Grand Cinemas – Exclusive
I had an exclusive and exciting sneak peek tour in Grand Cinemas at Al Hamra Luxury Center, I know there are zillion questions in your head right now; how much the tickets? Will movies be released earlier? Censorship? How to book tickets? …etc. but hey I got you all the answers and beyond. As I told you in my previous post, it will launch on Eid Al Adha [link] and it will mark a new era for cinema in Kuwait. A quick summary; Grand Cinemas has over 100 theaters spread spread across 23 locations in the Middle East including Dubai, Beirut, Jordan, and now Kuwait.
Inside I met with their regional operation manager Mr. Rabi Hajj and got chance to ask him many questions, he was kind to take me on quick tour and explain the facilities and services. I have to say that I was pleased with what I saw, below is how our chit chat went on:
What is the total number of screens?
Grand Cinemas (AKA Grand Hamra) has 8 regular screens plus one Grand Class (VIP) screen which makes a total of 1,450 seats.
What are the seats type?
We provide comfortable seats from brand ‘Figueras’ and they are the most expensive in the business (above) for normal theaters, as for the VIP theater we have the luxurious leather ‘Lazyboy’ seats (below) that can be electrically adjusted and equipped with buzzer to allow customer to call the waited to order refreshments.
What will be the type of screens used? Is there IMAX 3D screen? and what is the sound system?
All of our screens are equipped with digital projectors from Barca, and we will also have a 4K projector which is the first in Kuwait. Our theaters are equipped with the latest sound technology for an exciting experience. In our original plans we planned to have IMAX 3D but due to the space restriction we were not able to have one.
What will be the ticket price?
For the normal screens it’s KD3.5 and KD10 for the VIP, the VIP customers will have a separate entrance and can wait in a luxury lounge (below) with TV till movie starts, also they will get free refreshments and food such as wine (non-alcoholic), caviar, and salmon.
How can people book the tickets?
We have installed E-Kiosks inside the cinema for booking, people can also book online on our website, and soon we will launch iPhone and Android apps.
What refreshments will you offer to customers?
We have concessions that provide tasty popcorn (both salty and caramel), nachos, hot dog, drinks, sodas, sweets. ..etc. and all of our foods will be from the U.S. There is also ‘Crostini’ cafe to serve salads and sandwiches.
What about movies release dates?
We will release the latest movies, plus there will be exclusive movies for Grand Hamra, James Bond Skyfall will be exclusive for us when it’s first released.
These were the questions that I asked, I gotta say that I was pleased with the beautiful decorations, large lobby, and nice rest rooms. Grand Hamra is set to open its doors in Eid Al Adha (26th October). Personally, I’m going to watch James Bond Skyfall when its first released.
