TABLE OF CONTENTS
Transcription
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGE OF THE C.E.O.s 4 DIGITAL CHALLENGE 10 MAJOR EVENTS WHICH MARKED UTOPIA IN 2004 13 MOVIES, MOMENTS & MORE 14 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 16 CONSOLIDATED ACTIVITY REPORT 18 REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 21 CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET 22 CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT 24 NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS 25 ACTIVITY REPORT 34 REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR 37 BALANCE SHEET 38 INCOME STATEMENT 40 NOTES TO ACCOUNTS 41 3 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (MESSAGE OF THE C.E.O.s Ladies and Gentlemen shareholders, UTOPIA SA in 2004 This year, we are particularly proud to present you with this annual report for 2004, as the reorganization efforts started in 2002 have • 3.873.398 tickets sold, a 12,11 % overall increase. largely paid off! Indeed, the Utopia Group has managed a 26,6 % increase of the consolidated net result in comparison to the 2003 figures. A judicious geographical repartition of the Group’s • 1.156.041 € of net consolidated result, a 26,6 % increase compared to 2003. • +14,6 % of growth in the number of visitors to our group in Belgium, while the global market progresses by a mere + 4 %. activities across 4 different countries has confirmed to be an efficient strategy. Evolution of the cinema market in 2004 The year has been enhanced by a strong growth in the French speaking markets, a slight increase in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as a decrease in the Netherlands. • 10 digital-cinema projectors installed at the principal sites allowing the group to place itself at the top of the technology evolution. Belgium: 4,7 % France: 12,00 % Luxembourg: The Netherlands: 7,52 % -10,40 % A winning strategy In the course of last year, we have witnessed a strong increase in the groups’ results in France, Luxembourg and Belgium. The consolidation of management structures as well as the investments into refurbishments in our cinemas in Belgium have, yet again, brought a + 14.6 % increase in the number of cinema patrons (compared to a mere 4 % growth in the national market). Opening Utopolis Almere In The Netherlands, on the other hand, the existing sites could The French site at Longwy, in the context of a 12 % national not help but suffer the consequences of a receding market growth, finally managed to put its mark on the region and (-10 %) in a morose economy. This unfavourable context showed a spectacular 32 % increase in attendance figures. Thus, somehow hampered the starting phase of cinemas opened to Utopolis Longwy has finally attained the attendance figures the public at the end of 2003 (Den Helder and Hengelo). While we always aimed for. the site at Den Helder met with a very promising first semester, it suffered from the unfavourable global outlook in the second The figures speak for themselves! half of the year, although it did well in continuing its evolution according to the site’s benchmarks. All these efforts have happily proved their value as the group As to the cinema in Hengelo, opened at the end of 2003 follow- sold 3 873 398 tickets (+12,11 %) in 2004, representing a total ing a partnership opportunity with a local exhibitor, Utopia turnover of € 36 161 650, which splits up as follows: was forced to acquire the entire company in order to make up for the local management’s shortcomings in dealing efficiently Belgium: with the somewhat strained evolution of the opening phase in France: an unfavourable economic context. Since then, the aspect and Luxembourg: logistics of the site have been reshaped and conformed to the The Netherlands: € 10 183 654 € 2 345 326 € 13 720 056 € 9 912 614 Utopolis concept and the venue was re-launched just ahead of the Christmas holidays. Bolstered by the restructuring efforts undertaken since 2002, the strong increase in Belgian and French performances, as In November, the Group also launched a new multiplex at well as an excellent result in Luxembourg, the consolidated Almere (8 screens, 2 244 seats) which, in the context of a result before tax on ordinary activities amounts to € 1 748 351 morose market, runs according to plan. (-14,4 %) - mainly due to an exceptional depreciation of good- As to the old cinema at Almere, it has been transformed into will in Hengelo for € 379,454. As to the consolidated net result, it an art-house-cinema, in collaboration with the local amounts to € 1 156 041 (+26,6 %). This result proves, once again, ‘Blechtrommel’ foundation and thanks to the assistance of that the geographic diversity of the group’s activities allows the city of Almere, the province of Flevoland and the European to take charge of the always penalizing start-up costs at new Community. venues (Den Helder, Hengelo, Almere), even in the event of a morose market. In Luxembourg, the group has pursued the renovation and systematic improvement of its cinemas. Thus, after a complete The operational cash flow, which amounts to 6,3 million re-looking of the Utopia cinemas in 2003, refurbishing works (+12,8 %) confirms our capacity to invest while maintaining have now started at the Utopolis Kirchberg multiplex. As of a coherent and consequent dividend policy. March 2005, this venue will present itself in new splendour, enabling it to duly celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2006. 5 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (MESSAGE OF THE C.E.O.s Into the future, with digital cinema Ever conscious of keeping abreast with its direct competitors when it comes to the evolution of our profession, Utopia Group decided, in 2004, to invest into digital cinema. Thus, 10 digital projectors were installed at the group’s four major venues, i.e. Utopolis Luxembourg, Mechelen, Turnhout and Almere. Thanks to these investments, Utopia is the first and currently the only European exhibitor able to ensure the entire career of a film in digital projection. This gives us a considerable advantage allowing us to react to market-specific opportunities. Thus, the Luxembourgish documentary ‘Heim ins Reich’, initially produced for a video-only release, was presented to the public in our theatres and proved to be the major surprise of the year 2004 in Luxembourg, by drawing no less than 25 000 spectators. The Group will continue to follow and evaluate the development of digital cinema and will definitely be ready to assume the ‘roll-out’ which is bound to come in the near future. Mid-term perspectives Despite an economic slump in the Dutch market, and taking into account the traditionally cyclical evolution of the movie trade, your Group continues to believe in the potential of this market, which is still largely underdeveloped, and it will pursue its development. Entrance Utopolis Mechelen (B) Construction of a new venue at Emmen (7 screens, 1300 seats) will start in March, with the opening planned for the end of the year. 20 000 Further projects in The Netherlands are currently being developed. NUMBER OF SEATS 18 000 In Belgium, an already well equipped territory, Utopia’s main efforts 16 000 are directed at the consolidation of the excellent performance 14 000 results and the increase in attendance figures of 2004. 12 000 10 000 8 000 6 000 Nederland 4 000 France 2 000 België 0 Luxemburg 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 In Luxembourg, a country with a traditionally very high attendance level, the aim for the years to come will be to keep up with the current high figures, to create growth by developing new services and activities, as well as increasing the overall quality level of our performance. And the Group still intends to install, as the right moment arrives, a new project in the country’s south. In France, the efforts will concentrate on the real estate development at the Longwy site, thus taking advantage of the economic renewal in the Longwy basin. In 2005, the Group will also pursue its global development of Nico Simon, C.E.O. Utopia SA additional activities and explore the new possibilities digital projection has opened in the ‘Business to Business’ sector. Utopia Group has largely proved its dynamics and its capability to assume a controlled and regular growth. The year 2005 will allow to confirm this policy by finding new ways of increasing the Group’s margins, its productivity and its profitability. Nico Simon Boudewijn Muts Boudewijn Muts, C.E.O. Utopia SA 7 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 KEY DATES TO UTOPIA’S SUCCESS STORY UTOPIA 1st semester 2003: Complete refurbishing of the Utopia 1988: Founding of UTOPIA SARL. theatres in Luxembourg. 1989: Opening of its first ‘artplex’ in Luxembourg City. September 26th 2003: Complete overhaul of Utopolis 1992: UTOPIA is one of the founding members of ‘Europa Mechelen (Belgium). Cinemas’, which actively promotes the exhibition of November 2003: Inauguration of Utopolis in Den Helder European non-national films in European cinemas. (The Netherlands). 1994: From SARL, the company status is changed into an December 2003: UTOPIA GROUP acquires a 50% participa- SA and obtains financial partnership with Luxempart and tion in ‘Space by Utopolis’ in Hengelo (The Netherlands). Kinepolis. February 2004: Closure of Ciné Cité in Luxembourg. December 1996: Opening of its first ‘Utopolis’ multiplex, August 2004: UTOPIA GROUP takes 100 % control of dedicated to cinema, leisure and entertainment. Utopolis Hengelo. 1999: UTOPIA acquires the Cinecity theatres in Belgium and September 2004: Sale of ’t Swaentje at Meppel (The takes a participation in Kinepolis Thionville. Netherlands). December 1999: Introduction on the Luxembourg stock October 2004: Start of first refurbishing phase at Utopolis exchange. Luxembourg. 2000: Kinepolis ends the partnership and UTOPIA October 2004: Installation of 10 digital projectors in terminates its participation in Kinepolis Thionville. theatres in Luxembourg, Mechelen, Turnhout and Almere, December 2000: UTOPIA acquires a 5 % share in the Dutch thus turning the UTOPIA GROUP into one of the leaders in Polyfilm group. the domain of digital development. 