Macau, China, 13 Feb – Cirque du Soleil’s Zaia show at Sands China Ltd.’s Venetian Macao resort will close after its performance on Feb. 19, 3 1/2 years into a 10-year contract, and the casino operator said last week it will redesign the theater.
“Entertainment programming is an inexact science,” Ron Reese, vice president for communications at Sands China parent Las Vegas Sands Corp., said.
“Using Las Vegas as a benchmark, Zaia’s 3 1/2-year run should be deemed successful and provide strong support for the argument that the future of entertainment in Macau is on the right track” he said.
Average occupancy at the Zaia show in January was just 40%, according to a representative for the Canadiann company, whose productions have been popular in the West, particularly in the U.S.’s gambling capital Las Vegas.
The combined cost of creating the show and the custom-built theater for the Quebec Zaia entertainment company exceeded US$150 million, according to an August 2008 press release for the show’s premier.
“In view of the market trend and customer demand shown in the research we’ve conducted, the company will again be investing to redesign the theater,” said Gus Liem, Vice President of Entertainment at Sands China Ltd.(Macaunews/Tourism)
