THE SM Group has put up more cinemas in the provincial areas, riding on the expansion of its shopping malls.

In a statement, SM Cinema said it grew its network to a total of 307 screens nationwide with total seats of 141,753 at end-2015, an improvement of 12% year-on-year.
 
The 307 theaters consist of 289 2-D and 3-D screens, eight IMAX Theaters and 10 Director’s Club Cinemas.
 
SM Cinema operates the largest chain of cinemas in the country with a market share of 60%.
 
“We are very pleased to bring state-of-the-art cinema technology and a whole new movie experience out into the suburbs and provincial areas. We remain focused in providing the complete entertainment experience to every corner in the country,” Edgar C. Tejerero, president of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., was quoted in the statement as saying.
 
Last year, SM Cinema added four fully digitized cinemas in SM Center Angono in Rizal, its 55th branch. It also opened in Cabanatuan City through SM Megacenter and SM Cabanatuan; in the Rizal Province through SM San Mateo and SM Angono; and in Caloocan through SM Sangandaan.
 
SM Cinema introduced the first laser projection system in Southeast Asia at the 351-seater large screen cinema in SM Seaside City Cebu last November.
 
This format uses the Christie 6P laser projection system and features a super-sized screen almost 30% larger than the regular cinema screen size.
 
The system provides the “most immersive cinema experience,” SM Cinema said, since it “produces the brightest images with 80% illumination and offers the best 3-D platform.”
 
Mr. Tejerero said he is optimistic that ticket sales were strong by the end of 2015 given blockbuster movies such as Heneral Luna, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, A Second Chance, Felix Manalo as well as movies shown during the Metro Manila Film Festival in December.