2001: Opening of Utopolis multiplex in Longwy, France. November 2004: Opening of Utopolis Almere (The Netherlands). POLYFILM December 2004: Transformation of the old Almere theatre 1981: Founding of Polyfilm BV (The Netherlands). into Ciné Utopia Almere (The Netherlands). 1982: Opening of its first cinema complex in Lelystad. 1984: Opening of its ‘Promenade Cinema’ in Zoetermeer. 1985: Opening of its ‘’t Swaentje’ complex in Meppel. 1994: Polyfilm opens ‘Cinemare’ in Almere. 1994: Polyfilm acquires the ‘Cinema Royal’ in Oss. 1998: The ‘Promenade Cinema’ in Zoetermeer is replaced by the ‘Movie Palace’. 2000: Polyfilm is acquired by Boudewijn Muts, Sofindev, Audiolux and UTOPIA. UTOPIA GROUP September 6th 2002: The two companies merge to form ‘UTOPIA GROUP’. November 2002: 2 screens are added to the Lelystad complex (The Netherlands). December 2002: Opening of Utopolis in Turnhout (Belgium). Utopolis Emmen When approaching the city from the south-west, the traveller finds himself all of a sudden, without transition, in the centre of this town. It is at this point that the new multiplex cinema will be the new entrance to the city. Driving towards the centre, one will be confronted with the most dramatic corner of the cinema: the diagonally down-sloping underside of the theatres that hovers of a pool of water. The building also boasts of an extremely characteristic volume thanks to the variation of the spaces and forms of the theatres, seven in all, positioned, efficiently, one next to the other and the projection boot is the central spine. The entire structure is covered in a tight white ‘skin’. The architects thus created a huge “rolling stone” which changes continuously in appearance with the help of video projections. Altering light - via the sun, the moon or their artificial variations - creates a cinematic effect. Situated in the space between the volume and the ground are the entrance hall, the refreshment area and the foyers to the individual theatres, thus creating a very light lobby with a splendid view over the adjacent countryside. Scale-model of the multiplex in Emmen March 1 , 2005 st Robert Alewijnse Peter Van der Schans DP6 architectuurstudio. 9 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 DIGITAL (THECHALLENGE THE DIGITAL CHALLENGE: MOVIES, DIGITAL AND MORE (TOP 10 In 2004, Utopia was one of the first groups in Europe to take an Top Ten Films shown at Utopia Complexes in The Netherlands in 2004 1. Harry Potter en de Gevangene van Azkaban 2. The Return of the King (The Lord of The Rings 3) 3. Shrek 2 4. Troy 5. The Day after Tomorrow 6. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason 7. Shark Tale 8. Brother Bear 9. The Last Samurai 10. The Incredibles option on the technical future of cinema which will be digital. This is a major challenge. Yes, the future of the cinema will be digital and by vigorously endorsing this new technology, without renouncing or neglecting the ‘argentic film-origins’, Utopia intends to position itself as a foreboding force in Europe. Today, some 50 digital projection units exist on the ‘old continent’, of which ten were installed by Utopia. In the Benelux countries, 22 theatres have been equipped with this new technology, which turns the territory (proportionally) into the best equipped in the world, thus making Utopia (10 projectors out of 22) into a major player. In its aim to participate in the film industry’s rapid progression toward digital, Utopia group’s digital project is not primarily aimed at a short term marketing advantage by installing a single digital projector at each site. In its initial phase, the main objective consists in installing several projectors at each of the group’s principal sites, thus allowing each digital print to have its entire exhibition career in the digital format and not being blocked in its best positioning, which is essential to the profitability of each cinema complex. Utopia group’s decision to go forward and to forego a large part of the industry’s endless discussions, was motivated by several arguments: • The quality of the 2k technology available today is equivalent if not superior to the 35mm prints delivered to theatres. • While all the other media have been switching over to digital for quite some time, cinema exhibition has desperately, anachronistically and paradoxically clung to analogue technology. Brad Pitt stars in Troy • Cinema will be digital, like it or not: thus it is of utmost importance to learn and to experiment in order to understand and master this new technology as quickly as possible. By joining in right from the beginning, Utopia will be able to participate in its future shape thanks to a learning and experimentation phase, in cooperation with digital developers and manufacturers. • To be prepared in every department for tomorrow’s technology, to be an active player in the field rather than be surpassed by the shape of things to come. • To present the cinema patron right here and now with the best available projection quality. • To explore and develop right now the new possibilities in revenue streams by offering alternative and diversified content: live broadcasting of sports events (ie. Euro 2004), concerts and opera (Jean-Michel Jarre, Aida, New Year’s Concert from Vienna), etc. • Commercially enhance and develop the rental of cinema screens (TOP 10 Top Ten Films shown at Utopia Cinemas in Luxembourg in 2004 1. Shrek 2 2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 3. Spiderman 2 4. The Day After Tomorrow 5. (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1 6. The Incredibles 7. Troy 8. Shark Tale 9. Brother Bear 10. Heim ins Reich for conferences and commercial presentations by substantially reducing the cost of multimedia presentation for the client, while at the same time increasing performance and flexibility. The Incredibles 11 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 DIGITAL (THECHALLENGE (TOP 10 Utopia Group sites currently equipped in digital projection: Top Ten Films shown at Utopia Complex in Longwy (France) in 2004 1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2. Shrek 2 3. Podium 4. Les Choristes 5. Les Rivières Pourpres 2 6. Le Jour d’Après 7. Les Indestructibles 8. Un long dimanche de fiançailles 9. Spiderman 2 10. Frère des Ours • UTOPOLIS Luxembourg (L) - 3 screens (projectors: 2 Barco DP100 1 Barco DP30 - 3 EVS servers) • UTOPOLIS Mechelen (B) 2 screens (projectors: Barco DP 100-servers: EVS) • UTOPOLIS Turnhout (B) 2 screens (projectors: Barco DP 100-servers: EVS) • UTOPOLIS Almere (NL) 3 screens (projectors: Barco DP 100-servers: EVS) Films thus far presented in digital format: • MALABAR PRINCESSE (L) • THE INCREDIBLES (B - L - NL) • NATIONAL TREASURE (B - L - NL) ∑• K3 EN DE MAGISCHE MEDAILLON (B - NL) ∑• PLUK EN DE PETTEFLET (NL) • SARABAND (B - L) ∑• HEIM INS REICH (L) ∑• CONSTANTINE (B - L) • ROBOTS (B-L) Alternative content presented in HD digital format: • EURO 2004 (L - NL) • CONCERT JEAN-MICHEL JARRE (L - F [in HD VIDEO]) • AÏDA (B - L - F [in HD VIDEO]) • NEW YEAR’S CONCERT FROM VIENNA (B - NL) • CONCERT SIOEN (B - NL) Spiderman II MAJOR EVENTS WHICH MARKED UTOPIA IN 2004 • January 1st 2004: Live high definition broadcast of the Vienna New year’s Concert to Utopolis Mechelen (B) • February 2004: Closure of Ciné Cité in Luxembourg • June 2004: Live high definition broadcast of 2004 European Soccer Cup games to Utopolis in Luxembourg and The Netherlands • August 2004: Utopia Group acquires the outstanding 50 % shares of Utopolis Hengelo (NL), thus taking control of the company at a full 100 % • September 30th 2004: Sale of the ’t Swaentje Cinema at Meppel (NL), a two-screen theatre which was no longer in accordance with the company’s strategy • October 2004: Start of initial refurbishing phase at Utopolis (TOP 10 Top Ten Films shown at Utopia Complexes in Belgium in 2004 1. Shrek 2 2. Troy 3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 4. Garfield 5. The Day After Tomorrow 6. The Last Samurai 7. Brother Bear 8. Shark Tale 9. The Village 10. King Arthur Luxembourg • October 27th 2004: Reopening, after refurbishing, of Utopolis Lommel (B) • October-November 2004: Installation of 10 digital projectors at 4 major sites (Utopolis in Luxembourg, Mechelen, Turnhout and Almere), which makes Utopia Group one of the European leaders in the domain of digital projection development • November 12th 2004: Opening of Utopolis Almere (NL) • December 2004: Opening of Ciné Utopia Almere (NL), transformed into an ‘art-house-cinema’, in cooperation with the local ‘Blechtrommel’ foundation, the City of Almere, the Province of Flevoland, and subsidized by the European Community • December 23rd 2004: Re-opening of the Hengelo site under the Utopolis Hengelo banner (NL) • January 1st 2005: Live high definition broadcast of the Vienna New year’s Concert to Utopolis Mechelen (B) and Utopolis Hilde Van Mieghem (De Kus) at the Ladies Night in Mechelen Almere (NL) 13 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (MOVIES MOMENTS & MORE MOVIES, MOMENTS & MORE An innovative concept to reflect the spirit of the new group The new group is aware of the necessity to create its very own and distinctive corporate identity. This has lead to ‘Movies, Moments & More’, an innovative concept developed by our marketing teams in the four countries, and designed to perfectly reflect the new commercial strategies of UTOPIA GROUP. MOVIES • The ultimate in motion and sound technology • Vast parking spaces, comfort and safety ∑• 93 screens in 15 sites throughout 13 cities • ever expanding activities MOMENTS • Every visit is a moment of total pleasure • The atmosphere is particularly welcoming • Passion, emotion and magic are always present MORE • The cinema offers special events (festivals, film-societies, educational screenings, etc.) • The cinema complexes are accessible on a regular basis to corporations for business events • The