Adlabs’ exhibition arm, BIG Cinemas, is opening its first BIG-branded cinema in the US, with a five-screen multiplex planned in Chicago.

The complex - in the Niles area of Chicago - will open on May 29.

BIG Cinemas-Golf Glen will have 950 seats in the five screens, plus a 60-set premium lounge. India House will manage the facility’s catering and bar.

The cinema will be digitally connected to Adlabs India — meaning that films can be transported from India within 4-6 hours over a fiber optic cable, negating the shipping of prints. The programming will be a mix of Hollywood, Indian, Polish and Korean films and will also have live telecasts of events such as cricket matches.

Anil Arjun, CEO of Adlabs Films, said: “The Chicago launch is in keeping with our vision to establish a strong foothold for BIG Cinemas worldwide in markets which have an appetite for Indian cinema. BIG Cinemas has a significant presence in the US with 170 screens and contributes 25% of the box office for Hindi Films and over 65% for Tamil and Telugu films released in the US. This multiplex at Niles, Chicago is part of BIG Cinema’s strategy to actively promote and ensure better reach of Indian movies.”

BIG, a member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has 430 screens across India, Malaysia and the US.