From red carpet fashion statements, Eminem performing a song from 2002, to entertaining speeches, triumphant wins, Idina Menzel’s performance of Frozen 2’s ‘Into the Unknown’ and much more, Hollywood’s biggest night (The Academy Awards – also known as The Oscars), is finally done and dusted.
Parasite made history becoming the first foreign language film to win best picture and best director. The film also nabbed prizes for original screenplay and international feature film. The victory caps off an improbable awards season run for the South Korean thriller.
Joaquin Phoenix won the lead actor award for his work as the deranged failed-standup comic of Gotham (Arthur Fleck) in Joker, while Renée Zellweger won best actress for her portrayal of the legendary performer Judy Garland in Judy.
Meanwhile, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern picked up supporting actor and actress honors for their performance in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood and Marriage Story respectively
Here’s the full list of winners:
Best Motion Picture – “Parasite”
Directing – Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite”
Actor in a Leading Role – Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker”
Actress in a Leading Role – Renée Zellweger in “Judy”
Actor in a Supporting Role – Brad Pitt in “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”
Actress in a Supporting Role – Laura Dern in “Marriage Story”
Animated Feature Film – Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera for “Toy Story 4”
Cinematography – Roger Deakins for “1917”
Original Song – Elton John and Bernie Taupin for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman”
Original Score – Hildur Guðnadóttir for “Joker”
International Feature Film – “Parasite” from South Korea
Makeup and Hairstyling – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker for “Bombshell”
Visual Effects – Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy for “1917”
Film Editing – Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland for “Ford v Ferrari”
Sound Mixing – Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson for “1917”
Sound Editing – Donald Sylvester for “Ford v Ferrari”
Documentary Short Subject – Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva for “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”
Documentary Feature – Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and Jeff Reichert for “American Factory”
Costume Design – Jacqueline Durran for “Little Women”
Production Design – Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh for “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”
Live Action Short Film – Marshall Curry for “The Neighbors’ Window”
Adapted Screenplay – Taika Waititi for “Jojo Rabbit”
Original Screenplay – Bong Joon Ho for “Parasite”
Animated Short Film – Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver for “Hair Love”
Source: Oscars
Commissioned by Motivate Val Morgan – market leader in cinema advertising across the Middle East, Ipsos – global market and opinion research specialist, recently conducted a study to evaluate the role of cinema advertising as part of the total cinema experience in Saudi Arabia.
The report, Cinemas in KSA – Audience Profile, Preferences and Perception of Advertising, examines the following:
The key objective of this study was to determine the value of adding cinema advertising to an advertiser’s media mix.
Click HERE to access report
VOX Cinemas launched its eighth cinema in Saudi Arabia at Atyaf Mall (Riyadh) on Monday 6th January 2020.
The cinema features 11 screens with a total seating capacity of 531 seats and includes VOX Kids and VIP cinema experiences. In addition to refreshment counter favourites: popcorn, snacks and beverages, VOX Cinemas – Atyaf Mall also offers cinemagoers a Nutella Bar and Kitchen 35 – a bakeshop with artisan breads, pastries and fresh juices.
Atyaf Mall located in Al Yarmuk, Riyadh, is home to a 220,000-square-foot LuLu hypermarket, along with a line-up of global shopping, dining and leisure brands. The cinema at this location follows the launch of the 18 screen cinema by VOX at Riyadh Front which opened on 30th October 2019 (featuring MAX, Kids and Gold Class experiences).
VOX Cinemas presently operates 90 screens across 8 locations in KSA.
Motivate Val Morgan congratulates VOX Cinemas on the opening of Atyaf Mall and warmly welcomes this new location to our cinema circuit in KSA.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across the Middle East.
