Posts tagged single screen theatre

PVR sells off multiplex at Phoenix Mills for 100 cr

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Rajshri Mehta | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; May 6, 2011)

Mumbai: Three years after the city got its biggest and only seven-screen multiplex in Phoenix Mills at Lower Parel, it has changed hands. PVR, the country’s leading entertainment conglomerate, has sold the multiplex to C R Retail Malls (India) Ltd, a subsidiary of J M Financials Group, an integrated financial services group for Rs 100 crore. As per the agreement, PVR will continue to run the multiplex on a long-term lease. This sale and lease-back model is common in western countries, where the company sells its property and leases it back from the new buyer. A senior PVR official confirmed the transaction.

PVR currently owns 142 screens in 31 theatres and the multiplex at Phoenix boasts a seating capacity of 1,847.

Media analysts say the strategy employed by companies like PVR is to use funds generated from such sales to focus on expanding business.

“If you have noticed, many single-screen theatres in the city have changed over to multiplexes as they are big business, especially in Mumbai,’’ said an analyst. “The only hitch is the exorbitant food and beverage charges inside the multiplex, which are almost double of what is charged outside. Couple it with ticket prices of over Rs 200, and your wallet will be lighter by at least Rs 1,000,’’ the analyst added.

Metro Cinema at Marine Lines, one of two art deco theatres built in the 1930s, was bought by Big Cinemas in 2005. The company restored and More >

How films were promoted in olden days

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

A peek at the booklets that promoted big-ticket films when there was no television or Internet

Ankit Ajmera (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 08, 2011)

 

Much before the onrush of slickly edited spiffy trailers on our TVs, computers, theatres and cell phones backed by a multi-crore-fuelled marketing circus, filmmakers in India relied on promoting their upcoming films by doling out humble handouts to the audience.

Booklets enlisting film synopsis, cast, lyrics of the songs, pictures and interesting anecdotes would be handed out to the patrons in cinema halls, a sure shot way of building up the interest till the film’s release.

Antique collectors Aziz K Mansoori and brother Arif have stacked up a collection of over 1,000 such cinema booklets pulled in from across India over a decade.

(From L to R) Arif, Arman and Aziz Mansoori have a collection of more than 1,000 booklets among other Bollywood collectibles at their shop in Chor Bazaar

At their shop A-1 Corner at Chor Bazaar, some booklets fit in your palm while others are as large as an A4 sheet of paper. Some of these booklets are very rare and according to Aziz, can fetch up to Rs 2,000 per piece.

Most of these booklets, Aziz has collected from his visits to cities in Gujarat and Rajasthan by contacting owners of the 50 to 60-year-old single screen theatres and scrap dealers. Whenever its curtains for an old theatre, it’s good news for him.

“Theatres have a collection of such booklets accumulated over More >

Movie Review: DABANGG by FENIL SETA

0
2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

There was a time when masala action flicks were the order of the day. Such films were regularly churned out and it had a dedicated audience who wholeheartedly endorsed this kind of cinema. However, as time passed, the number of such films began to decline drastically. But still the love for these flicks hasn’t died down and we won’t mind watching them once in a while. Aamir Khan’s Ghajini re-popularized the trend followed by Salman Khan’s Wanted. And Sallu is now back with another sureshot masala entertainer Dabangg, a film that is meant to just fully entertain the viewers! Nothing new in terms of storyline, what works in Dabangg is solely Salman and his brilliant performance!

The story of the movie: Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan) is a fearless but corrupt police officer in the town of Laalgunj, Uttar Pradesh. He family consists of his mother Naini (Dimple Kapadia), step father Prajapati Pandey (Vinod Khanna) and step brother Makhanchan aka Makkhi (Arbaaz Khan), the latter two who are hated by Chulbul due to bitter experiences of childhood. Chulbul at this point comes across Rajo (Sonakshi Sinha), a girl with a unique perspective of life and he instantly falls for her. Things were going smoothly for Chulbul when his world turns upside down with a sudden catastrophe. A ruthless villain enters his life-Cheddi Singh (Sonu Sood). How he fights evil and emerges triumphant is what the rest of the film is all about.

Dabangg at several points reminds of More >

Go to Top