury. Though in the Valley, patrons of the Arclight won’t have to pay as much as those in Hollywood; tickets prices are 50 cents lower on weekdays and USD $1.25 on weekends. Though at $12.75 for prime shows they are still some of the most expensive movie tickets in Los Angeles.
The Arclight Sherman Oaks opened on December 14th. A third Arclight is rumored though no official plans have been announced.
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Apparently the opening of a new multiplex is big news in Tucson, Arizona. Just ask Kent Edwards, a managing partner in Tower Theatres, a new independently owned 12 screen multiplex that opened at Arizona Pavilions in Marana on December 7th. The day before the grand opening the Arizona Daily Star published two stories on the opening of the theatre.
Marana is a fast growing town whose population has nearly tripled since 1999 to 35,000. The area of Northwest Tucson has been growing so rapidly that chain stores such as Wal-Mart and Kohl’s have started to spring up so it was only a matter of time before it sprouted a multiplex, independent or otherwise. As Edwards told the Arizona Daily Star:
“Marana is growing. . . As far as entertainment, all there was, was a bowling alley and Famous Sam’s. The area definitely needed a movie theater.”
The Star also interviewed Robert Bucksbaum, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc., an industry research firm, who agreed with Edwards thinking:
“If you’re in an emerging market and not too close to the major chains where you’re able to get all the films, it’s definitely a viable business. The key is to be in an area that’s growing and has potential, and people are kind of tired of the other megaplex”
Folks in Tucson very well might be tired of the “other megaplex” since the last one that opened in town was a 20-plex in 2001. And, at least for now, Tower Theatres won’t have any major chains nearby to compete with other than Harkins Theatres, which has plans to open the nearby Spectrum 18.
Until that time Tower Theatres should have little trouble booking the first-run blockbusters it plans on playing. The complex can hold 2,200 patrons in auditoriums that range from 92 to 296 seats. In one of the Star’s news stories, which is so poorly written it’s almost humorous, Dan Cutler, one of three managing partners with Edwards, tells the reporter that he thinks the theater will do well because of “the spacious rows and seat backs that are designed so nobody’s view will be blocked”. That’s quite the interesting way to describe stadium seating.
]]>Whoever is handling public relations for Cinemax India, Ltd. deserves a wee bit of a raise after last week. The circuit’s press release announcing the opening of their new four screen multiplex in Gandhinagar managed to be picked up by every major media outlet in India and quite a few outside the country. The major news here was that the complex, which opened December 1st, meant that Cinemax surpassed the 50 screen milestone. The exhibitor now how has 51 screens spread across 17 venues.
According to the release, as well as a couple of online news blurbs, the grand opening of the new Cinemax multiplex was quite the event, headlined by John Abraham. While many outside of India may not know who Abraham is (including yours truly), but apparently he’s one of India’s hunky movie stars and having him cut the ribbon at the open was news in itself.
The fourplex in Gandhinagar is the second theatre Cinemax has opened in the state of Gujarat. Their first was in a multiplex in Himmatnagar. The exhibitor has been busy of late, opening additional properties in Vashi, Nasik and Mumbai. Cinemax’s theaters in Mumbai have often played host to movie premieres and the company is hoping that the Gandhinagar theatre will be able to attract similar events.
The press release described the new facilities in the usually adjective heavy language reserved for such announcements:
CINEMAX, Gandhinagar is a symbol of style with an attractive front foyer and intelligent lighting, along with top-of-the-line amenities. This glamorous multiplex will offer its patrons an out-of this-world experience. Superb acoustic sound systems will enhance each movie-watching experience. It is a four screen multiplex which seats 869 patrons and is home to Cinemax’s very own style symbol – THE RED LOUNGE. Patrons can sink into their cozy sofas and savour personalized café service while enjoying their favorite movies.
There was only one quote in the release attributed to Devang Sampat, Cinemax’s vice president of marketing and programming. It may be hard not to chuckle at the end of his quote, bit it’s not hard to see why Cinemax has chosen him to be their spokes person given his ability to coin new words:
]]>“We are here to provide movie enthusiasts, a complete state-of-the-art entertainment complex as quality entertainment and comfort are the hallmarks of Cinemax and will be for years to come. This multiplex will offer patrons an out of this world ‘Cinemaxperience’.”
This past Friday a three screen movie theatre officially opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, marking the first multiplex theatre in the country’s history. The theater resides in the eight story Edna Mall complex and was built by one of the countries largest real estate developers, Teklebirhan Ambaye.
Ambaye reports that he spent 28 million Ethiopian birr, roughly USD $3.1 million on building the theater and equipping it with the latest in digital cinema technology, including projectors from Christie and surround sound systems from Dolby and THX. A story on the opening published in the Addis Fortune related that the interior of the 100 plus seat auditoriums are furnished with “plush blue seats complete with an armrest cup holder for the beverages sold in the lobby”.
The Ethiopian Reporter quoted Ambaye boasting:
“The sound and picture quality are the same as you would get anywhere in the world where they claim to have the best.”
Ambaye is planning to bring Hollywood blockbusters into the country, opening films just two days after their initial release in the United States. The Reporter goes on to humorously state that the Matti Multiplex will show three different films five times a day whether there are capacity crowds or “there is just one customer”. While that may be Ambaye’s intention, someone might want to inform him that some Hollywood films, specifically those by the likes of a Peter Jackson or a Steven Spielberg, can run over 140 minutes and thus getting five shows a day in for every film might be a tad difficult.
Ambaye is quite excited about the opportunity to bring Hollywood’s latest hits to Ethiopia and was quoted in the Fortune saying:
“The exclusive partnership we signed with US leading movie distributors like Universal Pictures and others will enable us not only to screen box office films but also to choose among them and pick which ever we think is best suited for the Ethiopian audience.”
This doesn’t preclude home grown films from being screened at the theatre. In fact, the multiplex opened just after the second Ethiopian Film Festival. Despite this, local filmmakers hoping to screen their latest work in the Matti Multiplex will have to exhibit their films with 35mm prints or at the very least turn up with a hi-def DVD. Ambaye is hoping this will cause Ethiopian filmmakers, producing Amharic language movies, to improve the quality of their work so that it can compete with international competition.
Speaking of competition, Matti Multiplex will be competing with the single screen Alem Cinema, also located in Addis Ababa. Matti is charging 30 birr (or USD $3.40) for matinee shows and 40 birr (or USD $4.50) for evening screenings, whereas Alem only charges 15 birr (or USD $1.70). When speaking about his ticket prices Ambaye told the AfricanNews:
“The price we ask for these box office films is very cheap when compared to the USD $11 U.S. theatres ask but we had an exhaustive negotiation with the film distributors and convinced them to accept it as future investment rather than to look at the current balance.”
But the Matti Multiplex will not only have other movie theaters to compete with. Both Ambaye and Hollywood studios will be going head-to-head with an influx of low quality pirated DVDs which are rented by local stores for two birr (about USD $0.25) or sold on the streets for seven birr (or roughly USD $0.80). The DVDs have infiltrated Ethiopia en masse due to their affordability and convenience; entire families and neighborhoods can watch a single DVD without purchasing separate tickets.
Even with DVD technology proliferating Ethiopia’s capital, Internet penetration is miniscule throughout the country, which might explain why the Matti Multiplex doesn’t yet have a website.
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