Friends Cinema Opens Third Branch in Ilam This Friday

Friends Cinema has expanded its reach by launching its third branch. Following successful operations in Dharan and Butwal, the cinema chain has now established its latest outlet in Ilam.

Located in Ilam Municipality-7, the movie theater is set to begin operations this coming Friday. According to Ashish H. Tamang, Director of Friends Cinema, the theater was constructed with an investment of 35 million rupees.

The single-screen theater has a seating capacity of 190. The Film Development Board has already granted permission for it to operate starting Friday.

"While movie theaters are often limited to big cities, we opened this hall in the hilly district of Ilam because we believe in creating an environment to watch films in rural areas as well," Tamang said. "We talk about expanding the film market, yet we concentrate theaters only in Kathmandu and major cities. If we are to truly expand the market, well-equipped halls must operate in every district."

He added that there are plans to expand theaters to other districts whenever possible. In his view, to grow the market for Nepali films, the domestic market must be strengthened first.

Tamang noted that, currently, an environment for watching movies in theaters does not exist for audiences living outside major cities. He claimed that if small cinema houses are opened in various districts, the domestic market could more than double its current size.