Empire beyond Beirut

Circuit Empire to run ten new theatres in Bekaa, eyes three more in Nabatiyeh

The movie theater chain and movie distributor Circuit Empire announced a $4.5 million investment to operate ten movie theaters in the Bekaa region. The cinema complex would host 1,800 visitors and would be part of the Cascade Village, a new 200,000 square meters mixed-use real estate project. Empire said that the multiplex will be operational in the autumn of 2012.

Circuit Empire seeks to operate three new movie theatres in the Southern town of Nabatieh, an official at the movie theatre chain said. He said that the official announcement will be made in two weeks.

In 2010, Empire had 1.6 million admissions with a turnover of around $14 million. The total local movie theatre market in the same year recorded 2.8 million admissions.

Circuit Empire launched its first overseas expansion last March through a nine million dollar investment to operate 14 movie theaters in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Regional Government of Kurdistan. It said that the multiplex would host 2,500 cinema-goers and would be part of Erbil's Family Mall. It expects to implement two additional projects in Kurdistan.

Established in 1996, the group operates 33 movie theaters in the country. It plans to open 14 new theaters in the Beirut Souks.