When the doors of cinemas were closed, a golden era in the history of our entertainment industry came to an end and many thought that the advent of television would have been adequate replacement, but they quickly realised that they were wrong.
Cinemas in Guyana could not have been replaced because it was more like a part of the Guyanese culture and way of life which provided a unique form of entertainment. Those who are old enough would remember that cinemas dotted almost the entire  coastal landscape of this country and people from those communities which did not have cinemas would cycle or even walk for miles to the movies. Therefore, when the cinemas closed down a huge vacuum was left in the entertainment arena.
Of course, the cinema owners to a large extent contributed to their demise by not constantly upgrading, expanding and modernising their operations and as such got caught up in a time warp and their business became uneconomical and the advent of television added “salt to the wound.”
However, television did not cause the demise of the cinema industry; it only added to its troubles, because cinemas in other jurisdictions survived the competition from television and are still a huge business even in the affluent societies where every home has one or more televisions.
What happened to local cinema owners is that because they had a virtual monopoly in the entertainment arena, they became complacent, resulting in the bad practice of overselling  tickets and deteriorating physical conditions of cinema buildings. The result was that patrons drifted away from cinemas and the combined harsh economic conditions forced cinema owners out of business.
Against this backdrop then it must be a nostalgic moment for cinema lovers with the announcement by the Directors of MovieTowne, a Trinidadian company, who gathered at the Georgetown Club for the unveiling of the official plaque by President Bharrat Jagdeo, heralding the launch of a cinema project here.
As to the benefits of such a venture, the President acknowledged that MovieTowne has an enormous reputation in Trinidad and Tobago, and has revolutionised entertainment in that country.
He said: “In Guyana, we have made progress in almost every field, economic and social, and we have had greater income levels and even disposable income. We still have a gap where people are looking for entertainment for their family and everyone, and I think that Movie town will be able to fill that gap.”
Welcoming the Trinidadian group, President Jagdeo noted too that the services provided by MovieTowne will serve to add to the landscape and to the services that will be offered by the Marriott Hotel, which will also be launched within a couple of weeks.
Chairman of Multicinemas, Derek Chin, Guyanese born, explained that the total invested in the project amounts to US$20M, and it is expected to provide employment for 500 to 800 Guyanese, when completed.
The complex will be situated on 10 acres of land in Turkeyen, on the East Coast of Demerara, and will accommodate 175,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, with eight state- of-the art luxurious cinemas.
This, he assured, will offer Guyanese, for the first time, the widest choice of Hollywood movies, alongside a shopping mall, restaurants, and indoor parking for over 700 cars.
According to Chin, the team will begin work immediately on the planning and implementation strategy to ensure the project becomes a reality in 2013.
So cinema fans would be expectantly awaiting the fructifying of this exciting project which will see the return of local cinema after an absence of a couple of decades.