One of the Bahamas’ largest entertainment and cinema hubs is pushing back against growing customer complaints, pushing to reassure moviegoers ahead of a high-profile blockbuster debut that is expected to draw massive crowds this weekend.
Fusion Superplex, which will celebrate its eighth anniversary of operations this November, has faced mounting criticism from patrons over declining conditions across its property. Customers have raised concerns about unkempt and poorly maintained auditoriums, limited food and beverage options at concessions, and the ongoing outage of the complex’s online ticketing platform that has forced all sales to be handled in-person at the box office.
But in a recent statement to local media, Tecoyo Bridgewater, Fusion’s top legal officer, pushed back against claims of widespread facility deterioration, framing grievances as vastly overstated while acknowledging the natural effects of eight years of regular use. “Deterioration is a great exaggeration,” Bridgewater said. “As with all buildings and businesses that have been in operation for nearly a decade, fair wear and tear creeps in.” He added that despite minor aging, the complex still outperforms a vast majority of competing cinema facilities across the Caribbean region and globally.
The company’s defense of its property comes as it wraps up last-minute negotiations to secure screening rights for Sony Pictures’ highly anticipated new release *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*, which will launch on the complex’s IMAX screen starting this Friday. Fusion Superplex was initially unable to secure the film for its global release date on August 7, a situation that confused the company even as it confirmed its account with Sony was fully in good standing with no unpaid balances outstanding.
Bridgewater confirmed that the extended talks with the Hollywood studio ultimately reached a successful outcome, though the complex still has not received clarity on why it was locked out of the original release window. Bookings for major studio films are handled on an individual title-by-title basis, he noted, with final approval always resting with the distribution company.
Fusion Superplex currently operates nine auditoriums including its signature IMAX theater, making it one of the biggest entertainment venues in the country. With buzz building around the new Spider-Man film, the complex is projecting a record busy weekend, and Bridgewater said the company is fully prepared to host the expected surge of guests. “IMAX is the home of Spider-Man,” he said. “There is not a better way to watch it, so of course we are confident in our conditions.”
Despite that confidence, the facility is still navigating ongoing operational disruptions stemming from a previous cyber incident. The attack forced Fusion to take its online ticketing platform offline as a security precaution, and the service has remained unavailable ever since, even after most internal systems were restored with support from the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC).
Bridgewater apologized to customers for the extended disruption, explaining that the issue no longer originates from Fusion’s own ticketing infrastructure. “The cyberattack had a critical impact on our server and online ticketing system,” he said. After BTC and its cybersecurity team assisted with recovery, the Fusion-owned side of the ticketing platform is now fully functional. Current delays stem from a recently upgraded third-party banking processing system, he added.
The company is working closely with its banking partners and technical teams to run full testing of the integrated platform, with a target to restore online ticket purchases within the next month. “We are working diligently with our bank and team testing the platform to get this resolved,” Bridgewater said. “In the coming month, we should be back online.”
Beyond the ticketing issue, the complex is also preparing for potential power disruptions amid ongoing rolling blackouts across New Providence, the island where the venue is located. To avoid interruptions during peak attendance periods and ease pressure on the local grid, Fusion has scheduled planned generator changeovers for weekends to accommodate peak energy demand. Bridgewater said the arrangement lets the company act as a responsible corporate partner to Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), the national utility provider. “We intend to work along with BPL to be good corporate citizens, taking a load off of the grid,” he explained.