With foreign boxoffice now driving growth, smart exhibitors are thinking globally

The lobby of Hong Kong’s ISquare Theater looks more like the reception area at an ultramodern luxury hotel than a movie ticket boxoffice. Perched six floors up in a high-end shopping mall in the city’s Kowloon neighborhood, the UA Cinema outpost features mosaic flooring and a glass counter that resembles a diamond display. What’s more impressive, however, are the spectacular grosses racked up at the 46,000-square-foot digital five-plex since it opened in January.