SF Cinema sees room for growth

"We could increase our market share in admissions from 32 per cent to 35 per cent in the first six months of this year. We want to maintain |strong market share in the second half," marketing director Supat Ngamwongpaiboon said yesterday.

The theatre chain's admissions are expected to reach about 12 million this year, partially due to the opening of its cineplex in Khon Kaen by the end of this year, he said.

Smash hits - such as "Fast & Furious", "Terminator Salvation" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" - have also been strong at the box office during the first six months.

The company has allocated a huge marketing budget of Bt120 million to promote those blockbusters in the first half, and Bt120 million more for marketing and promotional activities in the second half. The rest of this year will see many medium-grade movies entering theatres.

SF Cinema City will focus on introducing digital-based 3-D movies at its theatres, such as "G-Force" and "Final Destination", as well as exclusive films screened only at SF, such as "Tale of Panda" from Walt Disney and "Nang Mai" (Director's Cut) directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.

About 15 exclusive movies will be screened at SF Cinema for the full year and they will contribute 10 per cent of revenues.

"With exclusive movies, we want to create new opportunities and choices for movie-goers, who are seeking some alternative films they cannot watch at other theatres," he said.