New York:  Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (ADA) group’s Big Cinema launched a newly renovated location in the city. The theater, located at 239 East, 59^th street  was formerly Imagin Asian Movie Theater. The theater will now be called Big Cinema Manhattan.

Addressing a select crowd of South Asian journalists here Mr. Uday Kumar North America business head said the theater has undergone extensive renovation beginning with he entrance right upto the movie theater itself. It is now a  completely `state-of-the-art movie theater’ right in the heart of Manhattan.

It has been fitted with brand new equipments, the lobby has been expanded with new floors and wall lightings. A digital LCD menu board has also been installed along with a new stage which has been added to the main auditorium. The theater has been equipped with brand new plush seats, Mr. Uday Kumar added.

With this renovation now complete, Big Cinema Manhattan will offer latest international cinema to the movie goers. The launch coincided with the screening of “Cash” and also “Falling from Grace”.

According to Mr. Kumar the next project to be taken up for renovation was the Bombay Theater in Queens. 

Though Big Cinema has a network of 180 screens in 24 US cities from coast to coast, they did not have operations in Texas and a small business in Florida where they plan to go in a big way in the times to come.

Mr. Joseph Paletta, senior vice president of Reliance media Works said “ the company has spent almost $ 15 million in renovations and take the theaters to a new level of enjoying watching the movies, be it Bollywood or Hollywood. Plans are also afoot to show cricket matches and also other Indian festivals live on the big screen to make the ethnic population `feel at home’ experience. However in reply to a question of whether the group had any plans to show the upcoming 2011 cricket world cup, Mr. Uday Kumar said  “ there were legal issues and we are working on it”.

Besides Bollywood and Hollywood cinema, Big Cinema will also screen world cinema from different  ethnicities such a Korean, polish, Chinese and others. All movies will have English subtitles. Big Cinema will also offer its facilities to host private and corporate events, birthdays, anniversaries and conferences.

Big Cinema is a division of Reliance Media Works and a member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group. It has India’s largest cinema chain with over 500 screens spread across India, USA, Malaysia and The Netherlands. After pioneering the IMAX experience in India, the group recently launched 3D and 6D technology and is the only cinema chain to screen films in all three formats.

Big Cinema has also been awarded the” Entertainment Retailers of the Year award at the India Retail Forum 2009 besides the “International Exhibitor of the year 2008” award by the Cine Asia 2008 at Macau.

The group also has a dominant and comprehensive presence in film services, motion picture processing and DI, visual effects, film restoration and image enhancement, digital mastering, studio equipment rentals with facilities in US and India.