group reminds entirely open to other business opportunities NUMBER OF VISITORS 4 500 000 4 000 000 Nederland 3 500 000 France 3 000 000 België 2 500 000 Luxemburg 2 000 000 1 500 000 1 000 000 500 000 0 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 THE SITES OF UTOPIA GROUP THROUGHOUT 4 COUNTRIES AS OF DECEMBER 31ST 2004 The sites of UTOPIA GROUP throughout 4 countries Belgium 11 1 Utopolis, Aarschot 5 screens 970 seats 2 Utopolis, Lommel 5 screens 706 seats 3 Utopolis, Mechelen 11 screens 2126 seats 4 Utopolis, Turnhout 8 screens 1827 seats 7 screens 1330 seats 10 screens 2693 seats 5 screens 661 seats 1 screen 267 seats Utopolis, Almere 8 screens 2244 seats 10 Ciné Utopia, Almere 11 Utopolis, Den Helder 4 screens 467 seats 6 screens 778 seats 12 Utopolis, Hengelo 13 Utopolis, Lelystad 5 screens 834 seats 5 screens 552 seats 14 Utopolis, Oss 15 Utopolis, Zoetermeer 5 screens 822 seats 8 screens 1247 seats 16 Utopolis, Emmen 7 screens 1300 seats 16 13 9 10 12 France 5 Utopolis, Longwy 15 14 Luxembourg 4 2 6 7 Utopolis, Luxembourg City 8 Ariston, Esch/Alzette Cine Utopia, Luxembourg City 3 1 The Netherlands 9 5 8 6 7 Opening planned in Fall 2005 15 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nico SIMON (born in 1952) joins the film-society-movement as • Nico SIMON, Chief Executive Officer Utopia SA early as 1969 and becomes rapidly one of its thriving forces. After initial university studies in human sciences, he pursues his forma- • Boudewijn MUTS, Chief Executive Officer Utopia SA tion as a language-teacher and works in that profession for over fifteen years. During this time-period, he pursues his passion in • Luc NOTHUM, (Director) - Director cinema and is an active force behind the creation, in 1983, of the • Alain HUBERTY, (Director) - Legal Counsel Utopia cinema, as well as championing the re-opening and/or the • AUDIOLUX, (Director) represented by new creation of regional cinemas. Internationally, he is a founding- Jean-François VRYENS, - Director of member and the current vice-president of the EUROPA-CINEMAS companies network. Since September 1991, he has been a full-time manager • SOFINDEV NV, (Director) represented by Ghislain THIJS - Director of Companies for Utopia SARL. When the SARL was transformed into an SA, he became its Chief Executive Officer. • UTOPIA MANAGEMENT, (Director) represented by Christian KMIOTEK - Boudewijn MUTS (born in 1963), holds a master degree in Director of Companies Sociology. He started his business career as management consultant. From 1994 to December 2000, he works for the Kinepolis Group, where he holds the post of General Business Director. He has been on the board of Directors of Utopia SA since 1996. In 2000, he takes over the Dutch exhibitor Polyfilm. He becomes Chief Executive Officer of Utopia SA at the occasion of the merger with Polyfilm in September 2002. Luc NOTHUM (born in 1958) has been member of the initial Utopia founding-team since 1978. In 1989, he becomes a founding member of Utopia SARL and has been a Director for Utopia SA since its inception in 1994. Today, he is part of the management team as counsellor. Alain HUBERTY (born in 1967) is assistant-manager for Le Foyer Insurance group. He is a Director in companies for the ‘Le Foyer’ and ‘Luxempart’ groups. He holds a master degree in business Board of directors UTOPIA GROUP law from the faculty at Aix-en-Provence and is a bachelor of the London School of Economics. AUDIOLUX of financing for international co-productions. Besides teaching In its quality as Director of Utopia SA, Audiolux is represented at the University of Luxembourg, he has also developed and by Jean-François Vryens. is managing several training programs for European business managers, among others in film finance and marketing. Jean-François Vryens (born in 1971), is currently Senior Investment Manager for Indufin SA, a Belgian investment company CURRENT AFFAIRS specialising in private equity and a subsidiary of the ‘Luxem- Part of the current affairs and operations for Utopia SA are part’ and ‘De Eik’ groups. He is in charge of investment follow- managed by Utopia Management SA, via a management up and acts as Director on the board of several companies: contract concluded with the company. In accordance with this Bartech, TDS-ACIOR, All-TAG, Karl Hugo, Utopia, etc. contract, several functions - i.e. supervision of daily administration, quality control, strategic proposals to SOFINDEV the Board of Directors, project development - are managed by In its quality as Director of Utopia SA, Sofindev is represented a team of Utopia Management SA collaborators, under the joint by Ghislain Thijs. supervision of the company’s managing directors Nico Simon and Boudewijn Muts. In their quality as managing directors, Ghislain THIJS (born in 1956) is licensed in economical sciences they supervise the daily operations of all companies in the and holds a master degree in Accounting and Auditing exper- Utopia group. tise. He started his career in 1979 as an assistant at Limburg University (Belgium). In 1983, he joined PriceWaterhouse as FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Senior Auditor. Between 1987 and 1990, he was administrative With the continuing growth in mind, the company reinforced and financial manager for Avery, an American multinational its management with a new financial director. which owns several branches in Belgium. From 1991, he was Senior Investment Manager at Mosane, a Belgian investment Peter Louwagie (born in 1971) joined Utopia as Financial company, which is listed on the Stock exchange and is part of Director in April 2004. Before joining Utopia, he worked the Cobepa group. He joined Advent/Sofindev as Investment from 1997 until April 2004 within the audit department of Director in 1998 and represents Sofindev as a Director in several PricewaterhouseCoopers, promoted Senior Manager in companies in which it participates. July 2002. He started his career as tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. UTOPIA MANAGEMENT Peter Louwagie holds a master degree in Applied Economics In its quality as Director of Utopia SA, Utopia Management is (Commercial Engineer) from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, represented by Christian Kmiotek. a master degree in Tax (‘Maîtrise en Gestion Fiscale’) from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a Certificate of specialisation Christian KMIOTEK (born in 1960)is a partner and chief finan- in Accounting and Auditing from Hautes Etudes Commerciales cial officer of Samsa Film Group, which operates in Luxemburg, Liège. He was member of the Belgian Institute of Certified Belgium and France. In this function, he accompanies the set up Accountants (IBR) from June 2001 until he joined Utopia. 17 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 CONSOLIDATED (ACTIVITY REPORT CONSOLIDATED ACTIVITY REPORT Market tendencies In 2004, Utopia Group sold 3.873.398 cinema tickets, a total increase of 12,11 %. On an equivalent basis to 2003, the total attendance figures have increased by 5,75 %. In the Luxembourg sites, admissions rose to 1,3 million, i.e. +5,6 %. On equivalent basis to 2003, i.e. not taking into account the figures for Ciné Cité (closed in February 2004), admissions rose by 9,3 %. Première ‘The Incredibles’ in Almere (NL) The Belgian sites outperformed compared to their national market with an increase to 1,2 million visitors (+ 14,6 %) compared to Company structure UTOPIA GROUP as of December 31st 2004 +4,7 % for the national market. ������ �������������������� �������� ����������� ��������������� ������� ��������������� ��������������� ������� ������� ������ ������� ��������� ������� ����������� ������� ������������������� ������� ������ ���������� ����� ����������������� ������ ���������� ���������������� ��������� ������������������� ������� ����������� ���������������� ������� ������������������� ������ ���������� ������� ������������ ����� ����� ���������������� ����������� ������ ���������� �������������������� ������� �������� ������� �������� ������� ������� ���������������������� ����� ����� ����� ����� ����� ������������������� ������������������ ������� �������� ������� �������� �������������������� ��������������� ������� �������� ������� �������� ���������������������� ������������������� ������� �������� ������� �������� ���������������� ������������������ ������� �������� ������� �������� ���� ���������������������� ������� ����������� ����� ����� CONSOLIDATED (ACTIVITY REPORT Utopolis Longwy also outperformed its national market by € 9,35 million. This decrease is due to the high level of investments welcoming 300.485 spectators, i.e. an increase by 32,0 % in 2004. Indeed, Utopia invested € 9,4 million in new projects and compared to +12,0 % for the whole of France. in refurbishments. The largest part (€ 6,5 million) was financed out of the available cash and the operational cash flow. The existing Dutch sites were joined by a new complex at Almere (8 screens, 2.244 seats), whilst the existing theatre in Almere was Taking into account the investments for the launch of the rebranded to ‘Ciné Utopia Almere’ in cooperation with the local four new sites, the group’s net debt amounts to € 21,5 million art-house foundation ‘Blechtrommel’ and supported by local and (€ 17,3 million in 2003) and its equity/total liabilities ratio to European authorities. 