Mexican movie chain Cinépolis has announced plans to develop 63 new cinema theatres across Saudi Arabia in the major cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Jazan and Najran over the next two years.

The largest cinema exhibitor in Latin America and fourth largest exhibition circuit in the world, Cinépolis said six cinemas will be rolled out across the kingdom over the next two years, with the first due to open in Lulu Mall, Dammam, by the end of this year, four scheduled for 2020 and the sixth for 2021.
 
The expansion into Saudi Arabia marks a huge milestone for the global cinema chain and has been made possible by the kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the country’s economy by leveraging non-oil sectors and promote culture and entertainment, said a statement from the company.
 
The Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) issued the fourth exhibitor licence for cinema operation to Cinépolis International under the entity Luxury Entertainment, which has partnered with Al Hokair Group for expansion in Saudi Arabia along with its regional partner, Al Tayer Group, in August 2018.

Cinépolis will introduce its world-class cinema-going experience through high-touch theatre concepts, including Luxury, Premium, Macro XE, 4D Emotion and kid-approved Cinépolis Junior auditoriums to the country that is home to over 39.5 million potential moviegoers, said Mishal Al Hokair, the chairman Luxury Entertainment and CEO of Al Hokair Group at a press conference.

The new cinemas will provide movie-goers with an unrivalled level of service, food, technology and the latest movies from around the world, he stated in the presence of Miguel Mier, Global COO Cinépolis; Javier Sotomayor, managing director Asia Cinépolis and Ashish Shukla, CEO Cinépolis Gulf.
 
Over the next five years, Cinépolis intends to be a leading exhibitor in the Saudi Arabia region.
 
The movie chain had early this year opened its first cinema in neighbouring Bahrain. Since then, it has seen an ever increasing following from the local community in Bahrain and Saudis alike.
The opening of the brand’s six cinemas in the kingdom will help to boost the economy through the recreational spend. A recent study by PwC revealed that the kingdom’s cinema market could potentially generate 60 to 70 million admissions and the box office market could hit $950 million in 2030.
 
The new openings will be located in Lulu Mall in Dammam, Al Hokair Time in Jazan, Obhur Mall in Jeddah, Cordoba Mall in Riyadh, Najran City Centre and Al Massarh Mall, with a total of 63 screens across all six locations.
 
The new cinemas will feature Junior. A first-of-its-kind in the kingdom, Junior theatres in Saudi Arabia are set to be a huge hit with parents and youngsters, and have been designed to allow families to enjoy their favourite movies in a welcoming and fun space that expertly caters to their needs.

The Junior Theatre features a colourful Jungle Gym, complete with slide and ball pit, as well as fun bean-bag seating.
 
Luxury auditoriums are another format that will be featured in Saudi Arabia. They will include 180 degrees, super relaxing leather reclining seats with personal amenities, Maitre d’ call buttons, personal bag storage and adjustable tables.

Every seat allows the guests to be immersed in the best viewing experience and to enjoy Cinepolis’ luxury service.
 
Macro XE auditoriums will also provide Dolby Atmos sound that creates a powerful audio experience thanks to the high-tech combination of the latest generation of audio speakers located throughout each of the venue’s premium auditoriums, said the statement from the company.

The screen is triple the size of an ordinary cinema screen and makes you feel like you are part of the movie, it stated.-TradeArabia News Service