Colombo City Centre and Scope Cinema (Pvt) Ltd, have joined hands to contribute towards uplifting Colombo’s potential as a city that may shine as a bejewelled metropolis of Asia. On June 13 these two visionary corporate bodies invited the press to share news about their plans to introduce to Colombo a phenomenal venture that will revolutionize the city’s entertainment sector.
The press event started off with the CEO of Colombo City Centre, Anand Sundaram making a note of welcome and introducing the gentlemen at the head table, Chairman, Scope Cinema (Pvt) Ltd, Naveed Cader , Abans Group Director, Rusi Pestonjee and CEO / Director of Scope Cinema (Pvt) Ltd.,Thushan Meemanage. The opening remarks from the head table came from Pestonjee who gave a brief introduction about the upcoming project which he declared would include state-of-the-art technology to provide a cutting edge cinema entertainment experience.
Experience
The proposed project is a 6-screen Multiplex that will be consistent with world standards and geared to provide moviegoers an unrivalled experience in immersing in the magic of cinema. This facility will be part of the Colombo City Centre Mall which will meet international standards of high-end lifestyle by providing opulent residences, a gourmet supermarket, an upscale food court and much more.
Addressing the press, the chairman of Scope Cinemas, Naveed Cader said, what they have in store for Colombo is something that he believes is truly desired by the public and much needed to give the country’s capital, an excitement in terms of movie entertainment. “People now prefer to stay at home and watch a movie. We believe that can be changed,” he said, commenting on how the lack of high quality cinema experiences keep movie lovers complacent with watching movies at home rather than seeking the big screen experience. He proceeded to explain what they had in store, elaborating on what exactly will make the 6-screen multiplex so phenomenal that it would draw moviegoers to avidly seek the unique experience they would offer.
Innovative
Cader said, what they have planned will make patrons “exit reality” and be taken into the movie. The corporate vision of Scope Cinemas is, “To become the most popular and innovative cinema chain.” Towards realising this vision they intend to provide a movie experience that will touch on every aspect of human sense faculties. The company is not only focused on proving a state-of-the-art movie theatre, they are also concerned about how well their patrons will enjoy the ‘experience’ with other features like, food and beverage that complement ‘being at the movies’. Cader explained how in order to achieve this end expertise from the food and beverage industry will also be made part of crafting the experience that Scope Cinemas plans to offer at the Colombo City Centre.
Being the only cinema company in Sri Lanka to have studio tie-ups with giants in the international movie industry as Paramount, Universal, Sony, Fox and Warner Brothers, Scope Cinemas seems to be fully geared to offer the very best to Sri Lanka from Hollywood and Bollywood. Having world premieres of major releases in Sri Lanka is another aim of the company, which will cater to movie lovers who want to be part of the excitement when a long awaited major motion picture comes to life on the big screen, for the first time.
The multiplex will screen 30 shows every day and will run on a show plan where a show starts every 30 minutes. The theatre will have 650 seats and include seating that gives maximum enjoyment, with an array of technological features geared to enhance comfort and subtle nuances to drive the viewers’ pulse in sync with the action on the screen. The audio element built in this theatre consists of Dolby Atmost, a technology which will be introduced for the first time in Sri Lanka and according to Cader it will be further enhanced by 4K projection which will be a novelty, unlike anything before.
The agreement between Colombo City Centre and Scope Cinemas was formally signed with Rusi Pestonjee –Abans Group Director and Cader, bearing their signatures in the presence of the press, and the floor was then opened for a Q&A.
Operation
Asked what the multiplex’s operation times will be, since I was curious to know if this would be a 24 hour operation, Cader said, what they intend will be a scheduling system that will vary according to the segments they cater to. For example, he said, they would not schedule a children’s movie as a midnight screening. Another question I raised was whether they would have a mechanism by which they could have a dialogue with their consumers on their desired choice of movies. Both, the chairman and the CEO of Scope Cinemas, Thushan Meemanage, answered in the affirmative and said, they look forward to it and that their mobile app designed for the multiplex is one mode to serve that purpose. They further added that among the consumer segment demands they have considered is the need for a retro movie theatre to screen the classics of the golden age of cinema.
The cost of the multiplex, according to Pestonjee, is an investment of Rs 350 million.
CEO of Colombo City Centre, Anand Sundaram was also present at the occasion.