The world of films

Bangladesh is finally opening itself up to the world with the introduction of modern cinema halls. English and Bengali films alike are starting to become infused with our daily lifestyle. With the introduction of 3D theatre halls the cinema hall experience has never been grander.

The very first cinema hall in Bangladesh was built in Old Dhaka in 1915, named “The Picture House” and later renamed as Shabistan. While it is closed now, it was a cultural marvel back in the day. In the late 50s and 60s Bengali films were in their golden age. People would flock to halls throughout the country and films earned impressive revenue.
The early halls showed foreign and local films alike. In the 90s there was a decline in the cinema culture and the quality of Dhaliwood took a turn for the worse. But now it seems a new era is approaching in Bangladesh.
Modern day Bengali films are making a comeback with its heavily invested Hollywood action scenes though its lack of creativity and poor acting leaves much to be desired.

The introduction of modern cinema halls plays an important role in the resurgence of local films. As the viewing audience increases there is a growing interest in our own films, with this growth in popularity our dying industry can gain the confidence to kick start creative films.
Along with that, we can now watch the latest foreign movies within a month of its release instead of waiting for half a year like before. While it is true that the range of movies to watch is limited since there are a few modern cinema halls in Dhaka. There are mostly action blockbusters being shown to maximize profits and slow paced films are a rarity.
The modern age was ushered in by Star Cineplex in Bashundhara in late 2002. It introduced us to comfortable seats, mind blowing sound systems and a food stall built only for movie goers. They started out by bringing in old classic blockbusters to pique our interests. Over time Star Cineplex has built itself as an establishment, continuously enhancing the experience and featuring newly released movies, both Bengali and English.

Today Cineplex has 4 lavish cinema halls complete with Dolby-Digital Sound, Silver screens and state of the art 3D projection technology. Its halls are fit to seat a total capacity of 1286. The food stall provides everything from pop corns and ice creams to cold drinks. It is open every day from 10am to 10pm. It has adapted to the digital age and its website www.cineplexbd.com allows potential movie goers to view the current and upcoming films.
One can book tickets by telephone beforehand by contacting the authorities and becoming a premium member enables you to pick it up right before show time. Tickets can also be bought online.
Lately Cineplex has some competition from Blockbuster cinemas in Jamuna Future Park. Blockbuster cinema hall is enormous in size featuring six cinema halls with a capacity of 280 for each. It also has one premium theatre named “Club Royale” with 200 capacity built exclusively for your viewing pleasure. Each hall comes equipped with the modern projection system, Barco and Kinoton Projection Systems and JBL sound technology with Dolby Digital 7.1. Blockbuster features three food stalls in the lobby for movie goers. Visit their website www.blockbusterbd.com to find more information about the current and upcoming movies.
However our oldest and most famous halls are not far behind on the curve. Despite the shutting down of the earliest halls, halls built in the 60s are still around such as Balaka, Madhumita, Anondo, etc. Balaka's has two halls with a seating capacity of 1265 each. Madhumita has one hall with a capacity of 1221.
It is always easy to watch films online but absolutely nothing can beat the experience of going to the movies, kicking back with a bucket of popcorn and enjoying the wonderful world of films.