44,3 % (46,8 % in 2003). Utopia Group also bought the remaining 50 % shares in Activities ‘Bioscooponderneming Bellevue bv’ and renamed it ‘Utopolis In 2004, Utopia focussed primarily on the launching of the Hengelo’. new house-style ‘Movies, Moments & More’, developed for the integration of the group throughout the different territories. Thus the total number of visitors of our sites in the Netherlands Management also concentrated on the opening of the new site went up by 12,8 %, with a total number of 1.112.236 tickets sold. in Almere as well as on the conversion of the old Almere site to a On an equivalent basis to 2003 however, attendance figures at ‘Ciné Utopia’. Furthermore your group dealt with the purchase the sites in The Netherlands dropped by 12,6 % in line with a total of the remaining 50 % of the shares of ‘Bioscooponderneming market decrease. Bellevue bv’ and the restructuring of its Hengelo site. Financial Results As indicated in last year’s Activity Report, Utopia took a leading The consolidated turnover for the year amounts to € 36,1 million, position in the technological evolution of the exhibition a 16,8 % increase compared to the previous year’s € 30,9 million. industry. Indeed, Utopia invested in the installation of Moreover turnover increased in all territories (France +36,2 %, 10 digital projectors spread over its main sites (Luxembourg, Belgium +21,0 %, the Netherlands + 6,1 %, Luxembourg + 25,1 %). Mechelen, Turnhout and Almere). Thus the company is prepared to take swift advantage from the technological The group’s net profit showed a 26,6 % increase to € 1 156 041 changes the film exhibition industry is going through. compared to € 913.104 in 2003. The spread of activities over 4 countries once again proved This positive result was obtained in a year that was marked by to be strategically efficient. Good performances in some the launching cost of four new sites (Utopolis Almere, Ciné Utopia territories outbalance weaker performances in others. Almere, Utopolis Den Helder and Utopolis Hengelo). Perspectives The group’s consolidated net cash-flow amounts to € 6,3 million In Luxembourg, Utopia Group will focus on the further develop- against € 5,6 million in 2003 and thus increases by 12,8 %. The ment and improvement of its two major sites, Ciné Utopia available cash dropped to € 6,72 million compared to last year’s Limpertsberg and Utopolis Kirchberg, preparing the latter for its 19 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 CONSOLIDATED (ACTIVITY REPORT 10th anniversary in 2006. Furthermore, the group will closely follow the developments of the Belval-Ouest industrial site in order to be able to finalize at the right time its long going project of a new multiplex in the southern part of the Grand-Duchy. In The Netherlands, the group will pursue its expansion plans with the construction of a new site in Emmen (7 screens, 1300 seats) with opening planned in Fall 2005. Furthermore Dutch management will be reorganised in order to cope more efficiently with the companies’ growth in this territory. In Belgium, the group plans to adapt the existing site in Aarschot to its technical and comfort standards and to consolidate its trendsetting position. In Longwy, France, after having reached the objectives in terms of visitors after only three years, all efforts will now be concentrated on developing the commercial activities linked to the real-estate potential of the site, thus taking advantage of a more dynamic launching of the general development of the region. Groupwise, Utopia will continue to develop ancillary activities using the possibilities of its digital equipment. New programs will be brought to the public and new revenue streams will be created, without, however losing focus on our core business. Action ‘Mini’ in Luxembourg Thus the group will be even better equipped to respond efficiently to the expectations of its various audiences, as well as to the profitability expectations of its shareholders. The board of directors Luxembourg, March 3, 2005. REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR To the Shareholders of Utopia SA Following our appointment by the General Meeting of Shareholders dated March 25, 2004, we have audited the accompanying consolidated accounts of Utopia SA and its subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2004 and have read the related consolidated management report. These consolidated accounts and the consolidated management report are the responsibility of the Board of Directors. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated accounts based on our audit and to check the consistency of the consolidated management report with them. We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated accounts are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated accounts. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall consolidated accounts presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated accounts give, in conformity with the Luxembourg legal and regulatory requirements, a true and fair view of the consolidated financial position of Utopia SA and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2004 and of the consolidated results of their operations for the year then ended.The consolidated management report is in accordance with the consolidated accounts. PricewaterhouseCoopers SARL Luxembourg, March 8, 2005 Réviseur d’entreprises Represented by Luc Henzig 21 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET ASSETS 2004 2003 9 303 303 47 945 19 304 9 236 054 10 217 099 49 718 22 759 10 144 622 48 676 201 38 381 501 6 702 542 2 626 716 965 442 41 926 079 34 586 318 6 112 185 483 044 744 532 Deferred tax assets Deferred tax assets 371 639 371 639 180 222 180 222 Financial assets Loans to affiliated undertakings Own shares Other financial assets 142 710 0 112 816 29 894 303 529 147 500 112 816 43 213 58 493 853 52 626 929 203 646 203 646 226 331 226 331 Trade and other receivables Trade receivables Other receivables 2 621 938 1 181 207 1 440 731 2 424 249 1 289 678 1 134 571 Cash at bank and in hand 6 719 708 9 348 540 516 208 95 660 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 10 061 500 12 094 780 TOTAL BALANCE 68 555 353 64 721 709 Non-Current Assets Intangible Assets Formation expenses Concessions, patents, licences Goodwill Property, plant and equipment Land and buildings Plant and machinery Furniture, fittings, tools and equipment Advances paid on tangible assets and tangibleassets under construction TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS Current Assets Inventories Finished goods and goods for resale Shark Tale Deferred charges and accrued income EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 2004 2003 Issued capital 5 826 975 5 826 975 Share premium 20 588 973 20 588 973 2 767 913 357 924 964 487 112 816 1 598 839 -266 153 2 960 933 331 859 799 287 112 816 2 126 843 -409 872 0 110 29 183 861 29 376 991 1 156 041 913 104 1 310 041 672 892 637 149 961 075 296 883 664 192 829 163 829 163 519 187 519 187 Amounts due and payable after more than one year Amounts due to credit institutions Other financial debts 24 512 395 23 697 027 815 368 24 294 610 24 207 912 86 698 TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 26 651 599 25 774 872 10 155 236 3 323 128 423 395 5 393 067 1 015 646 8 519 604 2 434 069 37 707 4 538 926 1 508 902 1 408 616 137 138 TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 11 563 852 8 656 742 TOTAL BALANCE 68 555 353 64 721 709 Captital and reserves Reserves Legal reserve Special reserve Reserve for own shares Other reserves Retained earnings Minority interests TOTAL CAPITAL AND RESERVES NET RESULT FOR THE YEAR Non-Current Liabilities Provisions for liabilities and charges Provision for taxation Other provisions Deferred tax liabilities Deferred tax liabilities Current Liabilities Amounts due and payable within one year Amounts due to credit institutions Other financial debts Trade payables Other payables, including tax and social security Accrued charges and deferred income 23 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 INCOME (CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT 2004, 2003 , Net turnover 36 161 650 30 964 492 1 694 15 681 367 063 1 687 619 -20 668 080 -17 579 525 15 862 327 15 088 267 wages and salaries -5 214 053 -4 827 732 social security costs -1 130 867 -897 080 and tangible and intangible fixed assets -5 061 496 -4 683 868 Other operating charges -1 644 913 -1 676 533 51 153 64 590 Interest payable and similar charges -1 113 800 -1 024 574 Profit on ordinary activities 1 748 351 2 043 070 Tax on profit on ordinary activities -926 886 -1 169 662 821 465 873 408 Extraordinary income 514 611 86 961 Extraordinary charges -21 933 -34 195 Extraordinary profit 492 678 52 766 Tax on extraordinary profit -158 102 -13 070 Profit for the financial year 1 156 041 913 104 Change in inventory for finished goods Other operating income Other external charges Gross profit Staff costs Value adjustments in respect of formation expenses Other interest receivable and similar income Profit on ordinary activities after taxation Ladies Night - Mechelen (B) NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS dispositions of the European Community’s VIIth Directive on consolidation into Luxembourg law. NOTE 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION The consolidated financial statements are presented in Euros. Utopia S.A. (‘the Company’) and its subsidiaries (together ‘the Group’) have as its main objective the purchase, the sale, the dis- 2.2 Consolidation principles tribution, the renting, the projection and the production of movies a) Subsidiaries as well as the rendering of all kind of services or other commercial, Subsidiaries are those companies controlled by the Group. financial and property operations which can be related directly Control exists when the Company has the power, directly or or indirectly to the main objective. The Group operates cinemas in indirectly to govern the financial and operational policies of Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Belgium and France. an enterprise, accompanying a shareholding of more than 50 % of the voting rights. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated The Company has been incorporated on 29 December 1988 as a from the date that control effectively commences until the date private limited liability company (‘société à responsabilité lim- that control effectively ceases. itée’) and has been transformed into a public limited company (‘société anonyme’) by an Extaordinary Shareholders’ Meeting The following subsidiaries are fully consolidated: held on 10 February 1994. The Company is listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The Board of Directors has approved the consolidated financial statements for issuance on March 3, 2005. NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless stated otherwise. 