(MENAFN- Gulf Times) While staying true to Qatari cultural heritage, Souq Waqif is known for the retail of traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs in a breath-taking architecture. A home to dozens of restaurants offering traditional Qatari cuisines and food from other countries, Souq is popular with both, the locals and expatriates for its authentic feel notably in reference to Qatar's commerce, architecture and culture.
Recently, the area got another feather in its plume as Novo Cinemas opened its boutique cinema destination in the bustling market. Though the cinema had its soft opening on June 15, the grand opening is going to take place tomorrow.
Community caught up with Haitham Mohammad Azouz, Cinema Manager, and asked him about the facilities available for the visitors.
About Novo Cinemas, he said, 'We are present in major GCC countries. We are soon going to open in Oman as well. In Qatar, we have our facilities at the Pearl, Mall of Qatar, and now at Souq Waqif. We are soon going to have our fourth branch in Msheireb Downtown.
He added, 'In Novo Cinemas, we offer movies in multiple formats like 2D, 3D, Imax 4D, Imax laser and Atmos, We have the biggest screen in the Middle East and it is located at the Mall of Qatar. We also have a 7 star VIP Cinema at Pearl, Mall of Qatar, and now at Souq Waqif. We have better seats and service at the VIP cinema theatre with reclining seats, special spotlights, and a food tray for the VIP customers. They can enjoy their food while watching a movie. We have our own kitchen preparing exclusive menu for the VIP theatre, including four different kinds of pizza, seven appetiser items, pasta, sandwiches and other delicious items. We have waiters to serve the food at their seats as well. Group of kids (youngsters) are not allowed to enter the VIP theatre to make sure other customers are not disturbed during the show.
Regarding the prizes, he said, 'For a normal cinema theatre, we charge QR45. QR60 is charged for a seat in the gallery, where we have half-reclining seats and food trays. Currently, we have a promotion for the VIP theatre at Souq Waqif. We are charging QR150 per person, including QR50 as a food and beverages voucher.
The manager said, 'We will have our grand opening on July 26 showing Mission Impossible 6: Fall out. The cinema is in parallel with the style of Souq Waqif, decorated in traditional Qatari style. We have a separate majlis for the VIP customers. Here we have five screens. The VIP theatre contains 43 seats. However, the normal hall has 120 seats.
He noted, 'We have brought first cinema in Souq Waqif. Anyone hearing about a cinema in the Souq gets surprised. The place is centre of the city. It is always crowded with locals and expatriates.
Speaking about the experience of being in Souq Waqif, Haitham said, 'Both Pearl and the Mall of Qatar are a little towards the outskirts of the city. However, Souq Waqif is in the centre of the city and people prefer having a cinema nearby.
He added, 'We also run movies especially for children as Souq Waqif is a family spot. Though we do not have a separate playing and gaming zones for the kids here but we will plan on introducing these facilities soon.
About further plans for the cinema, he said, 'We are working on the schools nearby. We are planning to offer some good time-out for the students here, offering them with special promotions on the movies and food. We are offering a variety of movies here. We also offer Arabic movies to cater the taste of the Arabic speaking people. If an Arabic movie does well here, we can extend the movie offering for one more week for the customers.
Regarding the feedback from the customers, the manager said, 'We have got great feedback about the style, facilities and movies. The customers have little to complain about the location of the cinema. We are going to put more signboards in the Souq to make it easier for them to locate the facility. Overall, we have very good response coming in and believe that the number of the visitors will increase with passage of time.
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