Interview with an entrepreneur:
How to open a small 3D movie theater
The site clogicsecure.com, as part of a joint project of the Community of Information Portals Promoting the Development of Small Businesses, continues a series of interviews with successful entrepreneurs who are ready to share their own experience in creating a business and help newcomers take their first steps in business.
"The very business idea of a small 3D cinema, implies a minimum investment (500-600 TR) with a fairly quick payback"
Today, Evgeny Zhelannikov, director of BESTHINGS, shared with us his own experience in creating a 3D cinema.
Eugene, tell us a little about your company.
Our company is opening small 3D cinemas. This line of business is very new and the experience that our company has is unique, over the past six months we have been actively working on this issue. Today, one cinema hall is functioning, and two are completing construction and are preparing for the opening.
Many people think about starting their own business, but not all of them eventually open it. Was the decision to become an entrepreneur easy for you?
I am a supporter of the idea that a lot of people want to open their own business, and really few open, and it turns out a profitable business with even fewer! Many do not open their own business, because they constantly analyze and collect data, and time is running out! You need to live faster, it's like in the book Alice in Wonderland - to stay in place you need to run as fast as you can, and to move forward, you need to run twice as fast.
I consider the main features of the entrepreneur to be goal-oriented, striking performance and commitment to success. Since childhood, I personally wanted to become the owner of my enterprise, while my friends dreamed about expensive cars, I thought about how to make people work for me.
What difficulties did you encounter in the initial stages of doing business?
At the stage of opening a small 3D cinema, one of the difficult issues turned out to be the legal side of this business, or rather the lack of competent lawyers in this rather narrow and specific area.
Even for quite a lot of money, the lawyers gave superficial answers, and they had to put pressure on them even through their superiors to study the question in more detail. Very concerned about the issue of various checks and copyright compliance. However, in the end, everything was decided.
Small 3D cinemas can be opened all over Russia and I want to say the following, which documents and licenses you need to have in order to open a small 3D cinema, the local administration will best tell you. She will say what and how much you need to do to conduct business calmly.
According to your estimates, what is the minimum amount required to open a 3D movie theater? What equipment will be required?
The minimum amount with which you can start a business depends on the size of the room and the number of seats.
In general, the business idea of a small 3D cinema itself implies minimal investment with a fairly quick payback. Investing about 500-600 tr it is quite possible to open this type of business.
Equipment necessary for a small 3D cinema: 3D video equipment (price about 300 tr), sound equipment (about 150 tr), cinema chairs or sofas, and the room itself is also necessary.
Under a rental agreement, administration assistance is also possible for any social programs - once a week a free session for budget organizations, etc.
Are there any additional administrative requirements (to the premises, the experience of specialists, etc.)?
It is necessary to choose the right room for the opening of a small 3D cinema - I’m not talking about the attendance of the place, this goes without saying. But such subtleties as the height of the room, which you do not immediately think about, need to know.
Why is a high room necessary (about 4 meters higher)? Firstly, the back rows of the cinema hall rise above the front ones, and therefore this peculiar “ladder” should not rest against the ceiling.
The second point - the higher the ceiling, the wider the screen can be placed indoors! It doesn’t sound quite clear, consider for yourself: the height of the screen cannot be 3 meters if the height of the room is also 3 m. The screen just rests on the floor and the image will not be visible from the back rows, so you need to raise the screen 1 meter from the floor. Plus the image from the projector, also will not be from the ceiling itself.
In general, if you do not want to understand this, experts offering video equipment will tell you this, or write to us and tell you.
What can you save on and what should you save on?
I think everyone understands that good quality costs money. But saving is a good thing. One of the points where you can save money is the purchase of armchairs - you can purchase used armchairs from closed cinemas or used leather sofas.
Does seasonality exist in your business?
Small 3D movie theaters are popular in any season! Like in winter, when hunting is not freezing on the street, and in summer when you want to watch a movie with your soulmate.
Which specialists should be paid special attention to. How did you select key employees?
The staff does not need any special requirements, it is quite possible to hire someone from my friends who are sitting at home and thinking what to do, as I did. The main thing I think is not to hire relatives, they are difficult to manage, but this is a different story.
Obviously, during your work you have tried various advertising methods. Which advertising media have proven their effectiveness, and which ones did you end up with?
The best means of advertising turned out to be a placement in a passable place, a large beautiful sign, and also a good move is to announce at any meeting or city bottom, on behalf of the administration, to improve your city and open a small 3D cinema. A large mass of people will immediately recognize and become interested in the cinema.
What can you say about competition in your business?
The niche in which small 3D cinemas open is completely free! We open establishments in places where there are no large cinemas, either far and inconvenient to get to them, or they are not of 3D quality. So big movie theaters are hardly competitors. One of the advantages of small cinema halls in front of large ones is its diverse repertoire, we can very flexibly operate films for showing, according to the wishes of the public. Also a great advantage is the opportunity to demonstrate 3D television and 3D football!
How do you see the prospects for the further development of your business?
The prospect of small 3D movie theaters is simply amazing! The market is very large - hundreds of cities in Russia and entire CIS countries where there are no 3D films and where the hand of the film business giants did not reach. About 60 people who are interested in this idea have already approached me today. In global plans, the unification of all small 3D cinema halls in one network, to simplify the receipt of films and licenses.
Based on your experience, what would you advise to those who are just planning to start this business?
My advice is to once again check all the information collected, draw up a business plan and open faster, you can no longer delay!