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51.2 million tickets sold in Europe, of which 41.8 million in France
EuroPalaces is the leading European movie theater network, with operations in France,
the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy.
EuroPalaces, France’s premier theater chain, had a very good year in 2004, with ticket sales in its 60 theaters rising to 41.8 million from 38.2 million in 2003. The company confirmed its leadership of a French market totaling 196 million tickets sold, and reaped the benefits of a strategy sharply focused on
customer satisfaction and a diversified film offering.
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MOVIE THEATERS |
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HIGHLIGHTS_OF 2004:The Gaumont Disney Village Imax |
Work on the new Imax theater of the Gaumont Disney Village multiplex began in April 2004 and lasted twelve months. The new facility, fitted with the latest generation Imax technology, opened its doors on April 9, 2005. Its screen is 26 meters long and nearly 15 meters high – equivalent to a five-story building.
Backed by a 12,000-watt sound system, the picture quality is able to draw the audience into the thick of the action, both with dedicated films shot in 3D and with 35mm feature films boosted to the Imax DMR format. This new offering enhances the capabilities of the Gaumont Disney Village complex, which
offers 15 screens and 3,900 seats.
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HIGHLIGHTS_OF 2004:Movie Theater Manager of the Year |
Jean-Marie Guillaume, a Pathé partner since 1997, was voted “Movie Theater Manager of the Year” at Le Film Français magazine’s 2004 awards ceremony. The five-judge panel of film distributors recognized the capabilities of a dynamic, entrepreneurial theater manager who runs the Pathé multiplex in Plan-de-Campagne (France) as well as the Mazarin, Cézanne and Renoir theaters in Aix-en-Provence, and the
Palace in Martigues. Jean-Marie Guillaume’s talent seems to run in his blood, as he represents the fourth generation in his family’s love affair with the movies.
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HIGHLIGHTS_OF 2004:Gaumont and Pathé movie theatres recognized with the “Planète Gagnante” ceremony |
The Gaumont and Pathé movie theaters won the jury’s special prize in the “Planète Gagnante” (“Earth wins”) awards given by Ademe, France’s environmental protection and energy conservation agency. The prize recognized the theaters’ enthusiastic commitment to “Climact fait son cinéma”, a 2004 Ademe project designed to raise awareness of energy conservation issues among moviegoers.
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OPENINGS RENOVATIONS |
In 2004, EuroPalaces pursued its renovation program, upgrading the Gaumont Alésia
theater and inaugurating the refurbished Gaumont Champs-Élysées. Following
a design competition, haute couture designer Christian Lacroix and decorators
François Michel and Alain Balzac were retained to develop interior design fixtures
for Gaumont theaters. Further strides were also made in the European development
strategy with the opening of the Pathé Dietlikon multiplex in Zurich.
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THE PATHÉ DIETLIKON |
On April 16, 2004, EuroPalaces opened the largest movie theatre complex in the Zurich area, in association with local partners. With its 10 giant-screen theaters, the Pathé Dietlikon can welcome
up to 2,309 viewers in unrivalled comfort. A food court also offers an array of on-site dining opportunities. The complex has a large parking lot and provides electronic box offices for reservations. The Pathé Dietlikon is Switzerland’s first multiplex that has a VIP room, with 32 premium, electronically adjustable armchairs that are a full 1.25 meters wide. VIP viewers also enjoy their own dedicated meal services.
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THE GAUMONT CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES |
In October 2004, EuroPalaces unveiled on one of the world’s most famous avenues the all-new Gaumont Champs-Élysées, an unrivalled theatre experience combining the fully renovated Gaumont Marignan and Gaumont Ambassade complexes. Capable of welcoming 3,215 viewers, the 13 theaters offer new screens, new sound systems and new seats. Shared areas were completely overhauled to allow smoother traffic and to make way for new features such as a self-service area for sweets.
