Boxoffice-July.1995

EXHIBITION PROFILE
RUN FOR THE BORDER
Cinemark's Centro Cultural 12 opens its doors
to Mexico City's prime demographics
As
the feature film business burgeons
into a global industry, motion picture
exhibitors increasingly are embracing
international expansion as a key component
of their corporate strategies. One
company aggressively working toward the
goal of becoming an international flieatre
Dallas-based Cinemark USA, led
circuit is
by Chief Executive Officer Lee Roy Mitchell,
recipient of the 1995 Robert W. Selig
NATO/ShoWester of the Year award. Since
1984, Cinemark has grown under
Mitchell's leadership to become die
sixth largest exhibition circuit in the
United States.
The demand for American films
abroad has never been greater, and a
glance at international boxoffice receipts
indicates that some foreign
markets may be on tlie
verge of astonishing
growth. The explosive potential
of the Latin market is ot
particular interest to Cinemark. Five
years ago, well before the passage of
NAFTA, Cinemark began looking
into opportunities in Mexico. "We
were looking at Latin American markets,
particularly those just south ot
the Tfexas border," says Diane Fefter,
director of marketing for Cinemark's
subsidiary Cinemark de Mexico. "We were
experiencing great success with our theatres
in the south Tfexas area, in the heavily
Latino areas of the Rio Grande Valley,
moving across the border seemed like a
natural progression."
Thie market research data pointed to the
future possibilities for Cinemark. "Latin
America contains nearly 400 million people
and is growing fast, lb illustrate die potential,
the entire population of our home state
of Tfexas is 14 million people, but Mexico
City alone has a population of 18 million
people. Most exhibitors target audiencesbetween
the ages of 1 5 and 3S. If you look at
the demographics, half of the population of
Mexico is under die age of 27. That's a lot
ofpotential moviegoers and indicates a very
bright fijture," says Fetter
In 1994, Cinemark became the first U.S.
exhibitor company to open modem multiplexes
in Mexico, a country in dire need of
now theatres. Four 10- to 12-screen complexes
were opened in the cities of
Aguacalientes, Chiliuahua, I lernujsillo and
so
By Michael Haile
Monterrey, and plans were made for fiirther
construction. "Here in the United
States, there is one theatre screen per 10,000
people. In Canada, there's one per 18,000.
But in Mexico the ratio is one theatre per
90,000 people. Going to the movies in Mexico
is a time-honored tradition, but crushing
lines at theatres is unfortunately the norm,"
says Feffer "Also, most theatre locations
there are technologically outmoded and
contain only one or two screens."
Cinemark's Centro Cultural 12. Mexico City's first multiplex
Cinemark's most recentiy completed exhibition
site in Mexico is the Centro Cultural
Cinemark 12 in Mexico City, the city's first
multiplex theatre. Destined to become
"Mexico City alone has a population
of 18 million people. Most exhibitors
target audiences between the ages of
15 and 35. Half of the population of
Mexico is under the age of 27. That's
a lot of potential moviegoers and
indicates a very bright future."
— Diane Feffer, director of marketing,
Cinemark de Mexico
Cinemark's flagship theatre in the Latin
market, the Centro Cultural Cinemark 12 is
being billed by the company as "the most
sp(u:tacular, most luxurious theatre" in ,ill ol
Latin America (Cinemark invested S7 million
in die project,
more money than has
been spent by the company for any otiier
building). Located in an area of southern
Mexico Citj' called Coyoacan, the theatre is
part of a culmral arts center,
rather than
situated in a shopping mall setting. As Feffer
explains, "The Mexican government owns
the land upon which the theatre is built.
They had a vision to create an area devoted
to the perfomiing arts— dance, live theatre,
cinema, die visual arts. We are the
only commercial entity in the
complex."
When the Mexican government
awarded Cinemark the contract to
build the Centro Cultural Cinemark
1 2, tiiey also held a contest
to elicit ideas from leading architects
in the countrT,^ on the design
of the center's buildings. There
were so many good ideas submitted
that tlie government committee
invited each architect to design
a building. "That's why each of the
buildings in the cultural arts center
looks different, yet they harmonize
wi\i\ each other beautiftilly,"
comments Feffer
Cinemark brings the same level
of dedication to a quality moviegoing experience
in its Mexican theatres as is evidenced
in the United States— friendly
service,
a clean and comfortable environment,
colorfiil decor and state-ot-tiie-art
technology. Also included in die Mexican
theatres will be amenities like covered parking
and handicapped access, non-standard
features in most other moviehouses in Latin
America. "When you come into the auditorium
of the Cinemark 12 in Mexico City,
you will not be able to know ffiat you are in
Me-xico City. We are trying to repliaite the
experience filnigoer's have in United States."
That experience includes top-ot-the-line
ptx)jection and sound equipment, all customized
to Cinemark's specifications. "Most
of our fixed cost is in U.S. dollars because
the best equipment comes from the U.S.,"
Feffer says.
The massive two-lr\cl CciUro t'ultural
Cini^rnark complex, designed by Mexican
architect Sordo Madaleno, contains 12
screens {"siilas"), each named affer a legiiul.uy
Mexic an movie star Of the ]'lsaliis,
46 BOXOFFICK