UAE movie theatre chain Cinestar gets brand overhaul

  • Sunday, 19 June 2011 6:08 PM
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MOVIE-GOERS: UAE cinema attendance slumped 68.1 percent during Ramadan in 2009 and is expected to do the same this year. (Getty Images)

MOVIE-GOERS: UAE cinema attendance slumped 68.1 percent during Ramadan in 2009 and is expected to do the same this year. (Getty Images)

Majid Al Futtaim Ventures, a subsidiary of UAE conglomerate MAF Holding, said Sunday it has rebranded its chain of Cinestar movie theatres as VOX Cinemas.

The company, which operates five cinemas across the UAE, plans to open the “first of many planned” theatres outside the Gulf state in Beirut next year, it said in an emailed statement.

The chain also plans to roll out what it claims is the UAE’s first 4K digital cinema technology across its screens and introduce 3D films to its premium-class theatres.

MAF Holding bought the rights to the Cinestar chain in the UAE in October in an $77.1m deal with Australian entertainment operator Amalgamated Holdings.

The firm sold its 49 percent stake in MAF Greater Union, a joint venture between AHL and Majid Al Futtaim Group, leaving MAF Holding the sole owner.

Majid Al Futtaim Group is the largest developer and operator of shopping malls in the Middle East, with a retail portfolio that includes Mall of the Emirates, Dubai and Mirdif City Centre.

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