Related Articles:
VOX Cinemas Opens Sixth Location in KSA at West Avenue Mall Dammam
VOX Cinemas Opens Fifth Location in KSA at Kingdom Centre
VOX Cinemas Opens Fourth Location in KSA – The Roof
VOX Cinemas Opens at Al Qasr Mall in Riyadh
VOX Cinemas Opens at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah
VOX Cinemas Opens in Saudi Arabia at Riyadh Park Mall
Sources: VOX Cinemas and Arab News
AMC Cinemas has launched the first cinema loyalty program – AMC Da’era, along with a new and improved website and mobile app in Saudi Arabia.
AMC Da’era is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ rewards program designed exclusively for Saudi cinemagoers, allowing members to earn points for every riyal spend at AMC Cinemas. The loyalty program consists of three tiers: Inner, Select and Elite Circle, with each offering its own set perks and benefits ranging from birthday and anniversary gifts, F&B discounts, free refills and chances to win tickets to screenings and grand opening events.
Member of AMC Da’era will also receive a weekly newsletter with information on advance ticket bookings for blockbuster releases and new cinema openings across KSA.
The new and improved website amccinemas.com is a digital hub for movies (now showing and coming soon) and cinema schedules across all AMC locations. The website allows guests to narrow down their search by selecting a movie based on its title or showtime at a desired AMC location. The booking system allows guests to purchase tickets online and the website also comes with a ‘live chat’ feature to help solve guest problems.
The cinema app is designed will allow guests to finalize everything AMC has to offer in a seamless and speedy manner. Through the wide range of features available in both Arabic and English languages, booking a movie via the AMC app will become a fun ‘on-the-go’ process.
AMC Cinemas presently operates 11 screens across 2 locations (KAFD and Panorama) in Riyadh, and has plans to open 50 cinemas across Saudi Arabia over the next three to four years.
Click here for more information on AMC Da’era.
Sources: AMC Cinemas, Arab News and BraodcastPRO
Dubai Lynx – MENA’s biggest Festival of Creativity, will return to Madinat Jumeirah from 8-11 March 2020, bringing together creative legends and those disrupting the industry to learn, network, explore opportunities that abound in the MENA region and celebrate creative excellence.
This year’s programme covers the hottest topics in the region such as Brands in Culture, Proving Creative Effectiveness, Creating Connected Brand Experiences, The New Rules on Brand Purpose and more.
Explore the topics
The Dubai Lynx 2020 Festival Planner makes it easier than ever to find content that will inspire you, whatever your role, in the creative communication and marketing sphere – provocative panels, debates and new formats designed to facilitate two days of learning, celebration, inspiration and networking, featuring hands-on Meet Ups, roundtable discussions and interactive workshops.
Plan your time at Dubai Lynx 2020
This year’s speaker line-up is bold, influential, innovative and inspiring. Expect an eclectic mix of award-winners, game-changers, original thinkers and rising talent, alongside global business leaders, creative legends and a few surprises.
Meet speaker line-up
Dubai Lynx has also announced the Jury Presidents of 2020. Presidents are chosen from among the region’s very best industry leaders. Together, they combine a diverse wealth of creative expertise, skill and talent, from both clients and agencies, to benchmark creative excellence and effectiveness for the MENA region.
See the Presidents
‘See It Be It’ is the Dubai Lynx initiative working towards equal gender representation across the industry. 2020 will bring 10 women to the Festival for an access-all-areas, 2-day long, career accelerating programme.
*Conditions apply
Entries close on 17 February, 2020
Click here for more information
Find out why creative people come to Dubai Lynx with highlights from the 2019 festival:
Don’t forget to choose your perfect pass to enjoy the full programme for 2020.
Key Dates:
6 February 2020 – Award Entries Deadline
8 March 2020 – Festival Opening Party
9-10 March 2020 – Be Inspired at the Festival
11 March 2020 – Celebrate at the Awards
For more information, visit dubailynx.com
*Motivate Val Morgan is the officials representative of Dubai Lynx in the UAE.
