Adlabs embraces the concept of megaplexes

While I've been impressed by the standard of multiplexes in India, which are as comfy as anything in the UK and US (and the Ebony Lounges are even more luxurious - see above), I've always been puzzled by the fact that a 'multiplex' in India is only four to six screens. This means that even with flexible programming of up to three to four different films per screen each day, the choice is often limited as the dame film tends to jump between screens and when a blockbuster like 'Race', 'Krazzy 4' or the up-coming 'Tashan' play, 80 per cent of screen real estate is booked up.

So welcome news that Adlabs Cinemas (it would be them) are going to pioneer the concept of multiplexes in India, with screen counts in the double digits, which earns it the title of 'mega-plexes'. Here is what the Economic Times had to say about it:

As a part of its new venture, Adlabs will be setting up a number of megaplexes, which would be around 5-6 times larger than the size of a multiplex offering not only multiple screens for films, but also gaming, alternative cinema, sports and others.

"The idea is to create an entertainment destination which will have something for everyone. We will have megaplexes for those looking for entertainment through and beyond films," Adlabs Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra said.

To begin with, Adlabs will open six megaplexes with each one spread across 1.5 lakh square feet in cities, including Mohali, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. While, the plan for the first phase was at least 12-15 such destinations.

"All the six sites are at different stages of development. The first one is going to be either in Mohali or Hyderabad," Dhingra said without specifying when was the first project expected to be operational.

One of the reasons that there haven't been many 10-15 screen cinemas to date is that the multiplex concept itself is still less than a decade old in India, plus that real estate (reel estate?) is difficult to come by even for a five-screen cinema in places like Mumbai. But my colleagues over at Adlabs Cinemas also face hurdles in cutting through red tape to get permissions to open a regular cinema that make applying for permission for opening a nuclear power station in a place like UK seem like getting permission for a garage extension by comparison.

In other news, Adlabs/Reliance has partnered ImaginAsian, which means that we now have flagship screens in both New York and Los Angeles, though these are only the tip of the activities that this partnership will bring. As reported in The Hollywood Reporter:

ImaginAsian owns such properties as iaTV, iaRadio, Web portal iaLink, New York's ImaginAsian Theater and the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles, which offer a diverse range of Asian-inspired programming including comedy and variety shows, drama series, documentaries and features.

"The agreement with ImaginAsian is a nonexclusive media marketing agreement in areas such as advertising sales and content marketing with both parties sharing access to various kinds of programming," Mumbai-based Reliance Big Entertainment senior vp Anil Arjun said Wednesday.

All this and Lowry Digital too - Reliance/Adlabs is on a roll right now. Meanwhile we are not slacking off on the digital cinema side too, but more about that in a future post.