Even though Vicha Poolvaraluck does not like to be called "King of Cinema" by the media, it is hard for him to shake off that title.

At 44, he owns Thailand's largest theatre chain, the Major Cineplex Group, which he created in 1994. The company, which commands a 70-per-cent market share, is expected to post Bt5.5 billion in sales revenues this year.

Vicha's father, Chamroen Poolvaraluck, founded the Major Group with the creation of flagship standalone theatres, including the Petch Rama, the Metro and the MacKenna. With his family in the cinema business for more than 50 years, Vicha grew up with theatres. Chamroen, now 74, is honorary chairman of the Major Cineplex Group.

Vicha created his first Major Cineplex - cinema plus entertainment complex - in the Pinklao area in 1995. Vicha's innovations beat out foreign operators who dominated the local cinema industry at that time.

Major Cineplex currently operates about 300 theatres in 35 locations throughout the Kingdom.

Vicha says he loves big box-office movies that are packed with traditional costumes, such as "Braveheart", "Gladiator" and "Kingdom of Heaven".

"I love the costumes in films that whisk me away from daily life to a fantasy world," he says.

But Vicha does not watch films just to escape from the real world. He says he has learned many a moral lesson from them.

Vicha goes to the cinema with his family each weekend, as watching movies has long been part of his lifestyle.

"Movies are a matter of life," Vicha insists. "I don't think going to the cinema is boring. It is part of people's lifestyle. Watching a film is not only entertaining; it can also educate you in terms of language skills. It gives you different new ideas and points of views."

He says that similar to reading daily newspapers, watching films provides viewers with valuable information through the powerful dimensions of sound and pictures.

While Vicha may be thrilled by the nerve-jangling sound effects in films, he cannot stand any noise in his workroom, located on the ninth floor of Major Cineplex Ratchayothin. This is to allow him to concentrate on day-to-day work. It is the place where he spends from 9am to 7pm operating his Bt1-billion empire.

"I'm an early bird," he says. "I usually wake up quite early at about 6am and spend 20 minutes exercising, to keep my body firm. I also spend time before I leave my home at 8am gathering information from reading newspapers and watching the television news, to freshen up my brain."

He adds that he will share useful information with his staff, in order to let them know what is going on in the world.

One of Thailand's richest men, Vicha could easily afford lunch in a five-star-hotel every day, but he says he prefers his lunch to be simple, because he does not want to waste time.

"My lunch is just a cup of coffee and a muffin," Vicha says. "I love to stay in my office. My office is quiet as I want to concentrate on my work."

Vicha has strong time discipline, managing all the sequences of each day.

"I love reading, particularly about management theory. If you want to do something, you should study it seriously, really know it and feel strongly passion about it," he says.

In the first four months of this year, Vicha spent almost 35 per cent of his time travelling abroad - the US, Europe, Japan and Singapore - because he wanted to expose himself to new experiences, innovations and ideas.

"I'm serious about my work," he says. "For me, I don't think stress is my enemy, but rather a part of life."

Vicha loves to spend weekends on his favourite sports - golf and tennis - or go out with his family.

"I usually spends half of Saturday with work, including checking sites. The rest of the day is spent golfing, eating dinner and watching movies with my family. On Sundays, I'll do whatever my family asks me to," he says.

Vicha says he would like to see the Major Cineplex Group attain enough stability to last another 50 or 100 years and become an institution.

"I would like to see my children grow up to become quality people in our society," he says.

When asked who is his role model, market whiz Vicha says he most appreciates Stephen Alan Wynn, the casino-resort developer famous for driving forward the expansion of Las Vegas throughout the 1990s. Wynn developed several hotel and casino resort properties, including The Mirage, Treasure Island and the Bellagio.

"The guy is a real fighter and has a high entrepreneurial spirit. He always creates something different for the casino industry," says Vicha.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation