Latest update November 2nd, 2024 12:13 AM
Caribbean Cinemas multiplex new boost to local movie industry
The introduction of the new Caribbean Cinemas Multiplex can benefit Guyana’s local movie business since the company is open to facilitating Guyanese filmmakers.
Caribbean Cinemas’ Director of Operation in the Eastern Caribbean, George Borges.
This is according to Caribbean Cinemas’ Director of Operation in the Eastern Caribbean, George Borges, in an interview with this publication, yesterday. The approximately US$20M multiplex will be opened to the public tomorrow, at the Giftland Mall, Pattensen, East Coast Demerara, with movie screenings every day.
As the multiplex opens tomorrow, the Director said that the cinema will provide an alternative to Guyana’s usual entertainment centres. In addition to diversifying the market, Borges said that the provision of the new multiplex will allow local filmmakers to have their creations on the “big screen”.
The Puerto Rican theatre company has operations across the Caribbean region, including Trinidad and Tobago. However, tomorrow’s Guyana opening will be the company’s first mainland operations in South America.
As Caribbean Cinemas is one of the region’s biggest theatre companies, Borges contended that the Caribbean is a growing market for the movie industry. He related that the introduction of the company’s theatres in other countries have benefitted their filmmakers and hopes that its Guyana branch can do the same.
“In Trinidad and other places there are people who will film a movie and want to put it out on the screen. So we (Caribbean Cinemas) try to help them out the best way we can. It gives them opportunity to develop the local movie business,” said Borges.
He said that cinemas have always been able to contribute to as an alternative for “society to sometimes escape realty”. To this end, Borges explained that pricing for the country’s latest cinema was done to accommodate repeat viewings.
Preparations underway for tomorrow’s public opening.
For adults, movie tickets will be priced at $1100; with children – $800 while senior citizens are $900. For 3D movies, an additional $200 will be added to each respective price listing.
“When you look at entertainment for local people, you’re trying to bring them an option that is very affordable and something they want to repeat doing,” said Borges. He noted that the pricing is less than that of the standard US price, and was done to facilitate the Guyanese audiences.
The Multiplex, Borges detailed, with have eight screens, four of which will be “stadium seating” while the others are “ground seating”. According to him, stadium seating will be able to hold 220 persons, will host a 40 X 20 feet screen and will be the country’s biggest screens.
Additionally, the screens will be using digital projectors instead of the traditional film, which means that the quality of the movie showing will not deteriorate with repeat showings. Audiences will also experience surround sound technology from Dolby Sound Systems in all of the screenings.
In total, the Caribbean Cinemas Director said that the Guyana multiplex will be able to hold over 1300 moviegoers. Not only will audiences be able to experience an international standard of viewing movies, but releases will coordinate with US releases at the same time with some films being available even before the American release. The Caribbean Cinemas official added that persons can also expect Bollywood movies from as soon as a next week.
Asked why the company chose to expand operations to Guyana, Borges responded that it was the country’s development and growing demand for standard cinema that motivated them.
“Guyana in the last three to five years has been investing in its own development… We’ve met people who have travelled to our theatres in other countries who said we should invest in the country and provide a quality movie theatre. We started looking and were given the opportunity by Mr. Roy Beepat and his mall,” related Borges.
The US$24M Giftland Mall will have its ceremonial opening today and will be opened to the public from tomorrow. The Mall is said to be the first of its kind in Guyana with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo calling it the single biggest innovation in Guyana’s commerce.
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