2.1 Basis of preparation Name and registered office Capital fraction held by UTOPIA SA Total UTOPIA BELGIUM SA 5, Spuibeekstraat B-2800 Mechelen 99,99 % 100 % UTOPOLIS BELGIUM NV 5, Spuibeekstraat B-2800 Mechelen UTOPOLIS LONGWY SAS Avenue de Saintignon F-54401 Longwy Cedex 100 % 99,99 % UTOPIA NEDERLAND BEHEER BV Dukkaatpassage 33, 100 % NL - 8200 AA Lelystad 100 % 100 % The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Luxembourg legal and regulatory requirements Intercompany transactions, balances and unrealised gains on and especially with the law of 11 July 1988, translating the transactions between group companies are eliminated. 25 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 NOTES TO ( CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS b) Associates Associates are those enterprises in which the Group has significant influence, but not control, over the financial and operating policies. The consolidated financial statements include the Group’s share of the total recognized gains and losses of associates on an equity accounting basis, from the date that significant influence effectively commences until the date that significant influence effectively ceases. When the Group’s share of losses exceeds the carrying amount of the associate, the carrying amount is reduced to nil and recognition of further losses is discontinued except to the extent that the Group has incurred obligations in respect of the associate. At the closing date there are no such participations. c) Joint Ventures A joint venture is an enterprise that is jointly controlled by the Company or one of its subsidiaries together with a third party. Joint ventures are incorporated in the Group’s consolidated financial statements using the proportionate consolidation by means of recognising the Group’s share of the assets that it controls jointly, the Group’s share of the liabilities for which it is jointly responsible and includes the Group’s share of the income and expenses of the joint venture. Jazzsinger Madeline Bell at Ray in Concert (NL) At the closing date, Cine Utopia Almere VOF has been consolidated by the proportionate method. 2.3 Foreign currency translation During the year, transactions, income and expenses expressed in currencies other than Euro are translated into Euro at the exchange rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. At the end of the year, assets and liabilities expressed in currencies other than Euro are translated into Euro at the exchange rate prevailing at the end of the financial year. Exchange losses resulting from those conversions are recorded Land is not depreciated as it is deemed to have an infinite life. in the profit and loss account. The tangible assets under construction or advances paid for the 2.4 Intangible assets acquisition of tangible assets are not depreciated. a) Formation expenses Formation expenses are recorded in the balance sheet at When the Group considers that a tangible asset is subject to a cost less accumulated amortisation. Formation expenses are permanent value adjustment, an extraordinary depreciation is amortized using the straight-line method over a period of recorded in order to reflect this impairment. 5 years and capitalised costs related to the capital increases over a period of 3 years. The double-declining depreciation method applied for certain assets at the Belgian subsidiary Utopolis Belgium NV b) Goodwill is reprocessed in consolidation, in order to keep the same Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquisition over method in the companies of the consolidation perimeter, i.e the share capital and reserves quota of the companies held the straight-line method. There was a deferred tax calculation after application of the Group’s valuation rules. on this reprocessing. Goodwill is amortized using the straight-line method over its 2.6 Financial assets estimated useful life. Goodwill is generally amortized over 10 Financial assets are valued at the lower of acquisition cost (acqui- years. Goodwill arising on the acquisition of Utopia Nederland sition charges included) or net realisable value determined with Beheer BV (previously Polyfilm Group) is amortized over 20 years. prudence and good faith by the Board of Directors on the basis of the last available financial statements on the balance sheet date. 2.5 Property, Plant and Equipment All property, plant and equipment is recorded at historical cost 2.7 Inventories less accumulated depreciations. Cost includes the purchase Inventories are valued individually at the lower of cost and net price and other direct acquisition costs less the grants or realizable value. subsidies received. If deemed necessary, additional value adjustments are recorded in order to take into account the obsolescence of the elements Tangible assets are depreciated using the straight-line method composing the inventories. over the estimated useful life of the assets. The rates used are as 2.8 Trade and other receivables follows: Trade and other receivables are carried at their nominal value Buildings 4% - 20 % less impairment losses. An estimate is made for doubtful Plant and machinery 10 % - 33 % receivables based on a review of all outstanding amounts at Fixtures and fittings, tools and equipment 8% - 33 % year-end. Bad debts are written off during the year in which they are identified. 27 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 NOTES TO ( CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS 2.9 Trade and other payables Trade and other payables are stated at cost. 2.10 Provisions for liabilities and charges Provisions are recognized in the balance sheet when a Group company has a present obligation as a result of a past event; it is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and a reliable estimate of the amount of the obligation can be made. The amount recognized as a provision is the best estimate of the expenditure required to settle the present obligation at the balance sheet date. 2.11 Finance leases Leases of property, plant and equipment where a Group company assumes substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership are classified as finance leases. Finance leases are capitalized at the value of the lease payments at inception of the lease, less accumulated depreciation. Each lease payment is allocated between the liability and finance charges. The corresponding rental obligations are included in other financial debts. The interest element is charged to the income statement as a finance charge over the lease period. 2.12 Deferred taxes Deferred tax is provided for all temporary differences arising between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying values Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban for financial reporting purposes. Currently enacted tax rates are used to determine deferred income tax. A deferred tax is recognized only to the extent that it is probable that the future taxable profits will be available against which the asset can be utilized. A deferred tax asset is reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that the related tax benefit will be realized. NOTE 3 – FORMATION EXPENSES Gross value Beginning of the year Additions New consolidations at December 31, 2004 2004 644 908 0 16 500 661 408 Depreciation Beginning of the year Depreciation of the year at December 31, 2004 595 190 18 273 613 463 Net book value at December 31, 2004 47 945 Net book value at December 31, 2003 49 718 NOTE 4 – CONCESSIONS PATENTS LICENCES Gross value Beginning of the year Additions at December 31, 2004 2004 29 898 0 29 898 Depreciation Beginning of the year 7 139 Depreciation of the year 3 455 at December 31, 2004 10 594 Net book value at December 31, 2004 19 304 Net book value at December 31, 2003 22 759 Eddie Murphy as Donkey in Shrek II 29 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 NOTES TO ( CONSOLIDATED NOTE 5 – GOODWILL ACCOUNTS Gross value 2004 Beginning of the year 12 101 941 Additions 174 997 At December 31, 2004 12 276 938 Depreciation Beginning of the year 1 957 319 Depreciation of the year 1 083 565 At December 31, 2004 3 040 884 Net book value At December 31, 2004 9 236 054 At December 31, 2003 10 144 622 NOTE 6 – TANGIBLE ASSETS TANGIBLE ASSETS Land and buildings Plant and Machinery Other fixtures and fittings, tools and equipment Advances paid on tangible assets and tangible assets under construction Total Gross value At the beginning of the year 48 622 713 16 241 879 2 135 885 807 211 67 807 688 Additions 5 041 275 2 295 573 1 790 857 234 832 9 362 537 Disposals -549 549 -493 620 -764 230 -62 679 -1 870 078 Transfers -203 245 -2 814 690 3 017 935 0 0 Change in consolidation permeter 1 843 748 278 464 23 705 0 2 145 917 54 754 942 15 507 606 6 204 152 979 364 77 446 064 14 036 395 10 129 694 1 652 841 62 679 25 881 609 2 300 427 1 154 195 487 659 13 922 3 956 203 Disposals 0 -351 264 -742 793 -62 679 -1 156 736 Transfers -19 347 -2 150 512 2 169 859 0 0 55 966 22 951 9 870 0 88 787 16 373 441 8 805 064 3 577 436 13 922 28 769 863 At December 31, 2004 38 381 501 6 702 542 2 626 716 965 422 48 676 201 At December 31, 2003 34 586 318 6 112 185 483 044 744 532 41 926 079 At December 31, 2004 Depreciation Beginning of the year Depreciation of the year Change in consolidation perimeter At December 31, 2004 Net book value NOTE 7 – SUBSCRIBED CAPITAL At year-end the subscribed capital amounts to € 5 826 975 and is represented by 1 165 395 shares without nominal value. The authorised capital equals € 8 956 835. NOTE 8 – LEGAL RESERVE The Company is required to transfer a minimum of 5 % of its net profit for each financial year to a legal reserve. This requirement ceases to be necessary once the balance of the legal reserve Cameron Diaz as Fiona in Shrek II reaches 10 % of the issued share capital. The legal reserve is not available