Romanian multiplex chain invests EUR 7 mln in national expansion

Romanian multiplex chain HappyCinema, which recently entered the market, plans to invest EUR 7 million in opening new cinemas in Romania in the following years. The company, which currently has cinemas in Bucharest, Focsani and Buzau, plans to cover 20 cities in the next five years and become the second-biggest operator on the local market. “Romania is one of the countries in Europe with the fewest cinemas; there are still many large cities without any movie theaters. Our goal is to bring Romania at the top of the European classification and to open cinemas especially in cities where the inhabitants do not have the possibility to go to the movies,” said Ecaterina Mateescu, Happy Cinema administrator. HappyCinema will open new units this year in Alexandria and Bistrita and next year it will continue the expansion with openings in Bacau, Slobozia and two other cities over 200,000 inhabitants. It will also open a new unit in Bucharest, in the new Colosseum Retail Park. Cinema City, part of British group Cineworld, is the biggest cinema operator in Romania. Other players on this market include CineGlobe, Grand Cinema and More (Baneasa), Hollywood Multiplex and Movieplex. editor@romania-insider.com