Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

PROFILENATCHBULLNATCHBULLCurzon Artificial Eye – the UK’s only integratedfilm distributor and cinema operator – has signedan exclusive deal with HMV that aims to bringcinema back to our town centres. The company’sCEO talks to Rhianon Howells about his visionrowing up in a small town in the 1970s and 80s, mylocal cinema was a magical place: everything from thecramped foyer to the scratchy, pull-down seats to theG interval ice creams (a Strawberry Mivvy or perhaps aCornetto) smacked of pure, unadulterated pleasure. Situatedon the high street rather than in a shopping mall or an out-oftowndevelopment, it loomed large in both the fabric of the townand the consciousness of its inhabitants in a way that modernmultiplexes – for all their large screens, state-of-the-art soundsystems and extra leg-room – do not.Now, following a recent deal between the niche film distributorand cinema operator, Curzon Artificial Eye (Curzon AE), andleading music/film retailer HMV, the cinema could soon becomea feature of our high streets once again – without the scratchyseats and with all the advantages modern technology can offer.In a 50-50 joint venture, the two companies plan to launch anew chain of in-store, digital cinemas with 3D capability, underthe brand name HMV Curzon. The concept is set to be trialledin HMV Wimbledon from this September, with 200 seatsacross three screens; if successful, it could be rolled out to upto 20 HMV stores nationwide, and possibly also to Waterstone’sbookshops, which are also owned by the HMV Group.“Mainstream operators build five-, 10- or 15-screen boxes asa centre of a development,” explains Philip Knatchbull, the CEOof Curzon AE, which currently operates nine screens across fivecinemas in the London area. “What we’re doing, in a reversalof policy from 20 years ago, is taking cinemas back to the highstreet by putting them in high-street stores. We believe councils,and people generally, want the high street to be a more sociallyengaging space and we can make that happen.”FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTABLEWhen Knatchbull’s speaking about the film business, a realpassion shines through. His father was peer of the realm LordBrabourne, who, under the name John Brabourne, was a successfulfilm producer, working on classics like Romeo and Juliet(1968), Murder on the Orient Express and A Passage to India.Growing up in the industry, Knatchbull fell in love with it.30 Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digitalISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009