BIG Cinemas, India’s largest cinema chain, has reopened ImaginAsian Theater in midtown New York as BIG Cinemas Manhattan.

After undergoing major renovations over the past months, the theater now features recliner seating, remodeled restrooms and an expanded lobby with an updated concession stand, as well as LCD screens and BARCO 2k digital projection in the auditorium.

“New York, with its fast-growing and prosperous population of Indians, is the epicenter of growth for us and we see considerable opportunity,” said Anil Arjun, CEO of Reliance MediaWorks, which operates the BIG Cinemas chain worldwide. New York has a large and affluent Asian Indian population of more than 300,000. The theatre will host several premier and specialty shows in keeping with its aim to provide distinguished programming.

BIG Cinemas has aggregated a network of over 188 screens in 27 theaters across the United States that screen Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi movie features, in addition to Hollywood fare. BIG Cinemas accounts for about 35% of Hindi films box-office revenue in the country, and over 75% of Tamil and Telugu box-office collection.

Worldwide, BIG Cinemas operates more than 515 screens in India, Malaysia, Nepa and the Netherlands in addition to the United States. The company was named “Entertainment Retailer of the Year” at the India Retail Forum 2009 and “International Exhibitor of the Year 2008” by CineAsia 2008 at Macau. (See Thinking BIG)