Kinepolis Nancy, the most recent cinema complex of the Kinepolis Group, is opening its doors to the public on Friday 23/09/05. Hundreds of guests have been invited this evening to participate in this official inaugural ceremony.
The cine building in Nancy features 10 theatres with seating for 2 580 viewers and is situated in close vicinity to the tourist attraction, Stanislas Square, a short walk from the city centre, and adjoins the major arterial roads. It is the 7th complex of the Kinepolis Group in France, and the Group's 21st complex.
In general, the French are more enthusiastic cinemagoers than the Belgians. On average, the French film buff goes to the cinema three times a year, in contrast to a Belgian, who visits a movie house 2.3 times a year.
Kinepolis made its French debut in 1995, with the opening of Kinepolis Metz (14 theatres, 4 014 seats) by Group Bert. The Kinepolis concept was enthusiastically welcomed by Metz audiences.
One year later, in 1996, Kinepolis Le Château du Cinéma near Lille (23 theatres, 7 286 seats) was inaugurated. Le Château quickly reached the 'number 1' position on the French market. In 2004, the complex recorded 2.5 million visitors.
The year 1999 saw the opening of Kinepolis Mulhouse (14 theatres, 4 612 seats) and Kinepolis Thionville (10 theatres, 2 930 seats); this was followed in 2000 by Kinepolis Nîmes (12 theatres, 2 506 seats) and the acquisition of the inner city cinema complex in Nîmes (4 theatres, 865 seats).
Following the successful projects in Metz, Lille, Mulhouse, Thionville and Nîmes, Kinepolis Group invested EUR 16 million in promising Kinepolis Nancy. Kinepolis Nancy is filling a market void, which will lead to the development and the expansion of the local cinema market. Kinepolis thus anticipates for Nancy some 800 000 visitors on an annual basis.
The most recent technological advances regarding imagery and sound (for instance, a digital projector), the seating comfort, ticketing facilities, redecorated interior, customer-friendly user infrastructure, accessibility, parking facilities, and the multi-functional character of the complex will undoubtedly strike a responsive chord in La Capitale des Lumières.
In addition, Kinepolis Nancy will provide for a number of complementary facilities. 4100 m² will be rented out to third parties for the operation of a 24-lane bowling alley, three restaurants, and a tea-room.
With this most recent opening, the Kinepolis Group confirms and renews its faith in the potential of the French cinema market. Following the opening of Kinepolis Nancy, attention will focus on the Belgian construction projects in Bruges and Ostend, both scheduled to open in 2006.
