Major Cineplex to add 80 screens, with many upcountry
MAJOR CINEPLEX Group will add as many as 80 new movie screens this year, particularly upcountry, with a total investment of Bt1 billion.
The country’s largest cinema-chain operator is also upgrading its existing premium screens at prime locations in Bangkok.
Chairman Vicha Poolvaraluck said yesterday that there was more room to grow in the provinces as a result of urbanisation as well as further expansion of retail business. Therefore, the company has earmarked around Bt1 billion to add about 70 to 80 new screens, mainly in the provinces.
Under this budget, the company will also add one location in Laos and two in Cambodia.
Currently, Major operates about 700 screens.
“This is part of our goal to have 1,000 screens both at home and in neighbouring countries by 2020,” he said.
New experiences
Besides expanding into new locations in the provinces, Major is aiming to offer new viewing experiences for moviegoers in Bangkok, particularly at its flagship locations.
Recently, the company made a deal with Christie, a provider of high-performance projection solutions for cinemas in California, to install cutting-edge laser projectors at Siam Pavalai Royal Grand by BDMS, one of Major’s flagship cinemas at Siam Paragon shopping centre in Bangkok.
This cinema is also the company’s largest, equipped with a 24-metre-wide screen and 1,092 seats.
Vicha said this new technology cost about Bt10 million, and his company was rolling out Christie RGB laser projection at other premium locations such as its Enigma and Bangkok Airways Blue Ribbon screens, which are also in Siam Paragon.
“Throughout this year, we hope to offer this new viewing experience that will allow movie watchers to enjoy better image quality, up to 4K resolution, with more excitement from 3D offerings and sound systems in other prime locations in Bangkok,” he said.
He vowed that ticket prices at the newly upgraded cinemas would remain unchanged, as he wanted to provide better service.
The company projects that this year’s revenue will be about 10 per cent higher than last year, mainly driven by the expansion of screens in the provinces, as well as big blockbusters from major production houses such as Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios and Pixar Animation Studios.
He estimated that last year’s revenue would end up at about Bt10 billion, of which Bt5 billion was from movie-ticket sales.
