Studio City Celebrates 1st Anniversary

MACAU, Oct. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Studio City, the Hollywood-inspired, cinematically-themed integrated entertainment, retail and gaming resort, will be celebrating its first anniversary this month. Since its grand opening in October 2015, the Asia’s Entertainment Capital has attracted almost 10 million visitors and received critical acclaim from around the world. The anniversary caps off a stellar year in which the resort has reached monumental milestones and garnered over 35 awards for its enthralling gamut of world-class entertainment offerings and efforts in creating remarkable experiences for visitors to Macau.

“The past year has proven to be a thrilling and fruitful journey for all of us,” said Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Melco Crown Entertainment. “By introducing many ‘firsts’ to Macau, we have successfully transformed the city’s entertainment landscape, and in particular, enhanced its non-gaming entertainment proposition. I would like to thank all of our colleagues for their efforts, without which our game-changing mission would not have been possible.”

Achievements Aplenty

In its first year of operation, Studio City has achieved impressive results which fully demonstrate its success in redefining the entertainment landscape of Macau, including the following:

• The iconic Golden Reel, the world’s first figure-8 Ferris wheel, has welcomed over 1 million guests
• Over 600,000 visitors have flown on Batman Dark Flight, the world’s first Batman-themed action-packed 4D flight simulation ride
• 17 internationally renowned magicians from 10 different countries have performed at The House of Magic, the first and only permanent multi-theater magic house in Macau
• 27 events have been held at the 5000-seat multi-purpose Studio City Event Center, including the concerts of Asian and international superstars such as Madonna, Leon Lai, Super Junior and S.H.E.
• Studio City has been the setting for popular TV shows and five blockbuster movies, including Up Idol II, a Hunan TV reality show with over 100 million viewers, and Cook Up a Storm, the first-ever 4D Chinese culinary movie, starring Nicholas Tse

While striving for improvement and continuous growth, Melco Crown Entertainment has been mindful of its responsibility to society. In the past year, over 70 complimentary tours of Studio City have been offered to a cross-section of the community, enabling the public to experience the resort’s world-class entertainment attractions.

An Immensely Rewarding Year

The premiere of the Studio City-inspired, Hollywood-produced short film The Audition, starring Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt and helmed by Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, on the grand opening night of Studio City, brought Macau’s newest landmark into the spotlight and attracted the world’s attention. Together with its world-leading entertainment, hotel, retail, food and beverage, and gaming offerings, Studio City has raised the bar for integrated resorts and brought home over 35 highly coveted awards and accolades to date. Such achievements have cemented Studio City’s position as an all-round entertainment provider, and are a testament to Melco Crown Entertainment’s commitment to developing Macau into a world center of leisure tourism.

The Excitement Continues

In celebration of the glamorous first anniversary of Studio City, a wide range of special promotions, including amazing rewards and non-stop surprises that lead to entertainment, hotel and dining pleasures, are being launched. Please visit http://www.studiocity-macau.com/en/promotions/detail/1st-anniversary-celebrations to discover more.

Accolades at a glance:

Studio City – Asia’s Entertainment Capital

For further information on Studio City, please visit: www.studiocity-macau.com, follow us on Sina Weibo at www.weibo.com/studiocity and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/studiocitymacau

For our latest press releases, visuals and multimedia, please visit: www.studiocitymacaumedia.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, (i) growth of the gaming market and visitation in Macau and the Philippines, (ii) capital and credit market volatility, (iii) local and global economic conditions, (iv) our anticipated growth strategies, (v) gaming authority and other governmental approvals and regulations, and (vi) our future business development, results of operations and financial condition. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “target”, “aim”, “estimate”, “intend”, “plan”, “believe”, “potential”, “continue”, “is/are likely to” or other  similar  expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

About Melco Crown Entertainment Limited

Melco Crown Entertainment, with its American depositary shares listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (NASDAQ:MPEL), is a developer, owner and operator of casino gaming and entertainment casino resort facilities in Asia. Melco Crown Entertainment currently operates Altira Macau (www.altiramacau.com), a casino hotel located at Taipa, Macau and City of Dreams (www.cityofdreamsmacau.com), an integrated urban casino resort located in Cotai, Macau. Melco Crown Entertainment’s business also includes the Mocha Clubs (www.mochaclubs.com), which comprise the largest non-casino based operations of electronic gaming machines in Macau. The Company also majority owns and operates Studio City (www.studiocity-macau.com), a cinematically-themed integrated entertainment, retail and gaming resort in Cotai, Macau. In the Philippines, Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corporation’s subsidiary, MCE Leisure (Philippines) Corporation, currently operates and manages City of Dreams Manila (www.cityofdreams.com.ph), a casino, hotel, retail and entertainment integrated resort in the Entertainment City complex in Manila. For more information about Melco Crown Entertainment, please visit www.melco-crown.com.

Melco Crown Entertainment is strongly supported by its single largest shareholder, Melco International Development Limited (“Melco”) and its other major shareholder, Crown Resorts Limited (“Crown”). Melco is a listed company on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and is substantially owned and led by Mr. Lawrence Ho, who is the Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Melco Crown Entertainment. Crown is a top-100 company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and led by Mr. James Packer, who is the Deputy Chairman and a Non-executive Director of Melco Crown Entertainment.

About Studio City

Studio City takes Macau’s entertainment destination proposition to unprecedented new levels, by providing a “next generation” of outstanding entertainment-driven leisure destination experiences that will help the territory’s evolution into a truly international tourism center.

The Hollywood-themed studio-concept resort is a thrilling new cinematic inspired entertainment and leisure destination and is designed to be the most diversified entertainment offering in Macau.  Ideally located on Cotai, close to the Lotus Bridge immigration point connecting Hengqin Island and a future station-point for the Macau Light Rapid Transit (LTR), Studio City is determined to deliver more world-class entertainment amenities than any integrated resort in the market.

Studio City’s stunning Art-Deco facade includes an iconic “Golden Reel” gondola ride which straddles the resort’s two-tower hotel at a height of some 130 meters. The integrated resort will provide the ultimate in sophisticated leisure entertainment, hotel, retail, dining and lifestyle experiences.

The resort’s innovative entertainment offerings include “Studio City Event Center”, a 5,000-seat multi-purpose entertainment center designed to host live concerts, theatrical and sporting events; and “Studio 8”, a 300-seat live-audience TV broadcast studio for reality and game-show productions distributed in the Asia region. The entertainment experiences also include a magic theatre “The House of Magic” and a Warner Bros. Batman-themed motion ride “Batman Dark Flight”, a 40,000 sq. ft. family entertainment center “Warner Bros. Fun Zone” for kids filled with Warner Bros.’ and DC Comics’ franchise characters and play-rides, together with “Pacha Macau” which will bring Ibiza-style nightlife to Macau.

Studio City is destined to deliver an unparalleled leisure entertainment and hospitality experience, strengthening the depth and diversity of Macau’s leisure, business and tourism proposition as a leading visitor destination in Asia.

For further information on Studio City visit: www.studiocity-macau.com and follow us on Sina Weibo at www.weibo.com/studiocity.