Shringar promises five new multiplexes by year-end

Shringar Cinemas is all set to launch five new multiplexes in the country, by the end of this year. The areas include Kandivili and Malad in Mumbai, in addition to Nasik, Kolkata and Surat. Within a countdown of thirty-odd days, Malad will see a brand new multiplex housed within the mall In-Orbit, equipped with six screens, one of which would be a premium luxury theatre by the name of Jubilee. Again, towards October 15, Kandivili West would see a four-screen multiplex equipped with enhanced parking facilities, situated within the much-reputed Raghulila mall (a 3 and ½-lakh-square feet mall) popular among Gujrati residents in the region.

Shringar is working on its first retrofit in Nasik, wherein theatres Vijay and Mamta are being renovated for a three-screen flashy multiplex. While these were defunct theatres that were not doing so well, it made sense for Shringar to retrofit the entire outfit and to give birth to a new entity. The Nasik launch is positioned for the first week of November. Meanwhile, in Surat, the groundwork has begun for an October 15-launch, wherein there would be a jubilee category theatre, which would accompany a five-screen multiplex. Kolkata would see a four-screen entity towards December, which would be housed near Big Bazaar, thus ensuring a complete shopping experience in addition to the luxury of film viewing.

When asked about the kind of investment that has gone into the new multiplexes, Shravan Shroff, Head, Shringar Cinemas asserts, “On an average, we spent around Rs 70,000 to 80,000 as fit-out cost per seat for the normal multiplexes, while the cost per seat for the Jubilee theatres came to a figure of a lakh and above. The total investment for Malad comes to around Rs 16 crore, while in Kandivili it amounted to Rs 10 crore and in Nasik, it comes close to a figure of Rs 7 crore. In Kolkata, the cost comes to around Rs 10-11 crore, while Surat comes to a figure that’s close to the same region. As returns, we expect around 25-27% more (per annum) on all these projects and given the demand for films in the current day, we’re sure to reach that figure.”

When asked about kind of luxury experience that the Jubilee theatre (attached to the multiplexes at Malad and in Surat) would provide, Shroff explains, “Firstly, you have wider and more comfortable seats which offer plenty of leg room, larger arm rests and cup holders. The seats have been imported from Malaysia and are comparable to those found in the business class of an airplane. Plus, there would be a bar lounge wherein you are served starters and beverages, there are waiters to take orders from patrons. In addition, the lounge can also work as a venue for product launches, corporate screenings, staff training, business presentations or private functions. For the Jubilee category, there would be a separate booking counter and phone line.”

The entry to the theater consists of a four-part-ticket process, quite like the boarding procedure of premium airlines. As premium, as it can be; the ticket would be priced at Rs 300 as opposed to an ordinary ticket of Rs 100. In addition, Jubilee is a theme theatre, which would host facts, faces and trivia related to films of years gone by. The ‘retro’ theme at Jubilee (Malad) would be further accentuated by the fact that Fame intended to recognize the contribution of actors and technicians of the years gone by, and to honour them with a plaque every alternate month.

Will Shringar be displaying show reels of the past, in order to lend more value to theme at hand? Shroff replies, “Retro movies can work if intelligently done, as enumerated by the fact that the Warner Bros are re-mastering and releasing the classic Casablanca. Paramount Pictures did the same with ET, a couple of years back. We have done some basic homework on this front, and we believe that a demand exists on a spread out basis, perhaps an exhibition of a flick, once in every 15-21 days. Yet how do we go about getting our hands on the prints of these retro flicks? That’s a question, we haven’t resolved as yet.”