Twenty years ago, going to the movies in Thailand was not always an enjoyable experience. Many cinemas were getting run-down and owners were afraid to invest in improvements because film piracy was crippling sales. Tickets could not be booked in advance. Scheduling was arbitrary and a film could be pulled without notice if it wasn't drawing people.
One man set out to change all that, taking the risk of establishing the country's first stand-alone cineplex, where watching movies would be a pleasure, complemented by other lifestyle and entertainment attractions.
The risk has paid off handsomely for Vicha Poolvaraluck, whose Major Cineplex Plc earned more than one billion baht in profit last year from 520 screens with 125,000 seats plus a host of related entertainment businesses.
"I've been involved in the cinema business since I was born," he tells Asia Focus, taking a sip from a tall Starbucks takeaway. "My family used to own and operate stand-alone cinemas back in those days, so I simply grew up with this business."
Established in the 1960s, the family-owned cinema business flourished for two decades along with the evolution of movies in Thailand. However, as more western companies started to establish their presence in Thailand, many local stand-alone theatres started to wither and die.
"Eventually, many locals got defeated by the increasing numbers of foreign cinemas that opened their branches in large shopping centres and department stores," recalls Mr Vicha. "A number of stand-alone cinemas were forced to shut down."
However, he also observed that there were limitations on having a cinema located in a large shopping complex. "For late-night screenings, the mood and feeling from the movies tends to be destroyed [when you exit through] a closed and dark department store. And it's always a pain to find your car," he adds with a smile.
Although Major operates successfully in numerous shopping malls today, the 52-year-old founder says he was determined to establish something more distinctive when he started out. Reasoning that the moviegoing audience tended to be young, fond of entertainment and dining out, he felt that having a cinema in a mall would blur the focus. He wanted someplace that would be a destination in itself.
Crisis turned to opportunity in 1994 when a fire damaged a family-owned shopping centre in Pin Klao district of Bangkok. Mr Vicha took the plunge and opened his first stand-alone cinema and entertainment complex on the site.
"You couldn't find this concept elsewhere, it was something truly new and unique, and that's why I wanted to try," he explains.
It was a tough sell initially as shop owners were reluctant to locate in a building where the main anchor would be a movie theatre. Most still believed that only a department store would have the necessary drawing power. However, within a month, crowds were flocking to the site where all the entertainment essentials, restaurants and lifestyle shops could be found under the one roof.
"The customers loved us," he says. "Our theme and positioning was able to capture the lifestyle of the younger generation. Late-night screenings were popular among them so we gave them these options."
By 1995, it was clear that Mr Vicha was on the way to reviving the fortunes of the cinema business in Thailand. His all-in-one entertainment venues are still thriving today.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Major Cineplex now has a presence in 33 provinces in Thailand. It opened a large cineplex in Phnom Penh last year and has also seen handsome returns from its cinema investment in India. As well, it is hoping for big things from the South Korean media company CJ E&M.
So what makes Mr Vicha's cinema empire different from others?
He takes a deep breath and glances at the ceiling while he considers his reply. "Customers want something beyond just watching movies when they go to the cinema. They want the 'movie experience' and we have successfully delivered that very well.
"I want my cinemas to look like fancy hotels, decorated with attractive interior design, appropriate lighting and, of course, comfortable chairs."
Warming to his subject, he says, "Managing a cinema business requires one to be highly meticulous. You have to pay very close attention to even the slightest detail. I devote all my heart to every decision that I make for Major, even the smallest ones.
"The entertainment business is all about location and innovation," he continues. "The winner takes it all. You can't be the second best or third best. You can only be the best."
BOUNCING BACK
As it turns out, the cinema business was not Mr Vicha's first choice, which may be understandable given that many young people are eager to make their own mark outside the family business.
"Before operating the cinema, I was in property and real estate," he recalls. "When I was 20, all I could think of was becoming a successful businessman to make my family proud; that was all I thought about."
At the age of 29, he decided to step out of his comfort zone — he could have taken over his parents' business — and start something of his own. "That was one of the biggest lessons I learned," he recalls.
"I had to use my house as collateral to get a loan. I was in a lot of debt and if I failed, the possibility of having my house taken away was relatively high, but I still took that risk."
Still, having grown up in a business family, he was familiar with the sense of fun and excitement one feels when a business is going well.
"Doing business is like climbing a mountain," he says. "You keep on climbing without worrying too much. Don't look down and scare yourself thinking about the height you've reached so far; you just have to keep on climbing."
Mr Vicha himself acknowledges that he has faced various challenges and failures but he never considers the latter as mistakes.
"I have experienced a lot of failures in my life. It's impossible for businessmen not to fail. I see failures as lessons because whenever I encounter failures, I will always learn."
As it was for thousands of other businesspeople in Thailand, the 1997 economic crisis was a huge learning experience for Mr Vicha.
"Before the crisis, I had started building two stand-alone cinemas in the Sukhumvit and Ratchayothin areas. The one in Sukhumvit hadn't even emerged from the ground yet, and in Ratchayothin we were still digging the holes.
"Banks were going out of business. No one wanted to finance us but we knew that if we left it like that, we would be out of business too.
"All I know was that I needed to finish building those two cinemas. Luckily, we were able to finish building the one in Sukhumvit so we used that money to finance the construction of Major Ratchayothin after a period of struggle."
More recently, the collapse of the California WOW! Fitness chain, in which Major had invested, left thousands of angry members in its wake and threatened to hurt Major's reputation as well. Mr Vicha said that failure stemmed from his inability to take greater control of the business.
"That experience taught me that whatever I do, I need to be involved in managing the business myself. If there is no management involved, I can't be in control when something goes wrong," he says.
He admits that he needs to be hands-on and that hiring other professionals to manage for him is not his style.
"You need the deep insights and understanding of even the littlest details when you are in the field. This will help you make better decisions in the future," he says, adding that businessmen accumulate experience over time just like pilots with flying hours.
"There are always critical points in your life," he continues. "Doing business is like a rubber ball. Once you hit the ground, and as long as you don't give up, you can always bounce back — and rise even higher."
His advice for any businessperson? "Never underestimate the potential of your business and always ask yourself what is the opportunity when a crisis happens. Although it's easy to say 'turn crisis into opportunity', it's not that easy in practice. You need to really pay close attention to every critical point."
'REWARD YOURSELF'
While the rubber-ball metaphor aptly sums up the way one should approach business, Mr Vicha views health and relationships as a breakable glass ball, which will be difficult to repair once dropped or broken.
That explains why he always creates quality time for himself, his wife and three daughters, though two are in New York City, "we Skype and text every day," he says smiling.
Family has always been his priority. "We always go and watch movies every Saturday night, spend some quality time and have dinner together.
"You need to balance yourself well. This life is yours and you have the freedom to choose how you want to spend your time," he says. "I sleep seven to eight hours every night, wake up at 6.15 every morning, read some news and do some daily exercise, and then I come to work at 9. You just have to learn to arrange your own timetable and do what's suitable for you."
Saturday often finds Mr Vicha on the golf course, but he uses his free time to stay fit in other ways as well, through tennis, swimming and working out in the gym.
"I have ways to reward myself," he says, suggesting that everyone should do likewise. "It's important to work hard and reward yourself well."