Category: Movies

Mumbai : Multiplex chain Shringar Cinemas today declared a net profit of Rs. 36 million for the third quarter of FY 2007-08 as against an equivalent amount during the same period last year.

Total revenues rose 37 per cent year-on-year at Rs 246 million against Rs 179.7 million in the corresponding quarter in the previous fiscal. The company‘s operating profit grew to Rs 62.4 million, up from Rs 57.4 million in the previous corresponding quarter.

With the recent addition of Fame Lido in Bangalore on 25 January, Shringar operates 14 properties with 48 screens. The company is fitting out eight multiplexes with 29 screens, spread out across cities like Kolkata, Bangalore, Panchkula, Pune, Dhanbad, Mumbai etc.

Further, the company expects to get a handover of an additional six multiplexes comprising 25 screens located in Bharuch, Baroda, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Kalyan and Chennai, during Q 1/Q2 of the financial year 2009.

Announcing the results, Shringar Cinemas MD Shravan Shroff said, “We have continued our growth in the third quarter of this fiscal on the back of improved occupancies and higher realisation from tickets and F&B. We are in for exciting times with an additional eight sites (comprising of an additional 29 screens) which are expected to commercially open in the forthcoming three quarters.”

MUMBAI: Bollywood major BR Films has pumped in Rs 650 million for the slate of three films that will hit the box office in 2008.

BR Films promoter Ravi Chopra says, “Our lineup for the films to release in 2008-10 is finalised, and each year is equally distributed.”

In 2008, the first film to hit the screen from the BR Films stable is Bhootnath starring Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo role. The Rs 250-300 million film is directed by debut director Vivek.

Next is Rs 200 million Banda Ya Bindass Hain directed by Ravi Chopra. Currently under production, the comedy film will be released in July.

The last offering from the stable in 2008 is Heaven on Earth. BR Films has infused Rs 200 million for the film directed by Deepa Mehta. Starring Preity Zinta, the film shows the treatment of women married to NRI husbands.

With six films on the cards, the year 2009 seems busier for BR films. Of these, Kohinoor, Pocket Maar, Betiyaan and Stella deserve special mention, with Stella to be directed by Deepa Mehta.

The company will foray into animation in 2009, with the release of its first animated film Paanch Pandav. It has acquired 73 per cent in the Mumbai-based animation and post production studio Pix-n-Trix. It has also relocated Pix-n-Trix to a larger premise at Film City located at Goregaon in Mumbai.

Besides, epic-based film Mahabharata is also in the pipeline. Expected to hit the screens in 2010, the film will be in two parts. Each of the two 3-hour parts will be released on two consecutive Fridays.

Ravi Chopra explains, “The Mahabharata is a long epic that needs more time than two hours for a better presentation. So we decided to split it into two parts, releasing the film on two consecutive Fridays. The first part will end with the cheer-haran episode; the second will follow from the same.”

MUMBAI: As the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike continues, the smaller film studios have started signing deals with the organisation. The three latest companies to have done interim deals with WGA are RKO, Lionsgate and Marvel Studios.

RKO‘s current production schedule, to be announced shortly, includes several original screen projects, as well as the financing, production and distribution of a number of new versions of classic films from RKO‘s 1,300-film library.

RKO‘s CEO Ted Hartley says, “The negotiation with the Guild was smooth and businesslike; they kept their agreement and we kept ours. It all moved ahead at a steady pace and resulted in good feelings on both sides. This now releases the pent-up energies of the talented executives, producers and writers at RKO. We all are eager to get back to creating great films and innovative programming today.”

In its statement, the WGA notes that in the past, RKO gave the world such classics as King Kong, Citizen Kane and It‘s a Wonderful Life. “Now it looks to the future, signing an interim agreement that recognises fair and respectful compensation for writers on the Internet and in new media. We applaud their forward thinking and are pleased to join with them in this agreement,” adds the satement.

Another company that did a deal is Marvel Studios. It has recently launched its film studio to develop, produce and fully finance Marvel movies, which will include Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. The WGA praised Marvel for being committed to fairly compensating their writers and says that they can now move forward with their planned production schedule.

Earlier, The Weinstein Company, United Artists, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Spyglass Entertainment, MRC, Jackson Bites, Mandate Films and Worldwide Pants all signed deals with WGA.

MUMBAI: Multiplex operator Shringar Cinemas opened its newest property “Fame Lido” in Bangalore.

The 30,000 sq ft “Fame Lido” is a 4-screen multiplex with a capacity to seat 993 guests. One of the USPs of this property is the introduction of Gold Class Recliners, which is a first in the CBD area of Bangalore.

Further, “Fame Lido” offers its guests easy ticketing services with multiple booking options of online booking, landline credit card booking and home delivery for tickets.

Commenting on the launch, Shringar Cinemas Ltd MD Shravan Shroff said, “We at Fame believe that the movie viewing experience at a multiplex should be no less than exhilarating. We are extremely delighted to offer the Fame experience to cinema lovers in this region. With the launch of Fame Lido, we take yet another step forward in our journey towards spreading the Fame brand across the country. At Fame, we go beyond ‘just movies’ by making every moment at our multiplexes a pleasurable experience. We take care of the finer nuances of hospitality with our specially trained staff, gourmet F&B choices, premieres and other exciting opportunities to meet movie stars.”

