Mumbai: Cineline India on Wednesday announced its acquisition of 27 additional screens on a lease basis, taking its overall tally to 75.  These include nine theatres in Uttar Pradesh, six in Rajasthan, five in Noida, five in Gujarat and two in Maharashtra. Together, they will have an aggregate seating capacity of more than 5,500 seats.

Cineline’s current footprint now extends to 75 screens, and over 16500 seats in 14 cities. The company will continue to grow its film exhibition business aggressively in due course of time by acquiring theatre properties Pan India.

Cineline India, part of MMRDA region-based real estate player Kanakia Group, re-entered the film exhibition business in December 2021.

The company was present in the film exhibition business through its Cinemax brand since 1997. In 2012, it sold the multiplex business along with the Cinemax brand to PVR Ltd under a non-compete clause that has ended. The business will be relaunched under a new brand in Q1 FY23.

“We are delighted to announce the tie-up of additional 27 screens Pan India. With this, we have tied up with 75 screens and over 16,500 seats in total," said chairman Rakesh Kanakia. "We are seeing a huge opportunity for organised players to increase their foothold and plan to create a strong consumer-oriented brand in this segment.”

“Over the next few months, we will continue to acquire additional screens Pan India. There is a strong pipeline of movies coming up and we see a huge opportunity to grow exponentially in this space,” he further said.