A TOUR AROUND THE SILVERBIRD CINEMA, UYO.

Since the cinema commenced operations in April 2011,
it has changed the story of leisure, family relaxation and entertainment in the state. Every day, especially during weekends, hundreds of people troop to Udo Udoma Avenue where Silverbird Cinema-Ibom Tropicana is located, to enjoy new movies on a wide screen and surround sound system, meet new friends and savor the beauty of the magnificent edifice.

It started just like a dream, when the foundation was laid by the Late President-Musa Yar Adua, many would have thought it was one of those white elephant projects that government embarks on. 

A tour around the premises showed that massive work construction is going on in different segments of the multibillion naira Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre which is designed to comprise of not just the six-screen Cineplex, a five-star hotel, wet and dry park, conference centre and shopping mall.

Diva- Pattina and some Guests at the Cinema

Mr. Ekong, the manager of the cinema expressed so much joy in the pace of the work on-going at the Tropicana, at first, it wasn’t an easy task to get people out of their homes, this required a re-orientation exercise, the State Government, through the magnanimity of Governor Godswill Akpabio had to subsidize the rate for the movies to make it affordable for the masses. 

There and then, another uphill task was presented to the management of the Cinema, and that was the management of the crowd that troops in every day. Now the cinema enjoys patronage round the clock, whether festive period or not.

Cinema Walkway

The cinema lobby also plays host to album launches, and movie premieres. Today, the cinema culture has been imbibed in the people of Akwa Ibom; here are some pictures from the cinema during our last visit.

Ibom Tropicana entertainment centre was created in the image of Sun City of South Africa and the famous Disneyland. The centre which sits on a landmass of 82 hectares is expected to create job opportunities for thousands of unemployed youths of the State. Some of the features of the complex include:

• Cineplex with six screen cinema halls and a seat capacity of 1030 completed and commissioned.
   
• A standard shopping mall with 59 standard shops, and two banks service corridors etc.
   
• An ultra-modern convention centre with a multi-floor capacity of 5000
   
• A 15-storey five star hotel with 250 rooms.
   
• A Theme Park with Dry and Wet Rides/Attractions covering an area of three hectares.