Warner Brothers International Cinemas (WBIC) plans to open six new cinemas per year in China over the next few years, with locations for the six theaters to open next year already selected, a representative for Warner Brothers said.

One of the six theaters expected to open next year will start operation in January in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing. Others will open in the Chinese cities of Changsha, Beijing, Nanchang, Xiamen and Shenzhen, an official with Ruder Finn Public Relations, Warner Brothers’ public relation representative in China, said.

WBIC will cooperate with Chinese partners in opening the new theaters, such as Shanghai Film Group (SFG), Guangzhou Jinji and Shenzhen International Trust & Investment Co. WBIC opened its first cinema in China in cooperation with SFG in Shanghai in 2002.

The two partners opened another joint cinema in the city of Nanjing, capital of eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, which increased box office receipts by 48 percent this year as compared with last year.

At present, WBIC has eight cinemas, with 67 screens or 14,449 seats under the company’s management and supervision in China. Two of those cinemas opened in 2005. By the end of November, Chinese box office receipts at these eight cinemas had reached 107 million yuan (US$13.4 million), representing a growth of 81 percent from last year. The total box office receipts for 2005 are expected to exceed 121 million yuan.

WBIC is also planning to set up a Cinema China hall at its theaters to reserve screens exclusively for Chinese films, including those from new directors.

In addition, WBIC will open its first digital multiplex cinema with seven screens in Beijing next year, in a partnership with Guangzhou Jinyi. The plan is now awaiting government approval, the National Business Daily reported. Enditem

(Shenzhen Daily December 27, 2005)