The award will be presented to Hrvoje Krstulovic, Co-Founder and Member of the Board, as part of the CineEurope Awards Ceremony on 20 June 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

CineEurope presents the annual award to a cinema exhibitor whose accomplishments, new developments, growth and market leadership make them the standard-bearer for the industry. “It gives us great pleasure to present the International Exhibitor of the Year award to the Blitz-CineStar cinema chain,” said Andrew Sunshine, President of The Film Expo Group. “Blitz-CineStar has built a culture of innovation for cinema, changing the movie-going experience in the Balkan region. They have proven to be a pioneer in the industry and we congratulate all on this well-deserved honour.”

Krstulovic said: “We are delighted at the news and it will be the greatest honour to receive this highest industry recognition on behalf of the entire Blitz-CineStar team, including my fellow Members of the Board – Jadranka Islamovic, CEO and Heiner Kieft, Co-Founder.”

Blitz-CineStar opened its first multiplex, CineStar Zagreb in 2003. CineStar Zagreb remains the largest multiplex in former Yugoslavia with 13 screens and 2,940 seats. The CineStar chain currently has 23 multiplexes across former Yugoslavia (including the forthcoming sites in Banja Luka and Belgrade), with a total of 145 screens and nearly 23,000 seats.

The CineStar brand has received several awards, including Best Buy Award Millennials 2018 and the ICTA award in the category New Build Cinema of the Year, also in 2018.