This year, the SM group is set to launch countryside theaters to answer the demand in various remote provinces. The group has yet to establish a shopping mall in such places, let alone movie theaters. The target is to put Blink cinemas in 44 cities and municipalities across the nation. It is expected to happen over the course of the next three to five years.
The franchise model is to be adopted in order to expand Blink cinemas, according to Edgar C. Tejerero, the SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. President. However, the franchise fee hasn’t been decided yet and the venture has only attracted 12 parties in several areas. The idea for this venture was born out of a visit by SM group officials to Mexico, which has 8,000 cinemas for its population of 160 million. Such numbers were compared to the Philippines, with only 700 cinemas, for its population of 100 million.
