UAE-based Lulu Group has announced plans to open 50 cinemas across the UAE. It is also said that it is planning to hire hundreds of employees through this.
Line Investments & Property, the shopping mall development and management arm of Lulu Group International, has partnered with Star Cinemas to manage cinemas showing movies in Arabic, Hindi, English and other languages, reports have emerged.
Also speaking after signing the deal, Lulu Group International Managing Director M.A Ashraf Ali said that though Lulu Group already has theaters in malls, it will now expand through its partnership with Star Cinemas.
Since Star Cinemas is bringing all the films to the Gulf countries, it is a good opportunity to screen various language films in theaters and run them successfully, he said.
Also, as Lulu Group is planning more than 50 theaters, the job will require a considerable amount of manpower and at least 25-30 people will be appointed for each theater. Hence, Ali has said that a total of 1,500 employees are needed to manage all the theatres.
Specifically, in terms of screen count, Star Cinemas is the second largest cinema operator in the UAE, the companies said. Already, Line Investments & Property and Star Cinemas signed an agreement last week to open 22 screens in addition to the 76 screens operated by Star Cinemas.
In this event, M.A. Ashraf Ali was reportedly accompanied by Ahmed Golsin, founder and chairman of Fars Film & Stars Cinema and other officials.
As per the agreement, 3 screens in Al Raha Mall, 9 screens in Al Wahda Mall, 6 screens in Al Foah Mall and 4 screens in Barari Outlet Mall are said to be opened by September 2023.
Similarly, the agreement will also apply to the opening of Star Cinemas screens in Dubai Silicon Oasis Mall, Sharjah Central Mall and RAK Mall in Ras Al Khaimah.
Accordingly, Golchin said that work will begin at Dubai Silicon Oasis as soon as possible, followed by Sharjah Central and RAK Mall.
