SF Group
SF Group is a Thai cinema and entertainment-venue operator and one of Thailand's largest cinema chains.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
SF Group is a Thailand-based cinema and entertainment company whose principal business is the operation of multiplex cinemas under several differentiated brands. The group is generally described as Thailand's second-largest cinema chain after the combined operations associated with Major Cineplex and the EGV chain, with more than 379 screens across 63 locations according to the referenced company description. Its network is concentrated in Bangkok and the eastern seaboard, although it has also expanded into other regions, including southern Thailand and Chiang Mai. The company was established in 1998 as SF Corporation Public Company Limited by Suwat Thongrompo. Its roots extend further back through the Thongrompo family's Samarn Film Co, which had operated cinemas in eastern provinces such as Chonburi, Rayong and Chanthaburi since the 1970s. In 1999, the business adopted the SF Cinema City identity after opening its first multiplex at Bangkok's MBK Center. This launch established the operating model that would define the group: locating cinemas in major shopping and lifestyle complexes and combining film exhibition with food, leisure and other consumer services. SF Group expanded beyond its original Bangkok and eastern-Thailand base in the mid-2000s. It opened SFX Central Festival in Phuket Town in 2005 and added a location at the Jungceylon complex on Patong Beach in October 2007. In March 2007, the corporate identity was reorganized around the SF Group name. The portfolio subsequently came to include SF World Cinema, SFX Cinema, SF Cinema and Emprive Cineclub, allowing the company to address different audiences and venue formats. SF World Cinema functions as the flagship brand at CentralWorld, while SFX Cinema emphasizes a more upscale boutique experience. SF Cinema generally operates larger multiplexes integrated with shopping-centre amenities, and Emprive Cineclub is positioned as a luxury cinema concept at Bangkok's Emporium complex. Cinema exhibition is supported by related entertainment and commercial activities. These have included bowling under SF Strike Bowl, karaoke and gaming through SF Music City and SF City formats, advertising on screens and in surrounding spaces, venue and rental-space operations, and food and beverage businesses such as Eat @ W. The group has also operated or developed shopping and lifestyle real-estate interests, including Maya Lifestyle Center in Chiang Mai. These complementary businesses reflect a strategy of treating cinemas as components of broader entertainment destinations rather than solely as screening rooms. SF Group has deployed digital cinema equipment from Christie and Barco at selected venues, including Dolby Digital 3D capabilities at certain Barco-equipped locations. The referenced material identifies 14 digital projectors in the group's network at the time of that description. The company has also used collectible miniature movie-poster magnets as a promotional and memorabilia feature at some SF Cinema and SFX locations. The group's operating footprint has been described as more than 379 screens in 63 branches, with more than 3,000 employees. Because the available reference material does not provide current corporate filings, revenue data, ownership percentages, a public-market ticker or a current executive roster beyond the founder, those details are not stated here. A future SF Cinema location at Central NorthVille in Rattanathibet was identified in the source material as opening on 3 July 2026; that date is retained as a planned or referenced expansion milestone rather than treated as a confirmed operating fact.
History
SF Group's history combines a family cinema tradition in eastern Thailand with the development of a modern multiplex network. The Thongrompo family's Samarn Film Co operated cinemas in Chonburi, Rayong and Chanthaburi from the 1970s. This regional operating background preceded the creation of SF Corporation Public Company Limited in 1998 by Suwat Thongrompo. The company became known as SF Cinema City in 1999, when it opened its first multiplex on the seventh floor of Bangkok's MBK Center. The location established the group's association with large shopping complexes and helped form the basis for later expansion. Although the company remained especially concentrated in Bangkok and Thailand's eastern seaboard, it began extending its reach to other tourist and regional markets. SFX Central Festival in Phuket Town opened in 2005, followed by a branch at the Jungceylon complex on Patong Beach in October 2007. March 2007 marked a corporate branding transition, with SF Group adopted as the group identity. The operating portfolio developed into several cinema concepts. SF World Cinema became the flagship venue at CentralWorld; SFX Cinema was presented as a more luxurious boutique format; SF Cinema served as the group's broad multiplex concept; and Emprive Cineclub represented a premium cinema offer at Emporium. The multi-brand structure allowed SF Group to place different venue propositions within shopping and lifestyle developments. Over time, the business expanded beyond ticketed film exhibition. Its related activities included food and beverage, bowling, karaoke, gaming, advertising, rental space and other entertainment services. SF Strike Bowl provided bowling facilities, while SF Music City offered karaoke rooms, sometimes in substantial numbers, and SF City combined bowling, karaoke and video-arcade activities. Eat @ W represented a food-and-beverage concept associated with the group's cinema operations. The group also developed or operated Maya Lifestyle Center in Chiang Mai, demonstrating an interest in broader retail and entertainment destinations. SF Group introduced digital projection at selected venues using Christie CP2K technology and Barco DLP systems, with Dolby Digital 3D available at some Barco-equipped cinemas. The source description identified 14 digital projectors in the network. Promotional activity has included giving selected ticket purchasers small, magnet-backed reproductions of movie posters, which became collectible items in the secondary memorabilia market. By the scale cited in the reference material, SF Group operated more than 379 screens in 63 locations and employed more than 3,000 people. The network was primarily located in Bangkok and eastern Thailand, but also included venues in Phuket, Pattaya, Ubon Ratchathani, Samut Songkhram and other markets. The available material identifies a planned SF Cinema at Central NorthVille in Rattanathibet for 3 July 2026. No reliable source in the supplied material establishes current financial performance, a stock listing, present ownership percentages or a complete current management team.