for distribution except in the case of the liquidation year 2001 of the Company. NOTE 9 – SPECIAL RESERVE: NETWORTH TAX year 2002 net worth tax € 55 964 allocation € 279 822 net worth tax € 38 785 allocation € 193 925 net worth tax € 33 040 allocation € 165 200 Until December 31, 2001, the special reserve has been constituted based on article 174bis of the corporate tax law of December 23 year 2003 1997. The reserve amounts to five times the annual net worth tax deducted from the corporate income tax and is not distributable for five years subsequent to the year in which The total amounts to € 964 487 as at December 31, 2004. the deduction was made. As from January 1, 2002 on, the Company reduced the net worth tax liability in accordance with the new tax law in force. In order to comply with the law, the Company decided to allocate under special reserve an amount that corresponds to five times the amount of reduction of the net worth tax. This reserve is non-distributable for a period of five years from the year fol- NOTE 10 – RESERVE FOR OWN SHARES During the year 2002, the Company has acquired own shares for an amount of € 112 816. According to the law, the Company has build up a reserve for own shares for the same amount. NOTE 11 – OTHER PROVISIONS lowing the one during which the net worth tax was reduced. At 31 December 2004, other provisions can be detailed as follows: year 1999 net worth tax € 23 964 allocation € 119 819 2004 2003 Provision for tax dispute 365 643 365 643 Other provisions 271 506 298 549 637 149 664 192 Eddie Murphy as Donkey in Shrek II year 2000 net worth tax € 41 144 allocation € 205 721 31 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 NOTES TO ( CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS NOTE 12 – AMOUNTS DUE AND PAYABLE AFTER • Other extraordinary income for an amount of € 9 023. MORE THAN ONE YEAR • Other extraordinary charges for an amount of € -21 933. Amounts due to credit institutions repayable after more than NOTE 16 - REMUNERATIONS PAID TO THE BODIES OF THE GROUP one year amount to € 23 697 027 including € 12 406 710 reimbursable after 5 years. Other creditors repayable after more than one year amount No remuneration was allocated to the administrative bodies of to € 815 368 and are reimbursable before 5 years. the Group. The Group has not granted any advances or credits or guaran- NOTE 13 – NET TURNOVER tees to the members of the bodies of the Group. The net turnover can be detailed as follows: 2004 2003 23 213 479 20 689 564 • Turnover on consumption 7 759 753 6880 246 • Turnover stores rent 1 026 710 856 438 • Turnover advertising 1 364 295 1 330 803 • Turnover others 2 797 413 1 207 441 36 161 650 30 964 492 • Turnover movies NOTE 17 – OFF BALANCE SHEET COMMITMENTS Guarantees Utopia SA has granted to several financial institutions mortgages on land and buildings leased or owned by the company as a guarantee for three loans with a total outstanding principal amount of € 4 607 730 on December 31, 2004. Utopolis Belgium SA and Utopia Belgium SA have granted to NOTE 14 – STAFF EMPLOYED BY THE GROUP ING Bank Belgium a mortgage on the land and buildings in Turnhout belonging to both companies for a total amount of At December 31, 2004, the Group employed in average 91 full € 500 000. Furthermore, both companies have granted a time staff and 218 part time staff. mandate for a mortgage to ING Bank Belgium for an amount of € 8 100 000 on the land and buildings in Turnhout as well as a mandate to pledge the goodwill (fonds de commerce) of NOTE 15 – EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS Utopolis Belgium SA for a total amount of € 500 000. With respect to these loans, Utopia SA has also granted a joint The extraordinary results represented by a gain of € 492 678 and several guarantee to ING Bank Belgium for the reimburse- primarily consists of : ment of the above-mentioned loans. This guarantee amounts • Gain of € 389 760 realised following the proportionate con to € 1 200 000 and will expire on March 15, 2005. solidation of our joint venture in the Netherlands. • Gain realised on the sale of the assets of our theatre in Meppel (the Netherlands) for an amount of € 115 828. The advances granted by Utopia Belgium SA have been subordinated to the loans of ING Bank Belgium mentioned above for a total amount of € 1 000 000 and this until entire reimbursement of the loans of ING Bank Belgium. These guarantees have been granted with respect to two been granted to Rabobank Almere in order to guarantee a loan loans of Utopolis Belgium SA for a total outstanding principal with an outstanding principal amount of € 770 000 as per De- amount of € 8 156 671 as per December 31, 2004. cember 31, 2004. Utopolis Hengelo granted to Rabobank Hengelo Utopolis Belgium SA has granted to ING Bank Belgium a a mortgage of € 2 900 000 on the building in Hengelo to cover mortgage on its land and buildings in Aarschot and Mechelen several loans contracted in relation to the building and equip- for a total amount of € 1 184 931 and a pledge on its goodwill ment of this site. The outstanding principal amount on december (fonds de commerce) for a total amount of € 1 358 456 as well 31, 2004 equals € 2 542 820. Furthermore, a pledge on the equip- as a mandate for a mortgage of € 1 239 467, and a mandate to ment and on the receivables of the company has been granted pledge the goodwill (fonds de commerce) of the company for to the same financial institution. Utopia Nederland BV has given a an amount of € 1 239 467. These guarantees have been granted bank guarantee of € 500 000 to Rabobank Hengelo to guarantee with respect to two loans with a total outstanding principal the above-mentioned loans. amount of € 898 615 as per December 31, 2004 and a permanent credit-line of € 123 950 unused as per December 31, 2004. Commitments Utopolis Nederland Beheer BV has also the following commitments: Utopolis Longwy SAS guarantees the rent payment for the land With the renter of the building in Den Helder is agreed that invest- to the District of Longwy for an amount of € 100 000. That ments of € 450 000 in the interior of the cinema will be settled by amount is blocked on a bank account of the Company. means of 6 yearly rent increases. Utopia SA guarantees the reimbursement of the loan of The rental obligation with respect to the new cinema Utopolis € 3 900 000 contracted by its subsidiary Utopolis Longwy SAS Almere amounts to € 907 560 per year starting from 2004 until with Dexia BIL. This guarantee expires on December 31, 2013. 2014. The Dutch companies also guarantee rent-contracts for a The amount of the guarantee is reduced after each reimburse- total amount of € 442 894. ment. Utopolis Longwy SAS has granted a mortgage on the Longwy building; the outstanding principal amount of that In view of its expansion planned in Holland, Utopia Nederland loan equals € 3 285 000 on December 31, 2004. Beheer BV signed purchase contracts for sites in Emmen, Tilburg and Dordrecht under conditional clauses of being granted the Utopia Nederland Beheer BV has granted several mortgages necessary building permits. to Rabobank Almere and SNS Bank on the buildings and land owned in Zoetermeer, Lelystad and Oss for a total amount of For the new cinema in Dordrecht, Utopia Nederland Beheer BV € 6 471 418. The equipment of Utopia Nederland Beheer BV has agreed to pay a yearly amount of € 120 000 for the reserva- and its subsidiaries are also pledged. tion of the land. This amount will be paid for four years and will These mortgages cover three loans for the building and be deducted from the purchase price. The date of the first pay- furnishing of the cinemas in Zoetermeer, Oss and Lelystad ment was September 1, 2002. (outstanding principal amount as per December 31, 2004 € 2 119 155). Furthermore the Dutch companies of the Group are The company has investment liabilities with respect to these new co-debtor of all the above mentioned loans. A pledge on 50 % of cinemas to be built amounting € 4 500 000 with a conditional the shares of Utopolis Hengelo held by Utopia Nederland BV has promise for the receipt of the construction licence. 33 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (ACTIVITY REPORT ACTIVITY REPORT Financial results The business turnover amounted to € 14,3 million, compared to € 11,5 million the previous year, a 25,1 % increase. The result before taxes of your company’s ordinary activities increased to € 3 026 546. Compared to the equivalent result of 2003 (i.e. not taking into account the exceptional depreciation of € 1,6 million on the Longwy operations) this means an increase of € 928 919 or 44,3 %. This splendid result reflects the impact of the restructuring efforts since 2002 as well as the increase in rent-revenues. Your company ended the financial year 2004 with a net profit of € 2 118 582 compared to € 397 444 the previous year. The company’s net cash-flow amounts to € 3,28 million, equal to the result in 2003. The available cash reserve at the end of 2004 grew with 70,5 % compared to 2003 to € 4 906 480. This status has been influenced by the following elements: • a fine result for ordinary activities Release SpongeBob Squarepants Movie (L) ∑• a reduction of the outstanding loans to Utopia Belgium • a new loan to Utopia Nederland in order to finance the construction of Utopolis Almere and the refurbishment of Utopolis Hengelo • the renovation investments in Utopolis Kirchberg. This sound financial situation thus allows the company to pursue the coherent development of its activities and to increase its dividend. The company currently holds 3 753 of its own shares, which Activities amounts to € 112 816 and for which a special reserve had been In 2004, Utopia focussed primarily on the launching of the created. new house-style ‘movies, moments & more’, developed for the integration of the group throughout the different territories. Profit allocation Management also concentrated on the opening of the new Since there is no profit to be brought forward, the available site in Almere as well as on the