Gardens Shopping Mall announces Cinema Megaplex

To execute the project, Nakheel recently entered into collaboration with Gulf Film LLC, the Middle East's leading movie distributor and exhibitor, parallel to operating the Grand Cinema network. The signing ceremony was attended by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel, Andrew Chambers, General Manager of Gardens Shopping Mall, Salim Ramia and Ahmad Golchin, co-owners of Gulf Film.

Grand Gardens Megaplex will boast 21 screens including an IMAX theatre, all built to international standards with cutting edge entertainment technology, including automated cinema, wall-to-wall screens, stadium seats with extra legroom, full digital sound and a ultra stylish lobby. Grand Gardens Megaplex will seat, over 3,000 people, in addition to over 350 at the IMAX.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman, Nakheel stated, "As part of Nakheel's strategy of offering customers unique and value-added offerings, Garden Shopping Mall is committed to partner with the best players in the entertainment and retail business. Our agreement with a premier distributor like Gulf Film LLC will enable us to provide the latest in movie entertainment, making us the first mall in the region to offer such a large variety of choice under a single roof."

"In keeping with our vision of developing Gardens Shopping Mall as the shopping and entertainment hub of Dubai's rapidly expanding new growth corridor, we have envisaged unique attractions to add value to our offering" said Andrew Chambers, General Manager, Gardens Shopping Mall. "Grand Gardens Megaplex is certainly our centrepiece as far as entertainment is concerned, because it entails components that are guaranteed to offer the most exciting cinema experience, the kind of which has not been seen in the region."

Salim Ramia of Gulf Film LLC, said: "Grand Gardens Megaplex crowns our 40-year record in upgrading the standards of movie entertainment in the Gulf Region and will enhance the cinema experience for all movie goers. Grand Gardens Megaplex is our most ambitious project to date, and we are geared to make it one of the most outstanding cinema projects in the Middle East. Our partnership with Nakheel is driven by our commitment to the highest standards, matching the vision of the developers of Gardens Shopping Mall. As the area encompassing the Gardens Shopping Mall becomes urbanised and the number of residents increase over the coming years, we expect demand for cinema entertainment to grow."

Gulf Film LLC has been a leading player in the cinema entertainment field in the Middle East and credited with reviving the fortunes of the industry through its chain of Grand Cinemas in UAE & Gulf Region. Currently, it controls 91 screens. After the completion of Megaplex at Gardens Shopping Mall and projects in Jordan and Lebanon, the Grand Cinema circuit will encompass 132 screens by 2006, making it the single largest cinema circuit in the Middle East.

Gulf Film's choice of Gardens Shopping Mall was prompted by its strategic location and its proximity to key residential and retail projects, including The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jumeirah Islands, Dubai Marina, The Gardens and other surrounding developments. By the end of 2004, the population within a 5-minute driving vicinity from the Gardens Shopping Mall is expected to reach in the order of about 150,000 and then in the region of 275,000 by 2008. More significantly, by 2008, over 880,000 people will be living within a 15-minutes drive from the mall. Additionally, some 600,000 tourists per annum who stay in hotels within a 15-minute radius will visit the Mall as an ideal recreational complex, which will be a destination in itself.

Gardens Shopping Mall itself is a prestigious mega-mall, which combines retail, entertainment, restaurant and family activities within a uniquely themed environment.

The spacious Mall covering an area of 3.1 million square feet, will offer a charming mix of shopping outlets, specialty shops, restaurants, a hypermarket and a cinema megaplex. The parking lot will accommodate over 6500 cars, taking the total site space up to 5.4 million square feet. The construction work for the dedicated interchange leading to the mall is already underway.