CINÉMAS GUZZO: A $16-MILLION INVESTMENT IN LAVAL
1998-12-10
Laval, December 10, 1998 Cinémas Guzzo, Quebec's independent movie-theatre champion, today inaugurated its second mega-complex, Laval's MÉGA-PLEX® PONT-VIAU 16. More than 400 people from the film industry, as well as Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, were in attendance. The company's first such facility opened in October in Greenfield Park. MÉGA-PLEX® PONT-VIAU 16 represents a $16-million investment and has created 80 direct jobs. The project is Laval's first independent complex, and will compete against Famous Players (12 theatres) and Cineplex Odeon (one six-theatre facility and one eight-theatre complex), which have been in the area for some time. As of today, Cinémas Guzzo is number one in Laval in terms of size and number of venues, bringing the total number of regional theatres to 42. MÉGA-PLEX® PONT-VIAU 16 has a total of 16 theatres and boasts 3700 "Club Guzzo 23-inch " seats with cup holders. These seats, made 100% in Quebec and designed by Angelo Guzzo, are arranged stadium-style to offer customers the best possible view. MÉGA-PLEX® PONT-VIAU 16 is also equipped with extremely sophisticated Dolby Digital, SDDS Digital and DTS Digital projection and sound systems, and screens are curved so as to eliminate any peripheral fuzziness. "By sticking to high visual and sound standards, we'll always be able to offer the public great movies at competitive prices, and promote Canadian film culture at the same time," emphasized Vincenzo Guzzo, Executive Vice-President of Cinémas Guzzo. MÉGA-PLEX® PONT-VIAU 16 is a huge movie entertainment centre measuring more than 85,000 square feet. In addition to its 16 theatres, it houses an amusement park with bumper cars, a merry-go-round, a video arcade, and games for kids featuring tunnels and balls. Adults will enjoy the Café-Hollywood, a warm, welcoming place to relax before or after screenings. Given the approach of the holiday season, Cinémas Guzzo has teamed up with two Laval organizations to make this Christmas a merry one for the disadvantaged. At MÉGA-PLEX® PONT-VIAU 16 VIP Night, movie-goers are asked to bring gifts of non-perishable food, which will be donated to the Relais communautaire de Laval, the Centre de Bénévolat de Laval, and the Agape Christmas Basket Campaign. On Saturday, December 12, Cinémas Guzzo will be treating 400 underprivileged children from the Laval area to a matinee at the new MÉGA-PLEX® PONT-VIAU 16 - an activity planned in cooperation with the Centre de Bénévolat de Laval. In addition to the above community commitments, since June 1998 Vincenzo Guzzo has actively taken part in a legal debate aimed at enforcing the rights of independent theatre owners. A monopoly on movie distribution is currently held by Famous Players and Cineplex Odeon, which limits the independents and prevents them from obtaining films from MGM, 20th Century Fox, Alliance Vivafilm and Paramount. Vincenzo Guzzo is trying to change that situation, for the benefit of all movie-lovers. Hence the motto of the Guzzo family: "You have chosen your movie. You should have the right to choose your theatre." The Guzzo family is determined and forward-looking, and thinks big. Cinémas Guzzo is constantly expanding, going beyond simple movie theatres to huge, multi-faceted entertainment centres. "Improving access to Canadian culture through film is one of the reasons Cinémas Guzzo is continuing to expand. The market shouldn't belong exclusively to foreign interests," declared Vincenzo Guzzo. The upcoming year looks very promising for Cinémas Guzzo, which will be inaugurating four new theatre complexes, including MÉGA-PLEX® SPHERETECH 14 in Saint-Laurent, a new 14-theatre, 3400-seat facility slated to open in May. MÉGA-PLEX® LONGUEUIL 16 will grace Montreal's South Shore by July 1999, with 16 theatres and 3700 seats. Both structures will offer an amusement park, a Café-Hollywood, and - something new - miniature bowling. These two projects represent an investment of some $ 30 million and will create 75 to 80 jobs each. Source: Linda Sévigny Communications and Promotion Cinemas Guzzo Tel.: (450) 961-2945 Information: Catherine Hamel Project Coordinator Everest Public Relations Tel.: (450) 686-9698
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