Warner Brothers has moved its cinema design center from London to Shanghai to get closer to China's fast-expanding film market.

The firm's Global Architecture & Construction Center will design the buildings and internal decorations for the firm's multiplex cinemas.

This year Warner Brothers International Cinemas (WBIC), responsible for building and running cinemas, is scheduled to open six new outlets in China.

David Wallace, the center’s vice-president, said the relocation of the centre demonstrates WBIC's commitment to the China market and its growing film industry.

The centre will be responsible for all design and architecture work for WBIC's operations in China, Italy, Japan, America and any new regions that WBIC develops in future.

Wallace said the centre plans to use cutting-edge technology and aims to work in conjunction with local suppliers.

The centre will initially have just two foreign professionals and 10 local workers, but the team will be expanded in the future.

Wallace said Warner Brothers cinemas would blend modern architecture and traditional elements of Chinese culture in its designs.

"In the new Changsha cinema we used a traditional Chinese courtyard in the internal decoration, instead of using a more ordinary entrance design," Wallace said.

"We are also going to use the Chinese character 'door' as another element in the design of the Chongqing cinema, scheduled to open this month."

"China is the next growth frontier for WBIC," said Millard Ochs, global president of WBIC. He said the relocation of the centre to Shanghai "marks a milestone in our expansion plans here and further demonstrates WBIC's commitment to the China market."

"In addition to opening up new growth opportunities, this relocation will enable us to attract a larger pool of consumers and co-operate with our suppliers and partners to support our growth initiatives," Ochs added.

The six cinemas scheduled to open for this year are in Chongqing, Changsha, Beijing, Nanchang, Xiamen and Shenzhen.

"Partnerships with such firms as Shenzhen International Trust & Investment Co Ltd, Guangzhou Jin Yi and the Shanghai Film Group will further allow us to take advantage of the burgeoning infrastructure and technology community in the local market," Ochs said.

At present, WBIC has eight cinemas in China, with 67 screens and 14,449 seats. Two of those cinemas opened last year.

Seven of these cinemas are among China's top 30 earners.

WBIC's box office takings in China for 2005 are expected to exceed 121 million yuan (US$15 million), a growth of 81 per cent from 2004.

The firm opened its first China cinema complex, Paradise Warner Cinema City, in Shanghai in 2002.

(China Daily January 6, 2006)