OREANDA-NEWS The operator of the program "Thank you from Sberbank" will launch a network of cinemas operating on virtual reality (VR) technology, the Bank said. The partner of the project was the Studio of VR-graphics Impulse Machine (part of the group of companies KB-12).

Each of the VR cinema halls will be designed to be visited by only one person, the Bank's representative explains. The halls will be equipped with rotating chairs, VR-helmets and a built-in computer. With the help of controllers, the viewer will actually be able to determine the plot of the film, which will depend on what decisions the viewer will make. The cost of tickets will be from 250 to 1650 rubles. Tickets to the cinema can be ordered through the website of the program "Thank you from Sberbank", you can pay for them in rubles, and bonuses of the program.

The first cinema with 14 halls has already been opened in the center of contemporary art "Mars". In total, at the beginning of 2019, the first six cinemas with 72 personal halls should earn, the representative of "Thank you from Sberbank" says. Now the company is negotiating the placement of VR cinemas in MEGA shopping centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. The MEGA representative did not respond to the request on Wednesday evening.

"Thanks from Sberbank" and Impulse Machine do not disclose how much they intend to invest in the project and what is the expected payback period.

"Thank you from Sberbank" is a loyalty program, according to which Sberbank charges its cardholders bonuses that customers can pay with the program partners – in restaurants, shops, medical clinics, etc. The program, according to the Bank, involved more than 36 million people. In total, in 2018, Sberbank will spend 25 billion rubles on its loyalty program.

The new network of cinemas is designed to involve customers in the program, encourage them to more actively use banking products of Sberbank, said representative of "Thank you from Sberbank": "we do not just give the program participants the opportunity to write off and accumulate bonuses, we want to use the program they can get new experience and impressions."