UK-based exhibitor The Light has announced it will open its first two digital cinemas, in Romania, this autumn.

Both eight-screen cinemas -- one at Liberty Center in Bucharest and the other at the Tiago Mall in Oradea -- are scheduled to open on Nov 1. The cinemas will offer up to 1,500 seats each and will have 3-D capability.

According to the European Audiovisual Observatory and the National Cinema Centre of Romania, admissions in Romania have been declining in recent years -- from 5.3m in 2002 to 2.7m in 2007. Romania has a population of roughly 22.3m.

But The Light co-founder Keith Pullinger sees great potential in Romania. 'Romania has not seen cinemas like these, and we are really thrilled about the opportunity to bring world class digital cinemas to an eager and excited market,' Pullinger said in a statement.

'There is a huge appetite for film and combining that with a spectacular cinema offering, there is the potential to appeal to all budgets, ages and interests,' Pullinger said.

Pullinger's co-founding partner John Sullivan said, 'These developments [in Romania] are of the highest quality and they provide the ultimate local and international retail and leisure experience -- an ideal setting for our cinemas.'

Pullinger previously worked at Virgin and UGC Cinemas, Sullivan at Warner and Village Cinemas.

The Light aims to create cinemas which will provide exciting, highly inclusive, social venues in the communities they serve. All the cinemas will be digital and will show alternative content alongside a wide range of film.

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