February 20, 2026 
Kathmandu — Movie lovers in Ilam have a new reason to celebrate with the launch of a modern cinema hall by Friends Cinemas. The new outlet marks the company’s third branch after its successful operations in other cities.
The newly built hall, located at Ilam Municipality–7, was officially inaugurated on Friday amid a grand ceremony. Popular Nepali actor Paul Shah formally opened the hall by cutting the ribbon. The event was also attended by well-known actress Usha Upreti and action director and producer Chandra Pant.
Local audiences gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of their favorite film personalities, creating a festive atmosphere around the cinema premises.
Built with an investment of approximately NPR 35 million, the new cinema hall has a seating capacity of 188. The hall is operated from the municipality’s multi-storey parking complex and has been equipped with modern projection and sound technology. According to Friends Cinemas Chairperson Pradeep Dhami, the hall features 2K projection and a digital sound system from Dolby Laboratories, ensuring a high-quality viewing experience comparable to major multiplexes.
Operators Pradeep Dhami, Pushkar Ghimire and Ashish Tamang stated that the main objective of opening the Ilam branch is to provide a comfortable, family-friendly and well-equipped cinema environment for local audiences. Dhami said their goal is to bring capital-level cinema services to audiences outside major cities, adding that movie lovers in Ilam will no longer need to travel to other cities just to enjoy quality film screenings.
Friends Cinemas is already operating successfully in Dharan and Butwal. With the opening of the Ilam hall, new Nepali films released nationwide will now also be screened in Ilam on the same schedule.
At a time when Ilam has long faced a shortage of well-equipped cinema halls, the arrival of Friends Cinemas is expected to add new momentum to the local entertainment sector. The new venue is also anticipated to become an additional attraction for tourists visiting the region.
Director Ashish H. Tamang said the company plans to gradually expand cinema halls in other districts as well. He emphasized that strengthening the domestic market is essential for the growth of the Nepali film industry and added that expanding small and accessible cinemas across districts could significantly increase the overall domestic audience base.
