Devicineplex

Devicineplex stands as a symbol of architectural beauty and design, it is located in the very heart of Chennai City, housing multi-level State of the art four Cinema halls vi. DEVI, DEVI PARADISE, DEVI BALA, DEVI KALA on different floors of the same building. Devi Theatre was opened on 23-05-1970, Devi Paradise on 05-07-1970, Devi Bala on 12-08-1971 and Devi Kala on 21-11-1974.

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Devicineplex stands as a symbol of architectural beauty and design, it is located in the very heart of Chennai City, housing multi-level State of the art four Cinema halls vi. DEVI, DEVI PARADISE, DEVI BALA, DEVI KALA on different floors of the same building. Devi Theatre was opened on, Devi Paradise on, Devi Bala on 12-08.

All the four cinema halls are fully Air-conditioned with chilled water system, comfortably cushioned push back seats, tastefully done interiors, subdued lighting and all modern amenities in every respect. The building has a smooth flowing ramp connecting all floors besides two semi circular elevators. Each Elevator can carry 10 persons. The Elevators have Power Door Centre Opening Glass Door over SS Frames. Safety features of the Elevators are, Digital Position Indicator in Landings, Battery Operated Emergency Light & Alarm Bell, Infra Red Door Screen, Fireman Switch & Overload Indicator.

The entire complex is powered with captive generator sets totaling 735 KVA. Devicineplex is the first to introduce online reservation for car parking and valet parking facility.

You can explore the show timings online for the movies in. Chennai theatre near you and grab your movie tickets in a matter of few clicks. At Idreams Cinemas, Royapuram you can instantly book tickets online for an upcoming & current movie and choose the most-suited seats for yourself in Chennai at Paytm. The one and only movie theatre in central chennai that only screens telugu movies with extreme cost effective show prices. The theatre provides best service beyond the prices. If you are a telugu person and wanna watch any telugu movie near chennai central this is the best option.

Devi

DEVICINEPLEX, is proud to announce that Devi Audi is now equipped with the Top of the Line BARCO SERIES II PROJECTOR - DCI COMPLIANT DP2K-32B for its unmatched Quality, Image Sharpness & Brightness, Vibrant colours and exceptionally Rich contrast levels and also with Qube XP-I DIGITAL CINEMA SERVER-IMB. The newly installed amazing High Gain screen with SEAMLESS JOINTS TECHNOLOGY with a CURVILINEAR width of 72 feet and 30 feet 6 inches height and with a projection distance of 133 feet with an amazing projection quality.

The first “STATE OF THE ART” Cinema in India to install DOLBY DIGITAL AND DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND-EX SOUND SYSTEM. This system was installed by Mr.Michael Denner – Cinema Application Engineer of DOLBY Laboratories, Inc., England and Mr.V.Kishore, Dolby Sound Consultant, Chennai, India. It is also equipped with DTS Digital Sound System with JBL Professional Amplifiers and Speakers (USA) and Strong (U.S.A.) Ultra 80 Xenon lamp 7000 Watts Projection System, German make ERNEMANN 7000 Watts Projection System and Strong Endless Loop Platter System, the first of its kind in Chennai. Devi has a capacity of 838 seats.

Devi Paradise

Located on the third floor, this Cinema Hall is now equipped with the BARCO SERIES II Projectors – DCI COMPLIANT DP2K – 32B for its unmatched Quality, Image Sharpness & Brightness, Vibrant Colours and exceptionally Rich Contrast levels and also with QUBE XP I Digital Cinema Server – IMB.

HARKNESS High Gain Screen is installed to deliver excellent brightness, colour rendition and contrast for maximum presentation quality.

This Cinema is also equipped with STRONG INTERNATIONAL, U.S.A. SIMPLEX 35 – PR2000 MILLIENNIUM PROJECTOR with STRONG (U.S.A.) HIGHLIGHT II XENON PROJECTION CONSOLE – TYPE 72000 and Strong Endless Loop Platter System with JBL SPEAKERS and QSC MX SERIES Amplifiers, DOLBY DIGITAL and DTS DIGITAL Sound System. Devi Paradise has a capacity of 1047 seats.