Source: Dubai Lynx
Muvi Cinemas – Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown cinema brand, opened its doors to cinema audiences at its second location at Al Hamra Mall in Riyadh on Wednesday 18th December 2019.
The cinema features 6 screens with a total seating capacity of 554 seats and a concession area that hosts ‘Skinny Pizza’ – a healthier modern take on traditional pizza .
Al Hamra Mall is cozy and quant, catering to the community of Eastern Riyadh. Movie lovers can benefit from the location of the new cinema that is conveniently located on the new metro line opening soon in 2020.
The cinema chain presently operates a total 21 screens across Jeddah (Mall of Arabia) and Riyadh (Al Hamra Mall), and is expected to open its flagship location in Riyadh in the first quarter of 2020 at U-Walk. This location will feature 12 screens including the first Samsung Onyx LED screen in KSA, replacing traditional projection technology.
The openings are part of an aggressive expansion plan to launch 20 locations by end of 2020 across the region, as a result of the cinema chain signing a partnership deal with Arabian Centers which will see a network of film theatres established in malls in cities throughout the country.
For more information about Muvi Cinemas, visit: www.muvicinemas.com
As the official advertising partner of Muvi Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan congratulates the cinema exhibitor on its opening at Al Hamra Mall and warmly welcomes this new location to our cinema circuit in KSA.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across the Middle East.
Sources: Muvi Cinemas, Zawya and Arabian Business
Zain Saudi Arabia – mobile network operator in KSA, recently booked an integrated cinema campaign with Motivate Val Morgan – through OMD, for the launch of 5G technology in KSA.
The on-screen component included a 30 sec. ad which screened for a period of 4 weeks (12th December 2019 to 8th January 2020) at the following cinema locations:
The off- screen component included an advertisement (of the same content) on the LED screen at the entrance of VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park from 12th December 2019 to 8th January 2020.
Integrated cinema campaigns provide greater brand visibility and enable brands to target cinemagoers across multiple touchpoints.
Contact us for more information on integrated cinema campaigns across our regional circuit.
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VOX Cinemas – owned and operated by the cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim Group, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
As the largest and fastest growing cinema chain in the Middle East, VOX Cinemas presently operates over 500 screens across 49 locations in 8 countries across the MENA, and is in the midst of a Dhs1.2bn investment to expand its operation to a further 300 screens by 2020.
The cinema chain has also announced grand plans to invest Dhs1.96bn to develop 600 screens across Saudi Arabia by 2023.
We at Motivate Val Morgan would like to extend our best wishes to VOX Cinemas on this milestone and look forward to many more years of success as business partners.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf Business, Cameron Mitchell, CEO of VOX Cinemas, Toni El Massih, Chief Content Officer and Michelle Walsh, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer outline the company’s blockbuster performance over the last 20 years and why they stand strong despite the rise of streaming services.
The interview is as per below:
GB: What would you say are the three biggest highlights of the last 20 years for Vox?
Cameron Mitchell: “The first would be reopening Vox Mall of the Emirates in 2015. That cinema, even to this day, is one of the best cinemas in the world – if not the best in the world. And I think it was a massive step change from cinema as being just a place to watch movies to a place where you’re entertained. Everyone that walked in after the first week went ‘wow’ because of the LED, the graphics, the whole experience of that location.
“Number two was when we won the award for the ‘Best cinema in the world’ at Cinema Con in 2017. We are a small Middle Eastern cinema exhibitor – there’s companies around the world that are 30 and 40 times bigger than us – and for us to be invited to go to Las Vegas and be recognised as being best in the world was amazing.
“Number three would be Riyadh Park opening. There was a ban on cinemas in Saudi for 30 years and we were working with the government of Saudi Arabia for probably two years before the law changed to allow cinemas.
“Toni had hosted several teams of people from Saudi who came to Dubai and we introduced them to the UAE censors, design details and other aspects. And then roughly six months before the law changed, we approached the government and asked if we could build a four-screen cinema in a Magic Planet that we have in Riyadh – which they could use for testing. So, we committed to an investment of about $6m – $7m in advance of the law changing.
