Cinépolis, India’s 1st international and the world’s 2nd largest movie theatre circuit, has announced the launch of Cinépolis DLF Place, Saket.
With the strategic move of opening multiplexes at prime locations, launch of iconic Cinépolis Saket in DLF Place Saket, New Delhi will further strengthen its positioning among its customers and associates in the premium luxury multiplex industry.
According to Javier Sotomayor, Managing Director, Cinépolis Asia, “The acquisition of DT Cinemas at prime locations in Saket and GK is of significant strategic value that further strengthens our position in India. Looking forward and expanding our wings, the focus now is to open more multiplexes in prime locations in metros and mini-metros. India is an important market for us and it is our constant endevour to upgrade the cinematic experience by bringing latest technology and customer engagement into the industry.”
He added, “We have always been interested in growing in Tier I, II and III cities. Tier I locations are more competitive and as a part of the brand positioning that we want for brand Cinépolis, it is just like anywhere else in the world. We are a premium brand that needs to be at the flagship locations to be consistent with the brand that we represent. That is why we are aggressively looking at prime areas which includes metros and Tier I cities.”
USP of Cinépolis Saket
Cinépolis Saket dons completely new look in line with the international standards of Cinépolis offering unmatched technology and comfortable ambience.
Cinépolis Saket is the first multiplex by Cinépolis in North India to have a 4DX screen which is considered to be the biggest innovation in cinematic technology to date. 4DX provides the largest number of multisensory effects among 4D cinema brands.
“We have converted one of the screen into 4DX – the technology that enables people to experience the movie beyond 2D or 3D typical kind of things and we have moving chairs, environmental effects like smoke, bubbles laser light, wind, water, smell – it kind of brings along the whole package of entertainment,” revealed Sotomayor.
In addition, the multiplex also hosts RealD 3D, most advanced technology for watching 3D films in theatres and Cinépolis is the only brand in India to host RealD 3D.
As the frontrunner in the industry when it comes to technology, Cinépolis Saket is the first multiplex by Cinépolis to have LED screens which offers high dynamic range picture quality and makes watching 3D movies more realistic through enhanced brightness and consistent colour amplification. The six-screen multiplex is equipped with enhanced sound system in all its auditoriums.
“The entire ambience, lighting and décor of Cinépolis Saket has been changed in line with the latest in-design philosophy by the international cinema chain, giving it a more premium luxury experience,” asserted Sotomayor.
He added, “Cinepolis Saket is our first property in South Delhi and it is special in terms of design and plush interiors. We have fully renovated the previous auditoriums and have improved the view angles to make sure that every single viewer enjoys the movie experience as it is. We have introduced leather seats which are the best seats anywhere in the world.”
Along with unmatched experiece, the newly acquired Cinépolis Saket serves tempting food. The iconic ‘Coffee Tree’ offers the movie connoisseurs an elaborate gourmet menu that serves a range of delectable food and beverages offering a plethora of cuisines from Italian to Mexican.
Sotomayor stated, “The food served here is beyond typical popcorn, nachos, soda, etc. It serves specialised kind of meal through our Coffee Tree that we have started inside the multiplex. Food menu comprises of sandwiches, burgers, chilli cheese toast, momos, fries and in drinks we have smoothies, frappes, coffees, and a lot more. There is something to please every palate.”
How Live Streaming Is Impacting Cinema Business?
The brand, which also offers a continuous customer engagement program through ‘Club Cinépolis Program’ that allows the patron to earn and burn points on movie tickets and F&B and has exclusive benefits of special screenings, meet & greet with stars and much more, remians unaffected by the love straming which is taking the millenials by storm.
“We have not seen any hard evidence that it is impacting the business. In more mature markets like US where the streaming companies have the highest penetration, the market is growing exponentially. We are convinced that going for a movie is a different experience. Streaming is adding to the variety for customers but it is not replacing it. Cinema has been existing for more than 100 years, we have seen new technologies coming and cinema has not only survived but also outlived those technologies. I believe streaming is rather replacing the TVs,” said Sotomayor.
Future Plans
With the opening of the Cinépolis Saket with 6 screens, Cinépolis total screen-count now stands at 348 screens with 87 multiplexes across India. The newly inaugurated, Cinépolis Saket has total a total capacity of 894 seats.
While revealing plans on acquiring more screens, Sotomayor said, “We look at each and every opportunity that we have, whatever makes sense both financially and strategcally, we will make our best to make it happen. Not many opportunities are left in the market, but having said that, we are still looking out for the best opportunities.”
“We are planning to end this year with around 400 screens and adding 40-50 screens every year going ahead. We are targeting areas like Bhubaneshwar, Bengaluru and Hyderabad,” he added.
Apart from this, the brand which has 4 megaplexes, is introducing one more meglaplex with 11 screens in Forum Mall, Bengaluru next month.
“We pioneered the concept of entertaining kids by introducing kids special cinema halls abroad and now we will be replicating the same in India by opening our first Cinépolis Jr screen in Bengaluru next month.”
Cinépolis India has created a strong footprint across 57 Indian cities with strong presence in major metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. Cinépolis extends a contemporary approach which seamlessly weaves the entire range of cherry-picked cinema formats from across the world under one roof offering an unmatched experience to all movie patrons.
“India not only has the potential for the years to come but for the decades to come is enormous. There is no other country whoch offers the potential of growth the India does. We want to have a strong footprint in India to face the future and we are very confident that this country is taking the necessary steps to capture the potential,” he concluded.
