Village Roadshow dismisses rumors of curtain coming down
Village Roadshow, the Australian-based company which runs cineplexes in countries around the globe, has no plans to withdraw from Greece, as speculation had it a while ago. On the contrary, it is looking forward to a productive 2004. «Greece is one of Village Roadshow’s most important countries as regards growth and investment policy. It has justifiably won the attention and enthusiasm of shareholders, as the Greek arm has given considerable profits to the Group to date. The expectations for the potential of the Greek market, combined with the company’s experience and know-how in the creation and management of cinemaplexes, thematic parks, the production and distribution of films, and radio productions, guarantee an equally successful and dynamic course of continuous investment in Greece in the immediate future,» the group’s president, Robert Kirby, told Kathimerini. Village Roadshow’s managing director in Greece, Haris Antonopoulos, says the company’s success in Greece is confirmed daily by the number of people in its cinema screens. «The company will continue the same pace of investment and its successful course under the same ownership; there has never been an intention to sell and withdraw from Greece. We intend to keep up investing in new sectors of family entertainment. We still have a lot to offer, supported by our shareholders, experience, the creativity and know-how of our staff, and, in particular, the enthusiastic acceptance by the public… 2004 will be one of the most successful years for Village Roadshow in Greece, with projected revenue growth of 15-20 percent. Already, our shareholders, after the successful acquisition of the interest in the company which belonged to the Vardinoyiannis family, are now in the process of also acquiring the Warner Bros interest, putting their faith in the company’s further growth. We are now planning two new entertainment centers, in Maroussi and Thessaloniki, where there will be significant innovations, not just in the types of entertainment but also in the form of the cinemas, which are going to be the most modern in Europe. «After the huge success of ‘A Touch of Spice,’ we will announce the next Greek film with international prospects. Next year, we should be able to announce a thematic park in Athens, which will be one of the biggest private investments in the country. «Apart from our well-known plans in Kavala, northern Greece, we are also considering other provincial urban centers such as Larissa, Iraklion and Volos,» says Antonopoulos.
