TEHRAN-The first LED cinema in Iran was launched at Tehran Book Garden on Wednesday with the premiere screening of the latest Iranian 3D animated movie “Smart Kid”.

“With 600 seats, it is also the largest active outdoor cinema in the country, and I emphasize on being ‘active’ since there are other outdoor cinemas with higher seating capacity but have not been operating in the past years,” the art director of the Book Garden said.

“Having an area of 8 meters by 4 meters, the LED used here benefits from the highest technology available and provides the audience with better quality pictures compared to the usual silver screens,” IRNA quoted Arash Teymournejad as saying on Wednesday.

An LED Cinema Display is a large, high-definition display that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to create an image. Modern cinemas may use digital projectors with LED or LCD screens, which are much more compact and energy-efficient than traditional projectors. 

Located in the Abasabad Hills in north Tehran, the Book Garden is one of the largest of its kind. Covering a total area of 65,000 square meters indoor exhibition space, it is basically a huge permanent bookstore which is open throughout the year, providing ample space and amenities for the book lovers.

“The main mission of the Book Garden is to help promote book reading. Therefore, before each movie showing, a teaser related to a book is shown to the audience. The open-air cinema is set to screen new Iranian films, and the priority is given to films for children and young adults. It is also possible in the future to show foreign films too,” he added.

Teymournejad further noted that the Book Garden plans to install a retractable roof for the outdoor cinema as soon as possible.

Merdas cineplex in downtown
Last week, deputy director for development of technologies and studies at Iran Cinema Organization said that four cineplexes comprising 19 halls would open in different districts of Tehran during September and October.

Merdas, Kowsar, Rose Mall, and Zima Mall were the four cineplexes Qader Ashena named, which were ready for inauguration.

On September 25, the first of the four, Merdas Cineplex located on Jomhouri Street in downtown Tehran, District 12, was launched. A part of Merdas Shopping Center, it has five cinema halls.

The new complex has been built at the site of Sa’di Cinema that was closed in the past decade due to financial problems.

Three more cineplexes will be inaugurated by the end of October in Tehran. They include Kowsar Cineplex with three halls in District 9, Rose Mall Cineplex with seven halls in District 22, and Zima Mall Cineplex with four halls in District 2.

In addition, 14 more cineplexes are under construction by the private sector across Tehran, six of which are situated uptown, five are in the central regions and three are being built in the south and suburbs of the capital city.

According to the Iran Cinema Organization, in the past two years, 220 cinema halls have been built across the country, bringing the total number of cinema halls in Iran to 790.

Qader Ashena has expressed hope that by the end of the current Iranian year (March 2024), another 100 halls would be added to the current figure.

Advantages of cineplexes
Comprising several halls, modern multiplex cinemas have created an excellent opportunity for filmgoers with a wide choice. The several halls built within a complex provide fans with movies of different genres; this way every individual can choose a film based on personal interest.

Cinema halls in the cineplexes are equipped with the latest digital technologies and so the high quality of image resolution and Dolby Surround sound system make watching their favorite actors on the big screen more enjoyable for the audiences.

Besides the quality and the many options cineplexes give the filmgoers on selecting a movie of their choice, they offer another advantage for families. As their name suggests, they are more than just places to screen films; complexes usually include restaurants, coffee shops, cyber cafes, malls, galleries and even indoor playgrounds, gyms and art classes.

SS/SAB