In Pardubice, the first multiplex cinema will open, another will follow in a year

Pardubice - The first multiplex cinema will open on Thursday in the Grand Shopping Center in Pardubice. Around a year later, another similar facility is expected to open in the shopping and entertainment center at Masaryk Square. The cost of building the multiplex in Grand ranged from 25 million to 30 million crowns, with a payback period of more than seven years, said Pavel Vodička, co-owner of CineStar ČR, to ČTK today.
The competition from multiplexes is forcing current owners to close traditional cinemas. For example, the traditional Pardubice cinema Jas will screen movies for the last time on December 10. The reason, according to owner Marek Svatoš, is the growing number of multiplexes and the city's lack of support for cinemas. "It's a business activity like any other and is subject to market rules," responded Deputy Mayor Michal Koláček.
The new multiplex will offer film fans six halls with a capacity of 771 seats. Viewers will be able to watch up to 15 films daily on the screens. "A specialty is the seats for couples, without a middle armrest," said Jan Bradáč, the CEO of CineStar. During the first week after opening, visitors will pay an admission fee of 50 crowns for one film, after which the full admission will be 129 crowns. The operator, however, will offer discounts, for instance, on Mondays or for children.
The first film that viewers will watch in the multiplex spanning two floors will be the animated fairy tale about penguins, Happy Feet. The main attraction for adults is expected to be next year's film based on the novel by Bohumil Hrabal, "I Served the King of England," or Jan Svěrák's "Empties."