Grand Cinema in Hong Kong’s Elements mall to close at the end of February after more than 11 years in business
- The 12-screen multiplex, in the Elements shopping centre, is the biggest in the city and opened in 2007
- Cinema says its owner the Shaw Group needs to consolidate its operations
It will be curtains for Hong Kong’s biggest cinema when its lease expires next month, at a time when operators are struggling to cope with rising rents and falling box office receipts.
The impending closure of the Grand Cinema in the upmarket Elements shopping centre at Kowloon Station was announced on Friday.
“Due to the expiry of our lease, the Grand Cinema will cease operating on February 28, 2019,” the operator announced on its website. “Thank you for your continued support in the last 11 years.”
The cinema, with 12 screens and around 1,600 seats in total, was opened in 2007 and run by the Shaw Group, which is related to the renowned Shaw Brothers production company.
It was a partnership between the group and Multiplex Cinema Limited, which poured more than HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) into the venture, in one of the biggest investments in a Hong Kong cinema project.