With the addition of this latest property, Shringar Cinemas has 14 operational properties and 48 screens across India.

MUMBAI: Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group has opened two Adlabs Cinemas in North India – a 5-screen cinema at the Great India Place (GIP) in Noida and a 3-screen cinema at TDI Mall in Agra, two kilometers from the Taj Mahal, according to two separate official releases.

The new cinema at the GIP, North India‘s biggest shopping mall, is the only cinema at the mall. This will further strengthen the chain‘s presence in Delhi NCR, says the release, further adding that the next six months will see the rollout of at least 13 properties and 30 screens in North India.

While the seating capacity of the TDI mall Adlabs is 1,021 seats, the GIP Adlabs will have a total seating capacity of 1,220 seats. However, both cinemas will have world-class widescreen viewing screens, food and beverage offerings, crystal-clear DTS sound, superior Xenon projection systems and plush seats.

The new property in Noida will also have an exclusive Ebony Lounge, which features a 94-seat screen with fully reclinable seats, the best possible sound (provided by a standalone Bose Pipe Music system) and an attached lounge that offers an exclusive menu served by personalised and attentive staff as part of the “Silver Service.” A new and unique innovation will be the DJ system in the lobby which will play songs on request.

With regard to the new cinema in Noida, Adlabs Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra said, “It‘s great to be the only cinema in India‘s largest mall where the biggest brands of India and the world also have a presence. The Great India Place is a shopping Mecca located in one of the fastest growing cities in India in terms of consumer spending and we see immense potential for this property.”

“The new cinema will not only be catering to the residents of the city but will also be another must-see for local as well as international tourists visiting this historic city. Agra will be getting a second landmark in the form of a truly world-class cinema. Watch out for more exciting new features at this property,” said Dhingra, commenting on the new opening in Agra.

The largest cinema chain in India, Adlabs Cinemas has 127 screens spread over 42 properties nationwide.

MUMBAI: The second Chandigarh Film Festival is to be held from Feb 1-4 at 4 different venues in the city.

Movie buffs can watch Bollywood films, children films and critically acclaimed international films.

MUMBAI: The French government will confer “Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters” title on Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan for his contribution to Indian film industry.

The distinction is given to persons who have established themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of the arts in France and throughout the world.

French Ambassador in India Jerome Bonnafont will confer the title on Khan at the inaugural ceremony of four-day French film festival – First rendezvous with French cinema here in Mumbai on 27 January.

This is not the first time an Indian film personality is being honoured by the French government. In 2005, renowned director Adoor Gopalakrishnan was bestowed with a similar title as Khan, while last year Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with “The Legion d‘Honneur”, France‘s highest civilian honour.

MUMBAI: Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd (PSTL) has acquired majority stake in the UK-based Aurona Technologies Ltd.

Headquartered in London, Aurona Technologies is a leading video games and interactive entertainment software company. Aurona Technologies CEO Santosh Pillai will take over as director of the company.

Speaking about the acquisition, Pyramid Saimira MD PS Saminathan said, “This acquisition marks the entry of Pyramid Saimira in the high-growth, high-margin animation and gaming industry. Since our group has access to a huge content library, we will be able to cross-exploit the content properties.”

“We are focused on creating a world-class vertical on post-production, animation and gaming, and this acquisition brings high quality management bandwidth, with international exposure,” added Saminathan.

After the acquisition, the employee base of Pyramid Saimira has now crossed more than 15,000 across the globe. “Given that there is a lot of potential and synergy for all the businesses we are involved in, this acquisition marks our entry into the European market. With this, Pyramid Saimira Group is now present in three continents,” said Pyramid Saimira director N Narayanan.

Aurona Technologies has a development centre in Hyderabad and a representative office in Los Angeles. The company delivers full game development from India for platforms such as Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo DS and PC.

MUMBAI: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have begun informal discussions.

The aim is to determine if there is a basis for both parties to return to formal negotiations.

The WGA strike has been going on for over two months. However, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) managed to negotiate a tentative deal with the AMPTP.

The AMPTP and the WGA have agreed to make no public comments about the informal discussions until the discussions have concluded.

Earlier, the WGA agreed to give up their demands for reality and animation writers. The aim was to arrive at a speedy resolution.

MUMBAI: The Screen Actors Guild (Sag) awards take place in the US on Sunday 27 January.It is one of the few shows that will not be affected by the on-going WGA strike.

An array of stars including Russell Crowe (American Gangster), Holly Hunter and John Travolta (Hairspray) will present awards or introduce films. Sag honours achievements in both television and film. In India, the show will air on Star World live at 6:30 am on 28 January 2008, with a repeat telecast at 8 pm.

The nominees for ensemble in a drama show are Boston Legal, The Closer, Grey‘s Anatomy, Mad Men and The Sopranos. For comedy show, the nominees are 30 Rock, Entourage, Desperate Housewives, The Office and Ugly Betty. Charles Durning will get the lifetime achievement award.