conversion of the old Almere profit amounts to the result of 2004, i.e. € 2 118 582. site to a ‘Ciné Utopia’. Furthermore management dealt with the purchase of the remaining 50 % of the shares of ‘Bios- The dividend policy being linked to the group’s performance, cooponderneming Bellevue bv’ and the restructuring of its its financial situation and its perspectives, the Board of Direc- Hengelo site. tors proposes to increase the gross dividend by 11 % from Please refer to the consolidated report as to the activities and € 0,90 to € 1,00 and to allocate the remaining result to the perspectives in conjunction with the foreign branches of other reserves. Utopia SA. Thus, the Board of Directors proposes to allocate the available Although the closing of ‘Ciné Cité’ in the city centre of Luxem- profits as follows: bourg resulted in reducing the perimeter, the year 2004 was marked by an increase in ticket sales in the Grand-Duchy of • legal reserve € 105 929 Luxembourg. Thus the ordinary result of Utopia S.A. reaches • dividend € 1 165 395 an all time high for the group, reflecting fully the effects of the • other reserves € 792 708 reorganisation efforts since 2002. • special reserve (fortune tax) € 54 550 As announced in the Annual Report of 2003, Utopia took the • TOTAL € 2 118 582 lead in the digital evolution which is currently changing the cinema business. Utopolis Kirchberg was the first cinema in The total amount of the dividend amounts to € 1 165 395 Europe to be equipped with 3 digital projectors. This made it (1 165 395 shares * € 1,00 = € 1 165 395) which are taken from the possible to show all sorts of alternative content to the audi- available profits. The rest of the available profit is allocated to ence and to experience on site the technical future of cinema. ‘other reserves’, which thus increase from € 1 598 839 to Your company thus takes rapid advantage of the technological € 2 391 547. changes going through in the cinema business without losing focus on the core activity of the company. For instance your The gross dividend of € 1,00 amounts to a net dividend of company has been able to show the documentary ‘Heim ins € 0,80 per share. Reich’, which became a top 10 franchise in 2004 in Luxembourg. Specifics for dividend payments will be announced at the end of our ordinary general meeting on March 24, 2005. 35 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (ACTIVITY REPORT Perspectives In 2005, Utopia will essentially focus on further improving its productivity and reducing its operating costs. Within this framework, Utopia will pursue the exploitation of additional activities and alternative content. Thus your company will be able to concentrate on the further development and improvement of its two major sites in Luxembourg, Ciné Utopia Limpertsberg and Utopolis Kirchberg, preparing the latter for its 10th anniversary in 2006. Furthermore, the company continues to follow the developments of the Belval-Ouest industrial site in order to be able to finalize at the right time its long going project of a new multiplex in the southern part of the Grand-Duchy. By staying on top of all these evolutions, your company will be even better prepared to meet the expectations of its various audiences, as well as the profitability objectives of its shareholders. The Board of Directors Luxembourg, March 3, 2005. Joaquin Phoenix in The Village REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS To the Shareholders of Utopia SA Following our appointment by the General Meeting of the Shareholders dated March 25, 2004, we have audited the annual accounts of Utopia SA for the year ended December 31, 2004, and have read the related management report. These annual accounts and the management report are the responsibility of the Board of Directors (the Management). Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these annual accounts based on our audit and to check the consistency of the management report with them. We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing. Those Standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the annual accounts are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the annual accounts. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and The management report is in accordance with the significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating annual accounts. the overall annual accounts presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. PricewaterhouseCoopers SARL Luxembourg, March 8, 2005 In our opinion, the attached annual accounts give, in conformity with the Luxembourg legal and regulatory Réviseur d’entreprises requirements, a true and fair view of the financial position Represented by of Utopia SA as of December 31, 2004 and of the results of its operations for the year then ended. Luc Henzig 37 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (BALANCE SHEET ASSETS 2004 2003 0 0 0 0 7 687 454 8 214 704 6 428 928 7 040 032 Plant and machinery 615 799 801 877 Furniture, fittings, tools and equipment 608 835 372 795 33 892 0 24 447 704 24 647 704 Shares in affiliated undertakings 23 127 488 23 127 488 Loans to affiliated undertakings 1 200 000 1 400 000 112 816 112 816 7 400 7 400 32 135 158 32 862 408 32 163 46 784 32 163 46 784 Non-Current Assets Intangible Assets Concessions, patents, licences Property, plant and equipment Land and buildings Advances paid on tangible assets and tangible assets under construction Financial assets Own shares Other financial assets TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS Current Assets Inventory Finished goods and goods for resale Trade and other receivables Crew Mechelen (B) at the Incredibles release 2 921 093 2 622 967 Trade receivables 661 605 764 101 Other receivables 475 053 452 330 1 784 435 1 406 536 4 906 480 2 876 980 35 338 53 096 7 895 074 5 599 827 40 030 232 38 462 235 Amounts owed by affiliated undertakings Cash at bank and in hand Deferred charges and accrued income TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS TOTAL BALANCE EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 2004 2003 Issued Capital 5 826 975 5 826 975 Share Premium 20 588 973 20 588 973 3 034 066 3 685 478 Legal reserve 357 924 331 859 Special reserve 964 487 799 287 112 816 112 816 1 598 839 2 126 843 0 314 673 29 450 014 30 101 426 2 118 582 397 444 1 042 520 561 220 669 688 122 805 372 832 438 415 4 375 284 5 104 950 4 375 284 5 104 950 5 417 804 5 666 170 2 964 491 2 233 015 666 324 585 631 1 230 109 0 Trade payables 805 831 1 458 576 Other payables, including tax and social security 262 227 188 808 79 341 64 180 3 043 832 2 297 195 40 030 232 38 462 235 Captital and reserves Reserves Reserve for own shares Other reserves Profit carried forward TOTAL CAPITAL AND RESERVES NET RESULT FOR THE YEAR AVAILABLE FOR APPROBATION Non-Current Liabilities Provisions for liabilities and charges Provision for taxation Other provisions Amounts due and payable after more than one year Amounts due to credit institutions TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Current Liabilities Amounts due and payable within one year Amounts due to credit institutions Amounts due to affiliated undertakings Accrued charges and deferred income TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES TOTAL BALANCE 39 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (INCOME STATEMENT 2004, 2003 , Net turnover 14 346 371 11 470 432 -14 621 7 005 188 692 1 803 623 Other external charges -7 264 994 -6 736 784 Gross profit 7 255 448 6 544 276 -1 739 020 -1 903 690 -245 336 -219 685 -1 160 860 -1 280 651 -891 489 -847 800 0 -1 599 990 Change in inventory for finished goods Other operating income Staff costs wages and salaries social security costs Value adjustments in respect of formation expenses and tangible and intangible fixed assets Other operating charges Value adjustments in respect of financial assets Other interest receivable and similar income 81 717 110 670 -273 914 -305 493 3 026 546 497 637 Tax on profit on ordinary activities -907 964 -133 653 Profit on ordinary activities after taxation 2 118 582 363 984 Extraordinary income 0 73 243 Extraordinary charges 0 -26 713 Extraordinary profit 0 46 530 Tax on extraordinary profit 0 -13 070 2 118 582 397 444 Interest payable and similar charges Profit on ordinary activities Release Kill Bill Profit for the financial year NOTES TO ACCOUNTS NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES NOTE 1 – GENERAL 2.1 General policies The financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Utopia S.A. (‘the Company’) has as its main objective the pur- Luxembourg legal and regulatory requirements and generally chase, the sale, the distribution, the renting, the projection and accepted accounting methods and presented in accordance the production of movies as well as the rendering of all kind of with the dispositions of the law of August 10, 1915, as modified, services or other commercial, financial and property operations about commercial companies. which can be related directly or indirectly to the main objective. 2.2 Foreign currency translation During the year, transactions, income and expenses expressed The Company has been incorporated on December 29, 1988 as a in currencies other than Euro are translated into Euro at the private limited liability company (‘société à responsabilité lim- exchange rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. itée’) and has been transformed into a public limited company (‘société anonyme’) by an Extaordinary Shareholders’ Meeting At the end of the year, assets and liabilities expressed in cur- held on February 10, 1994. rencies other than Euro are translated into Euro at the exchange rate prevailing at the end of the financial year. The accounting year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. Exchange losses resulting from those conversions are recorded in the income statement. The Company establishes consolidated accounts for the year ended December 31. 