MovieTowne C3 ciniplex opens

The Movietowne C3 cineplex was designed with an easily identifiable Times Square, New York theme, with a replica of the statue of liberty hanging over the main entrance to greet you as you enter.

The cineplex’s design is unique from its other locations in that the restaurants, bars, and arcades that usually surround the theatre were placed inside the same building as the theatre itself. It contributed to the theme as patrons can now walk down a “boulevard” flanked by the Coney Island arcade, Rizzonis, and Ruby Tuesday restaurants along with the flashing lights and advertisements of Times Square.

The cineplex was made with an investment of $150 million and will employ some 500 persons. The C3 location will be open to the public on Friday from 3pm. General admission will cost $50 for normal screens, $60 for super screens, and $65 for 3D movies.

Founder and Chairman of Movietowne, Derek Chin, in his address at the inauguration said, “The evolution of Movietowne isn’t just a successful business story. It is one going against popular opinion and tough market conditions.

The obstacles of bureaucracy, of dealing with several administrators and administrations couldn’t derail it. The challenges to convince our local commercial banks and marketing experts couldn’t dissuade it. The decline in the movie industry in itself at that time and disbelief of those who were leaders then couldn’t distort the focus of the movietowne dream.” And the Movietowne dream will extend its local borders this year with the fifth cineplex to be opened in Guyana later this year. Chin said that St Vincent also invited the franchise to invest there with “very attractive land concessions” with further invitations to explore similar ventures in Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, and even Toronto, Canada.

As a message to young entrepreneurs, Chin said that “naysayers” will always be in abundance, but that there are times “when you must follow your own gut.” Chin’s gut has led to an enterprise that continues to attract an average of 1.6 million patrons to its doors each year despite the difficult economic times suffered over the last year and a half.

Trade Minister, Paula Gopee-Scoon, congratulated Chin and his team on the successful opening, and thanked the company for its contribution to the local film industry.

“It will also provide an additional distribution outlet for our local films to be viewed by a much wider audience in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Gopee-Scoon.

“Avenues of this nature are critical to the development of our local film industry and it gives local producers the added confidence that the production of films can be transformed into a commercially viable business enterprise.”