KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Times Square Kuala Lumpur has reached an agreement with media and entertainment company mm2 Asia Ltd to establish mmCineplexes as one of the mall's new anchor tenants as GSC departs.
GSC decided to move after 17 years of operation at the mall to the nearby LalaPort, located within the ongoing development of Bukit Bintang City Centre on the former historic site of Pudu Prison.
Berjaya Times Square Sdn Bhd executive director Tan Tee Meng said GSC had expressed intention to leave the mall during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We were able to persuade GSC to stick with us until Lalaport opened when I took over the mall leasing two years ago, and they agreed. For the past three to four months, GSC has been operating at Lalaport. As such, it's time for them to leave Berjaya Times Square.
"We spent the last two years busy hunting for another cinema to operate and have secured mmCineplexes. The agreement was signed in September," he told Business Times.
GSC ceased to operate out of Berjaya Times Square on Nov 26.
Tan said following the conclusion of a significant renovation, mmCineplexes will commence operations at the mall in January 2024."
"The condition of the cinema is old and we plan to do some remodeling, investing a significant amount of money. Our focus will include upgrading the facade, renovating the toilets, and enhancing the common areas," he said
According to him, mmCineplexes will introduce several new features, providing a holistic movie experience. This includes new projectors, screens, and proprietary software to facilitate online ticket purchases.
"They will also introduce their own brand of popcorn and a range of snacks to attract the younger generation," he said.
Tan anticipates an improvement in traffic flow at Berjaya Times Square next year with the arrival of mmCineplexes and other new players such as Padelku, Go-Kart, Karaoke Manekineko, and Bomb Battle, all of whom have set up shop at the mall.
Currently, 80 per cent of the seven-storey stratified mall is occupied by tenants out of a total of 650 lots.
According to Tan, mmCineplexes will be situated on Level 3, hosting larger halls, and Level 1, offering premier-class facilities.
mm2 Asia ranked fourth in 2016 among Malaysia's cinema operators with 133 theatres, following its RM118 million purchase of 13 local theaters from Lotus Fivestar Cinemas.
In September 2015, it acquired two theatres namely Cathay Cineplex City Square at Johor Bahru City Square and Cathay Cineplex Damansara at e@Curve in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, renaming them mmCineplexes.
The cinema chain added three more cineplexes in 2015 after acquiring the Prai, Langkawi and Bertam locations of Mega Cinemas Management Sdn Bhd in 2015.