The Shanghai Film & TV Group and Kodak (China) Ltd are teaming up to open a multiplex - named Kodak CinemaWorld - in Shanghai, China, early next year. The four-screen complex will be located in the Xujiahui Metro Entertainment Centre in the city's commercial district.

The multiplex sits alongside a shopping centre, disco, restaurants and health club in a five-storey mall at the base of the 26-storey Metro Tower. Both Kodak and Shanghai Film & TV Group claim it is the first of its kind in China. "We will offer customers a totally new moviegoing experience with excellent film and audio presentations and superior service," said Zhu Yongde, general manager of Shanghai Film & TV Group.

Kodak CinemaWorld will feature wall-to-wall screens, state-of-the-art projection, stereo digital sound and stadium seating; its seating capacity is expected to be 956. It will be the first theatre in China to be part of the Kodak ScreenCheck programme which guarantees high standards for movie presentation. The theatre will be managed by Kodak's Edman Chan.

The Shanghai Film & TV Group was founded in 1996 and produces feature films, TV programming and commercials as well as operating a film lab and digital post-production facilities.

  • Bill Tompkins has been appointed chief marketing officer and vice president of Kodak's Entertainment Imaging division. He reports directly to Joerg D. Agin, president of the division. He was formerly vice president of marketing at The Washington Post.