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Designer Christian Lacroix and decorators François Michel |
In 2004 EuroPalaces called for bids to develop a vocabulary of shapes, colors, space and materials capable of expressing the spirit and image of the Gaumont brand in every aspect of the moviegoing experience, from tickets to doorknobs. The winning proposal was submitted by Christian Lacroix and decorators François Michel and Alain Balzac. “The past provides our roots, the future our motivation”, wrote the designer in the introduction to their project, which aims to marry the brand’s heritage with
a highly contemporary style. To make each trip to the movies “an opportunity for celebration and sharing”, it will use a constellation and a starry sky to evoke the “big bang” of cinema’s birth, daisy petals to suggest the rich feelings that films can stir, original furniture, a red and black color scheme, as well as novel visual and acoustic atmospherics.
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THE GAUMONT ALÉSIA |
Following five months of top-to-bottom renovation, the all-new Gaumont Alésia opened its doors on May 26, 2004, with new sound systems, new screens, upgrades in comfort and additional space.
Passageways are now wider, the decoration has been redesigned and a confectionery area has been added, in addition to the overhaul of the theaters themselves to bring them to the highest standards of picture and sound quality. With its seven theatres ranging in capacity from 96 to 438 seats, the Gaumont Alésia is a fitting heir to the Montrouge Palace built on the same site in 1921, and offers Parisian audiences an unrivalled moviegoing experience.
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OPERATIONS ACROSS EUROPE |
The leading movie theater chain in France and the Netherlands, EuroPalaces manages 75 theaters totaling 730 screens in France, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland.
In 2004, EuroPalaces sold 7.5 million tickets at its 12 cinemas and 100 screens in the Netherlands. In Italy, it operates a 16-screen, 3,852-seat multiplex in Florence in a joint venture with Vis Pathé, and the 11-theater, 2,367-seat Pathé Lingotto multiplex in Turin, which sold 700,000 tickets in 2004. EuroPalaces’ presence in Switzerland dates back to 2000 when the Pathé Balexert, a 13-theater, 2,909-seat multiplex opened its doors in Geneva. The company has now expanded into the Zurich area with the inauguration
of the Pathé Dietlikon in 2004. Together, the two multiplexes sold 1.2 million tickets in 2004.
In 2004, a total of 51.2 million tickets were sold in Europe
FRANCE
60 theaters, of which 36 multiplexes, totaling 596 screens
SWITZERLAND
2 multiplexes, 23 screens
NETHERLANDS
12 theaters, including 9 multiplexes, totaling 100 screens
ITALY
2 multiplexes, one of which is a joint venture, with 27 screens
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LOYALTY CARDS |
Holders of Le Pass annual subscription cards marketed in the Paris area enjoy unlimited access to the 257 theaters of the Gaumont, MK2 and Pathé networks as well as theatres run by independent affiliates. In 10 other French cities, Gaumont and Pathé movie theatres offer “Club” providing cut-price access.
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Coup de Coeur |
Every month since September 2003, EuroPalaces has selected a “Coup de Coeur” – a movie of the
month that is heavily promoted in Gaumont and Pathé theaters. The trailer is shown during the week preceding its release, then during the first week of running. The “Coup de Coeur” logo is added to display advertising and leaflets, and the Dimension Cinéma magazine gives the film extensive coverage.
Lastly, premieres and other special events throughout the network call further attention to these special films. The Movies of the Month process enables EuroPalaces to demonstrate its commitment to defending a wide range of different films, that can appeal to a diverse audience.
COUPS DE_COEUR 2004
LOST IN TRANSLATION
By Sofia Coppola, with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
PODIUM
By Yann Moix, with Benoît Poelvoorde, Jean-Paul Rouve and Julie Depardieu.
THE CHORUS
By Christophe Barratier, with Gérard Jugnot and François Berléand.
LA GRANDE SÉDUCTION (SEDUCING DR. LEWIS)
By Jean-François Pouliot, with Raymond Bouchard and David Boutin.
BAD EDUCATION
By Pedro Almodóvar, with Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez and Javier Camara.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
By Michel Gondry, with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.
L’ÉQUIPIER (THE LIGHT)
By Philippe Lioret avec Sandrine Bonnaire, Philippe Torreton and Gregori Derangère.
36 QUAI DES ORFÈVRES
By Olivier Marchal, with Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu.
A HARMLESS LITTLE GAME
By Bernard Rapp, with Sandrine Kiberlain, Yvan Attal and Jean-Paul Rouve.
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