Dubai: Novo Cinemas will soon launch a 12-screen cinema at IMG Worlds of Adventure, besides a series of other new offerings, a top Novo official has disclosed.
Speaking to XPRESS in an interview last week, Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, CEO of Novo Cinemas, said, “The new cinema should be coming up by the end of May or early June. The 12 screens include one each for IMax laser, kids and multipurpose live events and three seven star VIP screens.” Outlining Novo’s expansion plans, she said a 19-screen cinema at Wafi Mall and a nine-screen cinema at Oasis Mall are also in the offing. “We will also be adding six more screens at Dubai Festival City, taking the total number of screens there to 18 in the year ahead.”
Debbie said the Novo Cinemas at Mega Mall and Buhaira Corniche in Sharjah, which are currently being refurbished, will be ready by next month.
She said Novo, which is currently present in 12 locations in the UAE, has a total of 146 screens, each of which clocks seven to eight shows a day.
The CEO said, “The most popular genre of films among UAE audiences is action, followed by horror and comedy. Fifty per cent of the movies we screen are from Hollywood, followed by 45 per cent Bollywood and five per cent from the rest of the genres.”
Influential woman
Debbie, who has just been named the second most influential woman in the Top 50 Women in Global Cinema by the online platform Celloid Junkie, joined Novo in 2013. She is credited with turning the brand into an immersive state-of-the-art destination for entertainment opportunities. Under her stewardship, Novo has partnered with global brands such as IMAX, BEIN Sports, Coca-Cola and Emirates, which came on board for the Liam Neeson Taken 3 Red Carpet Premiere, the first dedicated red carpet premiere outside a film festival to be held in Dubai.
She said movie-going has become a selective experience today, with emphasis on technology.
“Watching movies is very experiential now. There is a focus on technology and luxury and audiences have become critics in their own right.”