2.3 Property, Plant and Equipment All property, plant and equipment is recorded at historical cost Its registered office is located at: L-1855 Luxembourg, avenue less accumulated depreciations. Cost includes the purchase J.F. Kennedy 45. price and other direct acquisition costs less the grants or subsidies received. The Company is listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Tangible assets are depreciated using the straight-line method The Board of Directors has approved the financial statements over the estimated useful life of the assets. The rates used are as for issuance on March 3, 2005. follows: Buildings Plant and machinery 4% - 20 % 10 % - 33 % 8% - 33 % Other fixtures and fittings, tools and equipment 41 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (NOTES TO ACCOUNTS Land is not depreciated as it is deemed to have an infinite life. The tangible assets under construction or advances paid for the acquisition of tangible assets are not depreciated. When the Company considers that a tangible asset is subject to a permanent value adjustment, an extraordinary depreciation is recorded in order to reflect this impairment. 2.4 Financial assets Financial assets are valued at the lower of acquisition cost (acquisition charges included) or net realisable value determined with prudence and good faith by the Board of Directors on the basis of the last available financial statements on the balance sheet date. 2.5 Inventory Inventory is valued individually at the lower of cost and net realizable value. If deemed necessary, additional value adjustments are recorded in order to take into account the obsolescence of the elements composing the inventory. 2.6 Trade and other receivables Trade and other receivables are carried at their nominal value less impairment losses. An estimate is made for doubtful receivables based on a review of all outstanding amounts at year-end. Bad debts are written off during the year in which they are identified. Jean Reno at the release of Les Rivières Pourpres 2.7 Deferred charges and accrued income This account includes expenses recorded before the balance sheet date but chargeable to the following year or income recorded before balance sheet date but payable by the debtor in the following year. 2.8 Trade and other payables Trade and other payables are stated at cost. 2.9 Provisions for liabilities and charges 2.10 Accrued charges and deferred income Provisions are recognized in the balance sheet when the This account includes income received before the balance sheet Company has a present obligation as a result of a past event; it date but chargeable to the following year or charges recorded is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic before the balance sheet date but payable by the Company in benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and a reliable the following year. estimate of the amount of the obligation can be made. The amount recognized as a provision is the best estimate of the expenditure required to settle the present obligation at the NOTE 3 – PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT balance sheet date. Movements in the tangible assets during the year can be detailed as follows: Land and buildings Plant and machinery Other fixtures and fittings, tools and equipment Advanced paid on tangible assets and tangible assets under construction Total Gross At the beginning of the year Additions 13 762 934 3 369 850 1 745 172 62 679 18 940 635 167 921 26 808 404 989 33 892 633 610 -62 679 -62 679 Disposals Transfers At December 31, 2004 13 930 855 3 396 658 2 150 161 33 892 19 511 566 6 722 902 2 567 973 1 372 377 62 679 10 725 931 779 025 212 886 168 949 Depreciation At the beginning of the year Depreciation for the year 1 160 860 Transfers Disposals At December 31, 2004 -62 679 -62 679 7 501 927 2 780 859 1 541 326 0 11 824 112 At December 31, 2004 6 428 928 615 799 608 835 33 892 7 687 454 At December 31, 2003 7 040 032 801 877 372 795 0 8 214 704 Net book value 43 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (NOTES TO ACCOUNTS NOTE 4 – FINANCIAL ASSETS 4.1. Participations Participations held in excess of 20 %: Percentage of the capital held Directly and indirectly % Extracted data from the last available annual accounts Annual accounts closed at Currencies Shareholders’ equity based on the last accounts Result of the year (result of the year included) UTOPIA BELGIUM SA 100 % 31.12.2004 € 7 665 170 239 545 UTOPOLIS LONGWY SAS 100 % 31.12.2004 € 1 841 055 -212 552 100 % 31.12.2004 € 4 685 414 -585 596 UTOPIA NEDERLAND BEHEER BV 4.2. Loans to affiliated companies or undertakings The loans to its subsidiaries are mainly composed of loans towards Utopolis Belgium and Utopia Nederland Beheer. NOTE 5 – SUBSCRIBED CAPITAL At year-end the subscribed capital amounts to € 5 826 975 and is represented by 1 165 395 shares without nominal value. The authorised capital equals € 8 956 835. NOTE 6 – LEGAL RESERVE year 2002 net worth tax € 38 785 allocation € 193 925 net worth tax € 33 040 allocation € 165 200 The Company is required to transfer a minimum of 5 % of its net year 2003 profit for each financial year to a legal reserve. This requirement ceases to be necessary once the balance of the legal reserve reaches 10 % of the issued share capital. The legal reserve is not available for distribution except in the The total amounts to € 964 487 as at December 31, 2004. case of the liquidation of the Company. NOTE 8 – RESERVE FOR OWN SHARES NOTE 7 – SPECIAL RESERVE: NETWORTH TAX During the year 2002, the Company has acquired own shares Until December 31, 2001, the special reserve has been constitut- for an amount of € 112 816. According to the law, the Company ed based on article 174bis of the corporate tax law of Decem- has recorded a reserve for own shares for the same amount. ber 23, 1997. The reserve amounts to five times the annual net worth tax deducted from the corporate income tax and is not distributable for five years subsequent to the year in which the NOTE 9 – RESULTS BROUGHT FORWARD deduction was made. At December 31, 2004, the movements on ‘results brought As from January 1, 2002 on, the Company reduced the net worth forward’ can be detailed as follows: tax liability in accordance with the new tax law in force. In order to comply with the law, the Company decided to allocate Results brought forward at December 31, 2003 an amount that corresponds to five times the amount of reduc- Result for the year 2003 397 444 tion of the net worth tax as a special reserve. This reserve is not Reduction of other reserves 528 004 distributable for a period of five years from the year following Allocation to the legal reserve -26 065 the one during which the net worth tax was reduced. Allocation to the special reserve: networth tax Dividends distribution year 1999 year 2000 year 2001 net worth tax € 23 964 allocation € 119 819 net worth tax € 41 144 allocation € 205 721 net worth tax € 55 964 allocation € 279 822 314 673 -165 200 -1 048 856 Results brought forward at December 31, 2004 0 The allocation has been decided during the Annual General Meeting held on March 25, 2004. 45 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (NOTES TO ACCOUNTS NOTE 10 – OTHER PROVISIONS At December 31, 2004, other provisions can be detailed as follows: Provision for tax dispute Other provisions 2004 2003 365 643 365 643 7 189 72 772 372 832 438 415 NOTE 11 – AMOUNTS DUE AND PAYABLE AFTER MORE THAN ONE YEAR Amounts due to credit institutions repayable after more than one year amount to € 4 375 284 including € 2 029 606 repayable after 5 years. All loans are fixed interest rate loans except for one loan for which the interest rate will be revised in 2006. NOTE 12 – AMOUNTS DUE AND PAYABLE WITHIN ONE YEAR At December 31, 2004, other payables can be detailed as follows: Utopia Group cinema vouchers (B-L) 2004 2003 VAT and salary taxes 113 986 85 222 Social security 60 459 59 805 Wages and salaries to pay 71 991 26 081 Other creditors 15 791 17 700 262 227 188 808 NOTE 13 – NET TURNOVER NOTE 16 – OFF BALANCE SHEET COMMITMENTS The net turnover can be detailed as follows: The Company has granted to several financial institutions mortgages on land and buildings leased or owned by the Company 2004 2003 as a guarantee for three loans with a total outstanding principal amount of € 4 607 730 on December 31, 2004. Turnover movies 8 244 459 7 346 081 Turnover on consumption 2 539 203 2 214 911 The Company has leasing commitments for technical installa- Turnover stores rent 717 789 713 925 tions with a maturity date in 2007 and 2008. At December 31, Turnover advertising 863 375 803 916 2004 the amount outstanding equals €1 238 763. 1 981 545 391 599 Turnover others The Company guarantees DEXIA BIL the reimbursement of the 14 346 371 11 470 432 loan contracted by its subsidiary Utopolis Longwy SAS. This guarantee amounts to € 3 900 000 and has a term of twelve years, i.e. with a maturity date of December 31, 2013. The NOTE 14 – STAFF EMPLOYED BY THE COMPANY amount of the guarantee is reduced after each reimbursement. On December 31, 2004 it amounted to € 3 285 000. During the year 2004, the Company employed in average 36 full time staff (2003: 32) and 58 part time staff (2003: 62). Utopia SA has granted a joint and several guarantee to ING Bank Belgium for the reimbursement of a loan contracted by its For the financial year 2004, the social security contributions subsidiary Utopolis Belgium. This guarantee amounts to covering the pensions amount to € 133 378 (2003 € 147 112). € 1 200 000 and will expire on March 15, 2005. NOTE 15 – REMUNERATION PAID TO THE BODIES OF THE COMPANY No remuneration was allocated to the administrative bodies of the Company. The Company has not granted any advances or loans nor guarantees to the members of the bodies of the Company. 47 ANNUALBUSINESSREPORT2004 (COLOFON EDITING Anthonissen & Associates (www.anthonissen.be) IMAGES Utopia Group KFD Image.net ARTWORK volta (www.volta.be) RESPONSIBLE PUBLISHER Boudewijn Muts 45, Avenue J.F. Kennedy L-1855 Luxembourg
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