Editor

BIG Cinemas, India's largest domestic and international cinema chain, a division of Reliance MediaWorks Ltd and a member of Reliance ADA Group, has hit its 500 screen milestone with the opening of its newest multiplex at Kedah, Malaysia.

Following the Reliance ADA Group acquiring the controlling stake in Reliance MediaWorks in 2005, BIG Cinemas has witnessed a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 100% in the scale of its operations.

In a little over three years BIG Cinemas has grown to establish a dominant presence in the Indian domestic market securing 240 screens across 75 Indian cities. Similarly, BIG Cinemas has made huge strides internationally, with more than half of its screens located in 40 cities outside India covering the USA, Malaysia and the Netherlands.   

Through its incredible three year growth period, BIG Cinemas has refurbished properties including landmark heritage properties such as Metro in Mumbai and Odeon in New Delhi ; fitting them with state of art facilities and opulent interiors that blend today's audience requirements with the theatre's heritage.

BIG Cinemas has also developed brand new premium cinemas across the globe including BIG Cinemas-Golf Glen which is a five screen multiplex in Chicago with a premium bar and lounge.

The Indian Diaspora overseas has a strong affinity to Indian movies and BIG Cinemas has aggregated a 24 city cinema network across East Coast, Midwest and West coast in US that now regularly screen Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi movie features, in addition to Hollywood.

Additionally, BIG Cinemas has become the third-largest cinema chain in Malaysia playing Hollywood features as well as Chinese, Malay and Tamil films which cater to the 1.5 million people of Indian origin. Meanwhile targeting Europe, BIG Cinemas has partnered with Pathé Theatres to begin screening Indian movies in the Netherlands. 

The company is proposing to scale up BIG Cinemas' network with plans to add a further 100 screens over the next year. 

Commenting on the development, Anil Arjun, CEO, Reliance MediaWorks Ltd. said, "Hitting the historic milestone of 500 BIG Cinemas screens worldwide is hugely significant. This expansion underscores our attempts to build scale, quality, innovation and pioneering formats which improve the movie going experience for audiences the world over. There is a great opportunity in exhibition infrastructure worldwide and while domestic expansion continues to be an area of thrust for us, we are also fully committed to expanding our global footprint."

Key highlights of the BIG Cinemas network :

• BIG Cinemas has established a strong international network of over 260 screens across 40 cities outside of India.
• BIG Cinemas has also successfully created a pan-US footprint and the circuit accounts for 30% of Hindi feature box office collections and over 75% of Tamil and Telegu box office collections from the US.
• BIG Cinemas in India contributes between 10% to 14% of the box office collections of movies.
• Catering to diverse audiences, the programming comprises hindi, other regional indian languages, english, chinese, malay and to niche communities such as polish and korean in the US.

BIG Cinemas has been at the forefront of cinematic innovation :

• BIG Cinemas recently launched the pioneering format of Cinediner where audiences can combine the experience of being able to dine on a bespoke cuisine while enjoying a movie inside an auditorium.
• BIG Cinemas installed IMAX's first new world class digital projection system in India.
• BIG-Cinema 6D Park in Agra has pioneered the multi-sensory cinema experience in India through a six-dimensional show.
• With Ebony Lounge, BIG Cinemas introduced the concept of premium lounges in India.

BIG Cinemas has also been awarded the "Entertainment Retailer of the Year" honor at the India Retail Forum 2009 and has also been awarded ‘International Exhibitor of the Year 2008' by CineAsia 2008 at Macau.

About Reliance MediaWorks Limited:

Reliance MediaWorks Limited is India's fastest growing film and entertainment services company and a member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.

Reliance MediaWorks operates BIG Cinemas, India's largest cinema chain with currently 500 screens spread across India, US, Malaysia and Netherlands.

Reliance MediaWorks has a dominant and comprehensive presence in Film Services: Motion Picture Processing and DI; Visual Effects; Film Restoration and image enhancement; Digital Mastering: Studios and Equipment rentals with facilities located at US and India.

Reliance MediaWorks' television venture, BIG Synergy, is among the top players in the television programming industry.

The Company is proposing, subject to market conditions and other considerations, an offer of equity shares on a rights basis and proposes to file a Draft Letter of Offer with the Stock Exchanges.