- 2026
Rattanathibet expansion planned
[1]The supplied reference identifies an SF Cinema at Central NorthVille in Rattanathibet as a future project, with an indicated opening date of 3 July 2026.
- 2007
SF Group identity adopted
[1]The corporate identity was reorganized around the SF Group name in March.
- 2007
Jungceylon Patong branch opened
[1]A further SF Cinema City branch opened at the Jungceylon complex on Patong Beach in October.
- 2005
Expansion into southern Thailand
[1]SF Group opened SFX Central Festival in Phuket Town.
- 1999
First SF Cinema City multiplex opened
[1]The company opened its first multiplex at MBK Center in Bangkok and became known as SF Cinema City.
- 1998
SF Corporation was established
[1]Suwat Thongrompo established SF Corporation Public Company Limited in Bangkok.
- 1970
Family cinema operations began in eastern Thailand
[1]The Thongrompo family's Samarn Film Co operated cinemas in Chonburi, Rayong and Chanthaburi from the 1970s, providing the business background for the later SF Group.
Products and positioning
A Thailand-focused cinema and out-of-home entertainment group that combines mainstream multiplex exhibition with premium cinema concepts and adjacent leisure, food-service, advertising and venue businesses.
Flagship cinema
SF World Cinema
SF World Cinema is the group's flagship cinema concept, associated with the CentralWorld shopping complex in Bangkok. It represents SF Group's principal high-profile cinema presence and operates within a major retail and lifestyle destination.
Premium cinema
SFX Cinema
SFX Cinema is positioned as a more luxurious, boutique-style cinema format. Its venues are typically located in prominent shopping complexes and are intended to provide a more upscale alternative to the group's standard multiplex offer.
Multiplex cinema · 1999
SF Cinema
SF Cinema is the group's broad multiplex brand. Its venues are commonly integrated into shopping centres and may be combined with restaurants, bowling lanes, karaoke rooms and other leisure facilities, making the cinema part of a wider entertainment complex.
Luxury cinema
Emprive Cineclub
Emprive Cineclub is a luxury cinema concept located at Bangkok's Emporium shopping complex. It extends SF Group's multi-tiered cinema strategy into a premium club-like environment.
Bowling entertainment
SF Strike Bowl
SF Strike Bowl is the group's bowling business. Bowling facilities have been associated with SF cinema and entertainment locations, supporting the company's strategy of combining film exhibition with complementary leisure activities.
Karaoke entertainment
SF Music City
SF Music City provides karaoke rooms, often alongside SF Cinema and SF Strike Bowl venues. The supplied material notes that some locations contain as many as 100 rooms.
Food and beverage
Eat @ W
Eat @ W is a food-and-beverage concept associated with the group. Its first cited location was on the ninth floor of SF World Cinema at CentralWorld in Bangkok.
Brand decisions
2007
Adoption of the SF Group corporate identityStrategyBackground
The company operated several cinema and entertainment formats and had expanded beyond its original SF Cinema City identity.
Action taken
In March 2007, the corporate name SF Group was adopted while the cinema brands SF World Cinema, SFX Cinema, SF Cinema and Emprive Cineclub continued to serve different market positions.
Aftermath
The change created an umbrella identity for the group's cinema, leisure, food-service, advertising and related businesses.
2005
Expansion into southern ThailandStrategyBackground
SF Group had been primarily centered in Bangkok and eastern Thailand.
Action taken
The company opened SFX Central Festival in Phuket Town and later added a Jungceylon location on Patong Beach.
Aftermath
The expansion extended the cinema network into southern Thailand and tourist-oriented retail locations.
Recent events
- 2026
SF Cinema Rattanathibet was identified as a future project[1]
Other
The referenced material lists an SF Cinema location at Central NorthVille in Rattanathibet, described as scheduled to open on 3 July 2026.
- 2007
SF Group adopted its corporate identity[1]
Other
The company undertook a branding and corporate-identity change in March 2007, adopting the SF Group name while continuing to operate multiple cinema and entertainment brands.
- 2007
SF Group expanded to Phuket and Patong[1]
Other
Following the opening of SFX Central Festival in Phuket Town in 2005, SF Group added a cinema branch at the Jungceylon complex on Patong Beach in October 2007.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/sf-group · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled