Is Reel Cinemas at The Dubai Mall the Real Deal?

Reel Cinemas is a 22-screen cinema megaplex located in The Dubai Mall, as AME Info ingratiatingly put it, “in the heart of Downtown Burj Dubai.” The new Cineplex competes in a somewhat monopolistic market dominated by two cinema players: Grand Cinemas which operates the majority of cinemas in Dubai; and Cinestar Cinemas whose home has remained the crowded Majid Al Futtaim shopping enterprises such as City Center and Mall of the Emirates. So what has Reel Cinemas really got to offer that other cinemas don’t?

Reel Cinemas at the Dubai Mall opened to the public on August 14, but it does not yet have its 22 screens — only 10 screens are currently in operation, in what has become a Dubai tradition: the soft launch. The remaining 12 more screens, movie lovers have been promised, will open for business “later this year.”

So, what will Reel Cinemas offer besides a shining lobby, funky lighting and waiters to serve you snacks while you recline in your comfy new leather chairs, watching the latest blockbuster in their Platinum Movie Suite?

WearetheMovies.com provides you the skinny:

• The Picturehouse: described as the first arthouse cinema hall in the UAE, it will “screen critically acclaimed arthouse films that invite serious film fans to explore the issues faced by people around the world through the medium of drama on screen.” Hmmm…sounds kinda serious. For the full experience, we recommend you wear your Prada glasses and bring your tweed jacket! But wait: The Picturehouse is not yet open. What art films will play in it? Who will select it? Faizan Rashid was at Reel Cinemas on its opening day, and bumped into Gordon Kirk, the General Manager. He got some details; here is his account:“I asked (Gordon Kirk) when we could expect the opening of Picturehouse and was told it would happen sometime in late September or October (I would think once Ramadan is comfortably out of the way). I also took the opportunity to enquire what kind of films we could expect, using 2001: A Space Odyssey as an example, but Kirk was not sure, citing many factors such as the availability of prints in the region, the stand of the censors, and how well they would be backed by their Singaporean parent company Cathay Organisation Holdings Ltd (Note: Reel Cinemas is the result of a joint venture between Dubai-based Emaar Retail and the Cathay group). A look at Cathay’s Picturehouse selection in Singapore however doesn’t hold much hope — their present release is Mongol, a film that played in the UAE during November of 2008, and their upcoming release is the sci fi, arthouse darling Moon. Still, it leaves ample room for hope and anticipation of good things to come in the future.”

• THX-certified: Screen 22, the largest theatre in Reel Cinemas, will meet THX engineering standards of acoustic performance, background noise, sound isolation and image quality. Now, will George Lucas make a personal appearance to ensure that the digital technology is up to snuff? How we wait with bated breath…

• Online Ticket Purchases: Grand Cinemas and Cinestar Cinemas both offer the facility to book or purchase tickets online. However, Sandeep Adnani reports that “Reel Cinemas have put some thought into the website design and the buying process.” After having giving it a go ourselves, we can confirm that buying tickets on www.ReelCinemas.ae is simple and easy: you can pick your seats and pay for your tickets in less than a minute (yes, we timed ourselves). The only rub is a AED2 “booking fee,” but even in the States, you would pay something similar for an online purchase. Small potatoes, we say.

• The Aesthetics: Plush furniture and fresh-smelling interiors are not the only thing that make you smile. Shariq Madani paid close attention to how Reel Cinemas has been organized for, you know, human use. Here is his report: “I like the way Reel Cinemas has dealt with space. They’ve allowed for long corridors with floors tiled at the edges, carpeted in between.  Also, the Box-office is at the ground level, and the screens on the upper level, accessible by escalators. After the movie, you exit back on the ground level. This is good practice to not mix the exiting and entering audiences.Even at the box office, each counter has two touch-screens, one facing you and one facing the attendants — so you get to see and select your seats before the tickets are printed. And Since it is new, the screens and the projections sparkled! We’ll have to see how they maintain this over time. One this is assured: I’m watching my next few movies at Reel Cinemas!”

So there you have it folks. Do you think Reel Cinemas is the real deal? Click here to read and discuss more reports from the ground at the boisterous WM Forum.