Devi Bala

This cinema is equipped with most sophisticated Dolby Digital 3D projection, a revolution in 3D cinema using Barco Digital projector DCI Compliant 2K DLP Cinema projector prefitted with Dolby 3D color wheel kit and Qube XP-D-Digital cinema server (DCI Compliant) – D Cinema.

Dolby's unique approach to 3D also means that you can enjoy a perfect image from any seat in the house. Even better, the Dolby 3D glasses are an environmentally sound alternative to the throwaway glasses of other systems. For unforgettable 3D at its best, experience Dolby 3D at Devi Bala. You'll find yourself immersed in the movie, with 3D so real the action all but leaps off the screen. Colors are more natural, and the picture is so clearly defined, you'll want to reach out and touch it.

The Dolby 3D glasses are installed with Anti-Theft Tag. The Dolby 3D Glasses are for in theatre movie-viewing only. Glasses do NOT block sunlight. Outdoor use may be hazardous.

DEVIBALA is the FIRST among the Cinemas in INDIA to install DATASAT DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT AP 20 AUDIO PROCESSOR ENGINEERED TO DELIVER PRECISE REPRODUCTION OF BOTH ANALOG AND DIGITAL SOURCES. AP 20 offers16 Channels of digital and 8 channels of analog inputs and outputs coupled to the 16 digital and 16 analog outputs and 7.1 Channel format. One of the most compelling features of the AP 20 is the inclusion of DIRAC LIVE room optimization technology. DIRAC LIVE is a State of the Art digitalroom correction technology that sharpens the sound image, and tightens up the bass to give Audience utmost listening experience. http://www.datasatdigital.com/products/digital-cinema/ap20)

DEVI BALA is also equipped with Xenon and STRONG Endless Loop Plattersystem andDTS Digital sound system with JBLProfessional Amplifiers and Speakers and QSC DCA Amplifiers to deliverEXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY.

For the best viewing experience this Cinema is equipped with AMERICAN BIG SKY SCREEN HIGH GAIN PEARL FOR DOLBY 3D PROJECTION. THIS SCREEN IS COMPATABLE for both 3D and 2D Projection

Devi Bala has a seating capacity of 308 seats.

Devi Kala

Located on the SECOND FLOOR, this Cinema hall is equipped with SMART STEREO with DTS Digital Sound System and JBL Speakers, Projection system installed with Xenon and Strong Endless Loop Platter System and QUBE Digital Cinema. Devi Kala has a capacity of 269 seats.

With the Technical support of Mr.V.Kishore, Dolby Sound Consultant, Chennai, India, we maintain the best International Technical standards of Picture Presentation and Sound Quality and use “STATE OF ART” Equipments to give the Audience the utmost viewing experience.

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The writing on the wall has been clear for theatres such as Agastya for a while, pandemic or not.

August 31, 2020. This was the day when the curtains came down for one last time at Agastya Theatre in Chennai’s Tondiarpet. But at the time of closing, the theatre was already non-functional for about six months, like every other theatre in the country, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As it quietly took its last bow, with its iconic brutalist architecture in faded yellow paint, Agastya joined the list of single-screen theatres that have had to make way for changing times.

The theatre, with an impressive parking space in front of it and housing a 26-feet screen and 1,004 seats, opened its doors for the first time in 1967, screening K Balachander’s multi-starrer family drama Bama Vijayam. Construction began two years earlier in 1965. It must have been a phenomenon back then, being the only 70mm theatre in all of north Madras. Several important films have been released in Agastya, making it a significant theatre for cinema lovers. And the theatre evolved along the way, equipping itself with Dolby sound systems and digital projection.

