this famous cinema in the Pyrénées-Orientales reveals its metamorphosis

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He is unrecognizable. This Wednesday, November 13, 2024, the Mega CGR of Rivesaltes (Pyrénées-Orientales) officially revealed its new face. This facelift, carried out for the 25 years of existence of the famous cinema located north of Perpignan, will have required six months of work (between January and June) and an investment which flirts with the three million euros.

A “more cozy” atmosphere in the hall

Last January, director Nourédine Daouadji announced an overhaul “from A to Z” of Rivesalt cinema. A few months later, the promise was kept. From the entrance to the rooms, the Mega CGR has been completely transformed.

“It is the first cinema of the 73 cinemas of the CGR Group to have this new decoration. It is much more subdued,” summarizes the man who has led the Catalan Mega CGR for almost fifteen years.

LED lighting, black, gray and wood help create a whole new atmosphere in this complex which welcomes 12 roomsincluding an ICE.

The counters for taking seats and ordering treats have been redesigned. The latter has also been enlarged, going from 8 to 13 meters long. The games area has also been completely renovated.

Smaller rooms for more comfort

The new releases are also in the rooms. Now, 10 of the 12 dark rooms are equipped with a laser projector for better brightness and superior image quality.

All the seats have been changed and numbered (it is therefore possible to reserve your seat in advance on the Internet). Particular attention was paid to the two “comfort” rooms (1 and 12). Here, the seats are made particularly comfortable thanks to a velvet and imitation leather covering. To improve the spectator experience, the distance between each row is increased from 90 cm to 1.20 m. Consequence? Room 1 goes from 564 to 463 placesand room 12 only has 252 seats (compared to 324 in the old configuration).

Often shunned, the first row of rooms 1 and 12 is now likely to attract a lot of people. Of the daybeds – particularly comfortable – have been installed.

Finally, as is the case in ICE, the “comfort” rooms are equipped with a sound system Dolby Atmos. “It’s not a classic system. There is 52 speakers under the ceiling. The sound is spatial, it will move along with the image,” explains Richard Blandin, operations director at the CGR Group. The other rooms are equipped with a system in Dolby 7.1.

Good to know: unlike the ICE theater which offers even more advanced technologies (electric seats, light shows, side screens, etc.), the price of a screening in a “comfort” theater, where the films with the most successes are broadcast, is not increased.

An investment of 2.9 million euros

For this major project, the CGR group did not hesitate to invest 2.9 million euros for its Catalan Country complex. Despite the high expense that a trip to the cinema can represent, the Méga CGR records an increase in attendance in 2024.

25 years after its opening, the cinema has crossed the threshold of 10 million spectators welcomed.

This success can be explained by the quality of the films, particularly French (Le Comte de Monte Cristo, A little something extra, Love phew…), released this year. Other feature films are also eagerly awaited in the coming weeks.

This Wednesday, November 13, this is particularly the case of Gladiator II by Ridley Scott. At the end of the year, Disney will also offer the continuation of the adventures of Vaiana et Mufasa : The Roi lion, the prequel to Lion King released in 2019.

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