Colombo City Centre to house Sri Lanka’s first-ever six-screen multiplex

By Zahara Zuhair
Colombo City Centre (CCC), which is currently under construction, this week entered into an agreement with the local brand, Scope Cinema, to house Sri Lanka’s first-ever six-screen multiplex within CCC with an investment of Rs.350 million, which would acquire 16,000 square feet for the project.
The cinema, which will open in December this year, will have 650 seats and will be screening about 30 shows every day. Expecting to transform the local cinematic experience, it will also introduce 4K projection technology and Dolby Atoms surround sound for the first time in Sri Lanka.
This is Scope Cinema’s second project, after Liberty Cinema, which went under renovation recently. 

Scope Cinema Chairman Naveed Cader said that they have two major projects in the pipeline—one in Rajagiriya, which is to be announced soon and another one in Kandy. 
He said his company’s intention is to give an “out of the world experience” to the Sri Lankan public. 
With the vision of becoming the most popular cinema chain in the country, he said they introduced zero intervals, enhanced 3D display and also an app for the Android platforms, which would give the latest updates of the movies and times. 
He said they have designed this cinema experience to touch every sense of the human being. Abans Group Director Rusi Pestonjee noted that they are glad to introduce a world-class cinema experience, with a combination of the state-of-the-art technologies and facilities, which was never seen before in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, CCC, the mixed-use development, developed by the Abans group in collaboration with Singapore’s SilverNeedle Hospitality, with an investment of US $ 160 million, will be handing over their apartments for the customers from October 2018. 
Pestonjee said that almost 70 percent is already leased out.
CCC, which will be 183 metres in height, taller than the World Trade Centre (152 metres), opposite Beira Lake, is said to be the first international multi complex that is done in Sri Lanka to the international standards. 
It will have 192 curated residencies, an international retail mall, 400-seater food court, upscale business hotel, the six screen Cineplex, etc.
Recently, Odel PLC and its subsidiary Softlogic Brands (Pvt.) Ltd announced their presence in the CCC mall, and Pestonjee said that they expect more international brands to acquire space in their project. 
The food court of the project, with local and international cuisines, will be built with an investment of US $ 2 million, it was noted.