EXCLUSIVE: Reel Cinemas, the UK multiplex chain that has 15 sites and 78 screens, has appointed Moviegoers Entertainment to handle its Bollywood programming.
As the exhibitor aims to carve out a greater slice of the UK’s £15M+ ($20M) annual Bollywood pie, Moviegoers will take on the exclusive programming of Hindi movies for the chain, aiming to build on hits such as Sooryavanshi, which grossed £600,000 ($800,000) in the UK this year, and Padmaavat, which took £2.2M ($2.9M) in 2019.
Reel Cinemas was founded by Kailash Suri in 2001 and has a pipeline of new openings planned for the coming years, the company said.
Moviegoers is run by Pranab Kapadia and previously teamed with Mumbai-based filmmakers Gauri Shinde and R. Balki of Hope Productions to co-produce two of their upcoming features.
Kapadia said: “We are excited to drive this association and build a compelling and regular flow of Bollywood film releases in Reel Cinemas. As the recent box office performance of Sooryavanshi starring Akshay Kumar has shown us, demand for theatrical experience is here to stay.”
“We are excited to partner with long-standing business associate Pranab Kapadia and Moviegoers Entertainment. For many years we have had ambitions to bring some strong Bollywood content to our audiences and I’m delighted that this is now going to happen.” added Kailash Suri.
