Kinepolis Bruges sets the tone for the cinema of the future
Kinepolis Bruges, Kinepolis Group's latest cinema complex, is to open to the public on Friday, 7 July 2006. Thousands of guests are to attend the official opening this evening.
A fine example of technology and a conceptual reference for the other Kinepolis complexes and the international cinema market in general.
The cinema site in Bruges has eight auditoriums, 1605 seats, 600 parking places and 100 bicycle slots, as well as a unique location in the vicinity of major approach roads. It is Kinepolis Group's tenth complex in Belgium and the 22nd in Europe. In addition to Belgium, Kinepolis also operates in France, Spain, Poland and Switzerland.
Following successful Belgian projects in Ghent (1981), Brussels (1988), Antwerp (1993), Hasselt (1996), Liège (1997), Kortrijk (1997), Leuven (1997) and Eigenbrakel (2000), Kinepolis Group has invested EUR 10 million in the highly promising Kinepolis Bruges.
Ease of access, multi-functionality, a wide range of films, and the quality of the image and sound (High Definition Digital Cinema, THX) are specific to every Kinepolis complex, and are sure to strike a chord in the effervescent socio-cultural atmosphere in Bruges, as well.
Thanks to a number of pioneering innovations, however, with the creation of this complex Kinepolis Group is taking another step forward compared with Kinepolis Nancy, the complex that the group opened about a year ago. The most striking features are the open foyer, the seat booking facilities, the ticket pricing and monitoring system and the extensive digitalisation of film, information and communication channels.
A pilot project developed in house that will also be introduced in the other complexes once the necessary assessments and adjustments have been made.
The open foyer
Cinema-goers arriving and leaving meet one another in a central, open foyer. The building welcomes everyone, not just those who have come to see a film. Visitors do not necessarily have to have a ticket to be able to use the facilities in the foyer, which include a film corner, a gaming corner, the Kinepolis shop and the CréaCafé. The Kinepolis shop stocks a wide range of drinks, snacks and retail goods, ranging from fruit salad, pizzas and popcorn to T-shirts, film posters and books.
Booking seats
At Kinepolis Bruges cinema-goers can book their tickets and seats in advance at the automatic box offices or from their home via the Kinepolis website. The ticketing software automatically proposes the most central seat available. Film lovers can accept or reject this proposal via the website and at the automatic box offices. The seat layout and available places can be consulted on digital screens in the entrance hall and in the foyer.
Ticket monitoring and pricing
The usual ticket checks have been abolished. The only areas that are monitored are the auditoriums. Cinema-goers must have a ticket of admission or - if the booking was made via the Internet - an A4 print-out indicating the auditorium, showing, film and seat number, before they can enter the auditorium itself. Each seat has a built-in sensor so that each place taken is automatically recorded. The monitoring system compares the number of tickets sold with the number of people present in the auditorium. As a result, the ticket checking process is conclusive, efficient and customer friendly.
What is more, Kinepolis encourages cinema-goers to buy tickets electronically. A ticket purchased via the website is cheaper than one obtained at the box offices in the complex. As for tickets that are bought in the complex itself, those issued by the automatic (unmanned) box offices are sold at more advantageous rates than those acquired at the manned box offices.
Extensive digitalisation of film, information and communication channels
Kinepolis Bruges has a pronounced digital look created not only by of the presence of digital 2K projectors and films (two HDDC projectors upon start-up), but also thanks to the numerous digital signposting, advertising, scheduling and information screens. The moving picture will be omnipresent, ensuring more efficient communication management and more environmentally friendly surroundings.
Kinepolis Bruges fills a real gap in the market and will re-establish Bruges as a film town. Kinepolis is expecting to welcome at least 400,000 visitors a year to Bruges.
After the opening of Kinepolis Bruges, another Belgian construction project will begin to take shape - Kinepolis Ostend (2007), which in turn will take another step towards the future.
As a foretaste of the complex to be built, this August Kinepolis is planning a drive-in cinema (open air) on the future site of Kinepolis Ostend.
__________________
About Kinepolis Group
The Kinepolis Group was set up in 1997 following the merger of the Bert and Claeys groups. It was listed on the stock market in 1998 and has since grown to become Belgium's market leader and a leading player in the European market. The Kinepolis Group currently employs over 1900 people.
The group entertains millions of cinemagoers in 22 cinema complexes covering Belgium, France, Spain, Poland and Switzerland.
The key to the success of the Kinepolis concept is its innovative drive and its customer-friendly approach. The Kinepolis Group belongs to the select group of cinemas in the world that can offer digital cinema featuring the revolutionary DLP technology. The group now has an extensive platform of digital projectors in Belgium, France and Spain. In addition to digital Hollywood productions, cinemagoers can now experience alternative content in digital format, such as prestigious shows, TV series, live concerts and sports events.