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April
Debut For Multi
Ten Virgins Land
In Ebina, Japan
EBINA, Japan – Virgin Cinemas oversaw the April
18 bow of its 10-plex at the Vina Walk shopping center
in Ebina City, a part of Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture.
On hand to celebrate the opening were Virgin Group chairman
Richard Branson and Virgin Cinemas Japan president Mark
Yamamoto.
The
box office, designed like an airport ticket counter,
is located in the lobby, and sells only reserved seats.
 Each
auditorium features an individual interior design scheme
and digital sound. Two auditoriums feature a “black
box” design – created with the idea of focusing
audience attention towards the screen by eliminating
other distractions.
Concessions
range include caramel popcorn, alcoholic beverages,
non-carbonated soft drinks, hot dogs and nachos.
The
facility also boasts a 100-seat “premier”
auditorium, which features reclining seats with side
tables, and a lounge-style waiting room that offers
cloakroom service and free drinks.
Virgin
Cinemas Japan currently operates 72 screens at seven
Japanese sites.
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April’s
admits slip 5%
UK 2002 Tickets
Up 20% Over 2001
LONDON – According to the Cinema Advertising Association
(CAA), admissions in the United Kingdom during the month
of April dipped five percent from the same period in
2001, yet the year-on-year admissions rose 20 percent.
Hollywood
fare such as Fox’s “Ice Age,” New Line’s
“Blade 2,” Universal’s “About a
Boy” and Paramount’s “Crossroads”
dominated the top five slots in the United Kingdom during
the month of April.
The
CAA predicts a record-breaking year in 2002, expecting
admissions to reach 174 million, the highest in more
than a decade.
Rival
to CGV Circuit
CS Plans 100-Screen
Circuit by Next year
SEOUL, South Korea – Cinema Service (CS), one of
South Korea’s top distributors and production outfits,
announced in May plans to create a 100-screen circuit
by the end of next year through a joint venture with
an unnamed Australian company.
An
initial $35 million investment into the circuit by the
co-venture is expected. CS will include the 23 screens
it has acquired over the last few years from independent
exhibitors into the fold of the unnamed circuit.
The
creation of a CS-operated circuit would rival CGV, a
joint venture between Australia-based Village Roadshow
and local studio CJ Entertainment, which operates over
100 screens throughout South Korea.
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