Consistently striving to provide the audience with unsurpassed movie quality, establishing a whole new level with the help of its ultimate luxury and topping the list among modern cinemas in the Middle East, Alcohol-free zone Sharjah plans to attract moviegoers with a ground-breaking IMAX theatre, at the new lifestyle and luxury shopping destination Zero6 Mall. The multiplex will feature UAE’s biggest IMAX screen to date, with an exclusive VIP lounge for IMAX ticket holders. Located in Al Jurainah, it is a celebration of Sharjah’s evolving identity by way of an experience that is unlike anything else currently available in the region.
Cinemacity IMAX finally opened its doors at the brand new Zero6 lifestyle and shopping centre, in Al Jurainah, Sharjah. It has 8 theatres: 2 VIP theatres, 5 large theatres, and an IMAX theatre, featuring the largest IMAX screen in the country. In the cinema, the audience is spoilt with choices over three different majestic classes of seating; Deluxe Class, Club Class with partially reclining chairs and extra legroom, and VIP Star Class seats that fully recline and offer in-theatre dining services, providing guests with anything from popcorn to fine dining. Cinemacity IMAX is a joint venture between Cinemacity’s parent company, Xclusive cinemas headed by industry veteran Hammad Atassi, and Alef Group, headed by Chairman Sheikh Khalid Sultan Al Qasimi, son of Sharjah’s ruler, Sheikh Khalid Sultan Al Qasimi. Star, Cinemacity’s personalized VIP cinema experience, features a private lounge exclusive to Star ticket holders, fully-reclining seats in a more intimate theatre, and dine in service; an eclectic menu of dishes can be ordered by the press of a button from the comfort of your seat, and delivered right to audience for their enjoyment while they watch on the state of the art Barco laser projectors. The IMAX auditorium features the largest IMAX screen in the country. Patrons can choose to experience IMAX in regular seating, Club Class (semi-reclining seats) or IMAX Star, with fully reclining seats and a private theatre entrance and IMAX Star lounge, as well as in theatre dine-in service. This cinema also has its own IMAX exclusive lounge area for IMAX ticketholders.
Surpassing Expectations
Cinemacity IMAX allures the moviegoers with an atmosphere that is both comfortable and always exceptional from the average multiplexes considering right from entering the lobby to its exit. A great deal of effort and resources are always devoted into crafting spaces that align with entertainment and the cinema experience.
The architecture is done by Era architects who are known to always bring in elements of finesse and grandeur, along with the in-house team of designers in creating the interior atmosphere, using contemporary design and natural materials and Italian furniture to curate a warm luxurious lobby. The choice was always made and has been constant throughout with regards to working with high quality natural elements in crafting the interiors, and for this theatre, materials such as marble, black granite for flooring and walnut woodwork have been used.
The entire lobby area is furnished with Italian sofas and tables, by the luxury brand Tacchini and the seating being custom designed by Ferco. The multiplex is the first “All laser multiplex” in the Emirati world of flowing luxury, featuring 7 of Barco’s flagship laser projection systems having Dolby Atmos in two of their theatres for an ideal pairing of sight and sound.
Turbulences
As with any project, there were several challenges to opening this cinema as well.
The biggest challenge going into Sharjah was that nothing like this had been done in the area. Dubai had always been the go-to for cinema fans in the region, and Sharjah lacks such entertainment options, let alone with the ones of quality. Opening Sharjah’s first IMAX, to be the largest in the country, was a risk all on its own; however the spark-mitten confidence approved of the fact that such an offering was needed and initiatives to bring quality entertainment and a magnificent cinema experience to the area providing the local community with a convenient and quality movie going experience was highly desired.
Cinema Market in the Location
As claimed to be practically non-existent up until the last few months; Sharjah would always be overshadowed by Dubai, or even the nearby area of Mirdiff. Prior to the opening, the nearest theatre to the location was approximately 12 kilometres away and had mediocre offerings. Since the opening of Cinemacity, a surge of interest in and around the area was seen, with a competitor expediting their developments and opening their doors nearby its location within a couple of months. The cinema market in Sharjah now certainly shows undoubting growth potential.