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Major Cineplex
Major Cineplex Group Public Co. Ltd. is the largest operator of movie theaters in Thailand, and Laos. Combined with its subsidiary, EGV Entertainment, the company has 838 screens in 180 locations around Thailand and Laos. Among its properties is Thailand's largest multiplex, the Paragon Cineplex at Siam Paragon, with 16 screens and 5,000 seats, along with the IMAX theater. The second-largest chain in Thailand is SF Group.
Major Cineplex was founded by Vicha Poolvaraluk (or Poolvaraluck) in 1994. A member of a family with roots in the movie business (the family was involved in film studios as well as several single-screen theaters), Vicha started out in property development.
In 1992, he was asked by his father, Charoen Poolvaraluck, to take over the movie theater business. Vicha decided on a concept of large movie complexes that could offer a range of entertainment services, including not only movies, but also bowling alleys, karaoke rooms, restaurants and shopping. The first such complex opened in 1996 on Borommaratchachonnani Road (Pinklao-Nakhon Chaisri Road) in Pinklao, Bangkok. The 14-screen, 4,000-seat Major Cineplex Ratchayothin opened in 1998 and featured Thailand's first IMAX cinema. It was the company's flagship cinema complex until 2006, when Paragon Cineplex opened. Other early Major Cineplex theaters include branches at Ramkamheang and Sukhumvit.
In 2004, Major Cineplex absorbed Thailand's No 2 theater operator, EGV Entertainment, which was Thailand's first cineplex operator. EGV had been owned by a rival branch of the Poolvaraluck family, headed by Vicha Poolvaraluck's cousin, Wichai Poolvaraluck, who started EGV as a partnership with Golden Village.
There are at least 19 Major Cineplex-branded theaters in Thailand, with the number expected to grow in the coming years. The company aims to increase its total number of screens to 500 (including EGV cinemas) by 2012. Major Cineplex's theaters range from shopping complexes, anchored by the cineplex, such as Major Cineplex Ratchayothin or Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, that include bowling alleys, fitness centers, restaurants and shops, to multiplexes that are part of larger shopping malls, such as the Bang Na or Rama III branches in Bangkok.
At the theaters themselves, there is a range of seating choices, including the luxury "Emperor" class, which is similar to EGV's "Gold Class" (see below), and "Opera", which provides a sofa-like seat, designed for couples.
In December 2006, the company debuted another flagship brand, the Esplanade Cineplex, consisting of 13 theaters and a 26-lane bowling alley at the Esplanade complex on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok's Din Daeng district.
Originally, Major Cineplex operated six branches with a total of 35 screens in Cambodia. This included one IMAX theater, which relocated from the Hat Yai Cineplex branch in 2018, and one Screen X theater, which boasted the largest main screen in Southeast Asia. However, the Thai-Cambodian border crisis of 2025-2026 led to a boycott of Thai services and products, as well as a ban on importing Thai films, causing business to decline. Ultimately, Major Cineplex sold its entire business to a local investment group to permanently withdraw its investment from Cambodia, before announcing its closure on February 28, 2026. Major Cineplex also granted the new owner the right to use the brand as a franchise for a limited period.
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Major Cineplex
Major Cineplex Group Public Co. Ltd. is the largest operator of movie theaters in Thailand, and Laos. Combined with its subsidiary, EGV Entertainment, the company has 838 screens in 180 locations around Thailand and Laos. Among its properties is Thailand's largest multiplex, the Paragon Cineplex at Siam Paragon, with 16 screens and 5,000 seats, along with the IMAX theater. The second-largest chain in Thailand is SF Group.
Major Cineplex was founded by Vicha Poolvaraluk (or Poolvaraluck) in 1994. A member of a family with roots in the movie business (the family was involved in film studios as well as several single-screen theaters), Vicha started out in property development.
In 1992, he was asked by his father, Charoen Poolvaraluck, to take over the movie theater business. Vicha decided on a concept of large movie complexes that could offer a range of entertainment services, including not only movies, but also bowling alleys, karaoke rooms, restaurants and shopping. The first such complex opened in 1996 on Borommaratchachonnani Road (Pinklao-Nakhon Chaisri Road) in Pinklao, Bangkok. The 14-screen, 4,000-seat Major Cineplex Ratchayothin opened in 1998 and featured Thailand's first IMAX cinema. It was the company's flagship cinema complex until 2006, when Paragon Cineplex opened. Other early Major Cineplex theaters include branches at Ramkamheang and Sukhumvit.
In 2004, Major Cineplex absorbed Thailand's No 2 theater operator, EGV Entertainment, which was Thailand's first cineplex operator. EGV had been owned by a rival branch of the Poolvaraluck family, headed by Vicha Poolvaraluck's cousin, Wichai Poolvaraluck, who started EGV as a partnership with Golden Village.
There are at least 19 Major Cineplex-branded theaters in Thailand, with the number expected to grow in the coming years. The company aims to increase its total number of screens to 500 (including EGV cinemas) by 2012. Major Cineplex's theaters range from shopping complexes, anchored by the cineplex, such as Major Cineplex Ratchayothin or Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, that include bowling alleys, fitness centers, restaurants and shops, to multiplexes that are part of larger shopping malls, such as the Bang Na or Rama III branches in Bangkok.
At the theaters themselves, there is a range of seating choices, including the luxury "Emperor" class, which is similar to EGV's "Gold Class" (see below), and "Opera", which provides a sofa-like seat, designed for couples.
In December 2006, the company debuted another flagship brand, the Esplanade Cineplex, consisting of 13 theaters and a 26-lane bowling alley at the Esplanade complex on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok's Din Daeng district.
Originally, Major Cineplex operated six branches with a total of 35 screens in Cambodia. This included one IMAX theater, which relocated from the Hat Yai Cineplex branch in 2018, and one Screen X theater, which boasted the largest main screen in Southeast Asia. However, the Thai-Cambodian border crisis of 2025-2026 led to a boycott of Thai services and products, as well as a ban on importing Thai films, causing business to decline. Ultimately, Major Cineplex sold its entire business to a local investment group to permanently withdraw its investment from Cambodia, before announcing its closure on February 28, 2026. Major Cineplex also granted the new owner the right to use the brand as a franchise for a limited period.