Kinepolis plans 'World's largest megaplex' to open at Madrid's Ciudad de la Imagen The Kinepolis Group of Belgium has confirmed plans for the construction of a 26-screen, 8,500 plus-seat state-of-the-art megaplex to be built at Madrid's Ciudad de la Imagen. The plans to build what Kinepolis claims is to become the 'world's largest megaplex' to date form part of Ciudad's second-phase construction programme (Polygon 2) which started in April last year and envisages the amplification in a second site of its production area by 91,000 m2, as well as the creation of administrative, leisure and sports complexes.
The Kinepolis Group, which celebrates the 15th anniversary of the opening of its first multiplex this year, plans to turn the 26-screener into its flagship megaplex. 'All theatres will be equipped with the latest technologies in projection and sound,' The Kinepolis Group's Bart Claeys told Moving Pictures. 'We opted for the Ciudad de la Imagen because of the available space, its enormous potential and because of all the activities that are taking place there.' Claeys further stressed the multifunctional character of the project. 'We will also offer facilities for seminars, conferences and exhibitions.'
He estimated that the multiplex project, which is set for a 1997 opening, will create around 150 new jobs. Kinepolis Madrid is the first in a series of multi- and megaplex projects the group plans to develop in Spain. It currently runs hi-tech plexes at several locations in Belgium and France, with further projects in Europe, Asia and Latin America. For this, the group's construction arm Decatron will team up with Hoyts of Australia.
Moving Pictures also learnt that the Trinity Christian Centre of Santana has chosen the Ciudad as location for its European television production centre. While confirming the information, the US group's legal representatives in Spain, Madrid-based Estudio de Abocados, declined to give any further details of plans or current activities. 'We can only confirm that our clients will operate fully within Ciudad de la Imagen regulations,' a spokesperson added.
Also attracted by the project is Televisa which, with a US$1.179 billion revenue last year, is the largest entertainment player in the Spanish-speaking world. Construction on its Ciudad-based European headquarters started recently. And regional broadcaster Radio Televisión Madrid is set to start regular broadcasts from its new studios next year.
Madrid's mega 1.2 million m2 Ciudad de la Imagen currently forms the biggest studio and service complex in Spain. An initiative to dynamise Madrid's audio-visual sector, the Ciudad de la Imagen (literally translated: image city) has been promoted since 1991 by the Comunidad de Madrid municipal authorities, which offered cut-price sites to entice Spanish audio-visual companies to move into the Ciudad. In most cases, this also results in the creation of new job opportunities.
Five years later, with the private initiative having taken over the project from public initiative, Ciudad is going through a stage of vast expansion and houses an eclectic mix of production, management and post-production houses and broadcasters whose sites are either up-and-running or in construction. 'Our strategy,' as Ciudad's ceo Carlos Ucar explains, 'is to attract companies at the site that work off synergisms providing production facilities for any stage in the film and television making process.'
Other companies that have made the move include top Spanish independent TV producers Europroducciones, headed by former Televisa executive Arturo Vega, and Video Media, which opened its sound studio and post-production facilities suites there. Other Ciudad-based enterprises are Spain's leading record publisher, EMI-Hispavox, audio-visual hardware supplier Vitelesa, RPG Informatica's animation studio, Sincrovideo, Car's Estudios publicity and CYP Internacional.
The site also houses the ECCAM Madrid Film School, as well as the Centre for Audiovisual Technique Training which began classes exactly one year ago.
The Ciudad de la Imagen is in further development and offers various significant attractions: a gathering mass of companies with a wide range of services, access to all Madrid via the new and relatively unclogged M-40 ring road, the proximity of giant Spanish pubcaster RTVE and administrative and leisure services which are turning it into a city in more than just name. The opening of the world's largest multiplex will further increase its visibility in and outside the Spanish capital, as have the opening of a PRYCA hyperstore and the construction of a Azata hotel. With a megaplex and hotel accommodation in place, the developers now dream of attracting a movie/television theme park to complete the 100,000m2 Polygon 2 site. Christian De Schutter/John Hopewell
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