Adlabs makes South-East foray with acquisition of Malaysian cinema chain

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Adlabs already has a presence in the US, Nepal and Mauritius, operating 220 cinema screens overseas.

"When we look at the Malaysian market, we believe it is under-screened. There is a lot of potential there," Anil Arjun, Senior Vice President, Reliance Big Entertainment, said. Adlabs is a part of Reliance Big Entertainment, the internet, media and entertainment arm of the ADA Group.

"We are in a fairly aggressive build-out phase as far as the India screens are concerned. At the same time, where there is global opportunities for the group, we continue to look at them," he added.

And, acquisition of Lotus Five Star Cinemas would give Adlabs control over its 51 cinema screens in Malaysia.

"Our international strategy is to grow the cinema business wherever there is business not only in Indian film circuit but whatever works locally," Arjun said.

The cinema chain will be playing mainstream Hollywood films in addition to Hindi, Tamil, Chinese and Malay films, an Adlabs official said.

Adlabs, which produces movies and television content and processes film, has also made its foray into broadcast equipment rental business to provide equipment for live shows, reality shows and game shows.

The company, which also plans on setting up 10 studios with shooting facilities in Film City, Mumbai, aspires to become the largest entertainment services company.

It is one of the largest cinema chain in India with 160 cinema screens across the nation and plans to double the number of screens within a year. It is also looking to foray into the UK, Australia and Singapore and is expecting to post a turnover of $250 million over the next 2-3 years from its overseas operation.