Even while it remained non-air conditioned, Agastya continued to draw crowds. “Since the day of its opening, the theatre has had 60 to 70% occupancy. Our ticket rates too were affordable and we enjoyed good patronage,” says P Natarajan of the TNK Group that has been running this theatre.

“But we knew this decision had to be made about three years ago. The theatre was slowing winding down this path,” he adds. Natarajan who is 76-years-old now, was made in charge of Agastya at its inception by the TNK family, which runs industries and owns several other theatres in Chennai, including the Devi Theatre on Mount Road. Moreover, a sizable portion of the parking space has been acquired by the government for its Metro Rail project.

File image of the invitation printed during its inaugral function with a graphic representation of the theatre's proposed outlook

So, they had informed their employees, around 20 of them, close to three years ago that the day of closing was not far ahead. “When the coronavirus pandemic hit, we decided to call it a day,” Natarajan adds. He cuts a long story short. “Earlier, when films were played in reels, only four theatres were there in all of Chennai. Then came digital, and the number of theatres grew. People preferred watching films in theatres close to their areas, the footfall reduced. Then theatres came inside malls which offered people more than just the movie-watching experience. We could not compete with multiplexes. We gave it a lot of thought before making this decision,” Natarajan explains.

The end of an era?

The writing on the wall has been clear for theatres such as Agastya for a while, pandemic or not. Earlier this year, AVM Rajeswari and Maharani, two big single-screen theatres, shut down. Multiplex Owners Association Secretary N Venkatesh says, 'Such theatres were already having a difficult time coping. The government does not grant permission for the splitting of a big screen into smaller plexes. This made it difficult to make profits. In 1994, Tamil Nadu Cinemas (Regulation) Act section 5A was updated, making it mandatory to obtain CMDA (Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority) permission to remodel a theatre. Applications were rejected and soon it became unprofitable to run single screens in the city,” he tells TNM.

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“Consider this. Between 1986 and 2006, over 20 theatres on the T Nagar-Mount Road stretch have closed down and have become malls and real estate spaces. Seats have shrunk by nearly 15,000 in Chennai alone,” he points out.

Venkatesh continues, “In 2004, there were nearly 2,850 screens in Tamil Nadu. At this point in time, about 106 films were being released per year on an average. Now, as per December 2019, about 300 films released that year. But we only have 1,145 screens. Nearly 500 are single screens, concentrated mostly in towns.” Of these 500, Chennai has about six. Venkatesh counts, “Anna Theatre, Casino, Mahalakshmi, Basha in Parrys, IDreams and Bharath. That’s it.”

Agastya's interior photograph courtesy: Balaji Maheshwar

Venkatesh claims that while there are about 40,000 screens in China, for a population of about 200 crore, in India, the number is just 9,000 screens for a population of about 130 crores.

“Consequentially, the kind of films being made too have changed. Earlier we had more artistic films being made. Now, we don't have enough screens and filmmakers would like to play safe by making commercial films. In any debate, we can see that those from the industry talk about how small budget films never get breathing space in theatres. Can you imagine why?” he asks.

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Time to change viewing experiences?

Now, with the pandemic still raging, the Tamil Nadu government has put a lid on its decision to open movie theatres. Most single screen theatres come with the advantage of bigger seating space and almost all of them are still naturally ventilated; two features that could work well in post-pandemic cinema viewing. Multiplexes with the tightly packed, air-conditioned spaces, on the other hand, are considered a hotbox for virus spreading.

With that being the case, can single screens with their wide parking lots, be converted into drive-ins? “Not sure if drive-in might work for a city like Chennai. Earlier when Prathana had just opened I could drive to the theatre in just half-hour from my house in Kilpauk. Now, the same journey takes about two hours. True, Agastya’s big parking lot may have been an advantage. But with the Metro project and the already congested roads, it may not have been viable for us,” says Natarajan.

While we don't know yet how things will pan out for theatres and cinema viewing, it is clear that theatre owners will have to reinvent their spaces in order to bounce back and become profitable once again.

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