AUCKLAND -- Exhibition chain Hoyts is thinking big at its new 10-plex as it aims to boost its share of auds in Auckland.
Hoyts New Zealand chief exec Stuart McInnes said the plex would have the country's three biggest screens, with one measuring some 90 feet by 39 feet, which Hoyts hopes to have recognized as the largest 35mm screen in the world.
It would have 65% more legroom than the average cinema in New Zealand and the most of any cinema in Australia or New Zealand.
Hoyts is spending $21 million on the multiplex, which will be the centerpiece of Sylvia Park, the largest mall in suburban Auckland. It's set to open March 29.
Hoyts owns 48 screens in New Zealand, but only eight are in Auckland, where 30% of New Zealand's population lives.
Rival Sky City Cinemas has 61 screens in Auckland with more planned, including a 10-screener at a mall in Albany, north of the city.
Hoyts is owned by Australia's James Packers Publishing and Broadcasting and West Australian Newspapers.
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