The company will be investing $300m in the region over the course of the next three years; starting with the launch of 63 screens across the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Jazan and Najran.
Cinépolis, the largest cinema exhibitor in Latin America and fourth largest exhibition circuit in the world, has announced the locations of six new movie theatres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The six cinemas will be rolled out across the Kingdom over the next two years, with the first due to open in Lulu Mall, Dammam, at the end of this year, four scheduled for 2020 and the sixth for 2021.
The Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) issued the fourth Exhibitor License for Cinema Operation to Cinépolis International under the entity Luxury Entertainment LLC, which has partnered with Al Hokair Group for expansion in KSA along with its regional partner, Al Tayer Group, in August 2018.
Mishal Al Hokair, Chairman Luxury Entertainment LLC and CEO of Al Hokair Group, Miguel Mier, Global COO Cinépolis; Javier Sotomayor, Managing Director Asia Cinépolis and Ashish Shukla, CEO Cinépolis Gulf, has announced the six new cinemas in partnership with developers. Over the next 5 years, Cinépolis intends to be one of the leading exhibitors in the KSA region.
Cinépolis opened itss first cinema in Bahrain in January 2019. The opening of the brands six cinemas in the Kingdom will help to boost the economy through the recreational spend. A recent study by PwC revealed that the Kingdoms cinema market could potentially generate 60m-70m admissions and the box office market could be $950m in 2030.
Commenting on the expansion, a spokesperson from Cinépolis Gulf, said: Cinépolis launch into the Saudi Arabia entertainment market is a key milestone in our expansion strategy over the next five years.
We are proud to be contributing to the Kingdoms Vision 2030 as it goes through this historic period of transformation and hope to provide movie-goers with unrivalled experiences as Saudi Arabia increases its culture and entertainment offering.
Cinépolis will be introducing theatre concepts like the Luxury, Premium, Macro XE, 4D Emotion and kid-approved Cinépolis Junior auditoriums to the country that is home to over 39.5m potential moviegoers.
The new openings will be located in Lulu Mall in Dammam, Al Hokair Time in Jazan, Obhour Mall in Jeddah, Cordoba Mall in Riyadh, Najran City Center and Al Massarh Mall, with a total of 63 screens across all six locations.
The new cinemas will feature Junior. 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, reclining seats with personal amenities, Maitre d call buttons, personal bag storage and adjustable tables.
Macro XE auditoriums will also provide Dolby Atmos sound for moviegoers. Visitors to Cinépolis KSA cinemas will also be able to enjoy a premium range of movie treats.