“The law changed about two weeks before we finished building the cinema. And we were the first multiplex cinema to open in Saudi Arabia after 30 years.
All of this is in line with Majid Al Futtaim’s DNA – the group is focused on the future and in always ensuring that we put our money where our mouth is and do what’s right for the business in the country.”
GB: You have ambitious plans for the Saudi market. How are you meeting such stiff targets?
Cameron Mitchell: “Normally the standard time for opening a cinema is about two and-a-half-years. But at the end of 2019, we had 90 screens open in Saudi Arabia and we’ll have 200 at the end of 2020. That’s because we are getting approvals to build these cinemas based on sketches and we’re actually designing it as we’re constructing the cinema.
“And it’s not from purely a financial perspective; we’re doing it because the government is sort of saying to us – ‘we’ve given you a licence and we’ve promised the people that you’re going to build cinemas, so please build them’.
“Most of us are working seven days a week to make sure that the standard of cinemas in Saudi Arabia is the best in the world. There’s about 10 licences granted to operators in Saudi, but as of today, we have 80 per cent market share of the screens in the kingdom.”
Michelle Walsh: “The Saudi story is also interesting because before that, we were a traditionally small market from a Hollywood Studios standpoint. But Saudi is suddenly this new frontier market.
“And more competition is coming in now, which just means we are going to have to work even harder. But we’re seeing what they’re bringing to the market and we still believe that our customer experience is far superior and our food and beverage is much better.”
GB: Can you elaborate more on your food and beverage offering? Has that been a key differentiator?
Michelle Walsh: “Food and beverage (F&B) is obviously a huge revenue stream for us and has been our focus for the last couple of years. We started with the collaboration with Gary Rhodes in Mall of the Emirates (THEATRE by Rhodes and GOLD by Rhodes), and working with him gave us a hospitality mindset. He pushed us to recruit better chefs, have better service standards and build better designed kitchens like the hotel grade ones.
“Recently, we also added food and beverage to our app to give people the chance to avoid queues. That’s a really complex process, especially for creating hot foods. So we had to completely transform our back-end operations.”
Cameron Mitchell: “You also have to look at each country individually in terms of how you serve customers, and what kind of food you might serve. For instance, in Saudi we have local chefs preparing Saudi food that has a certain sort of spice to it.
“One of the challenges in our industry is that everyone is showing exactly the same films. So for us, it has to be the other factors. What we can control is the seat, the experience, the service, the app, the food, the ambience in the foyer, the arrival experience, the exit experience and technology.”
GB: Another challenge has been the rise of streaming services, with ominous threats about the death of cinema. What are your thoughts on this?
Cameron Mitchell: “There was a little bit of nervousness a few years ago when there was one massively strong streaming company that looked like it would monopolise everything. Now, if you look, there’s multiple streaming platforms which have become what free TV used to be.
“There’s also been a lot of studies internationally that have said that streaming actually encourages people to go to the cinema more often. The experience of going to a cinema is different. If it’s just a place to watch movies, you might as well watch it at home. But we are focused on the experience – we want to be the fun, cool place to go and have fun with your friends and family.
“Also, in this region, you look at the mall culture and the social family environment we live in – everyone loves going out.”
Toni El Massih: “We also make sure that we offer content for everybody. So, it’s not only Hollywood films that we release. Out of India, every week, we have five different regional language films. We also cater to Europeans with French and Italian films and also release Korean and Chinese films. Recently, we also had a successful run with a Turkish film. We cater to all demographics.”
GB: Are you also getting into original content?
Toni El Massih: “Yes, we have partnered with Abu Dhabi’s Image Nation and NBC Saudi to produce regional content, with a focus on Egypt and Saudi Arabia. There is a strong appetite for Arabic content, but there’s hardly any films coming out of places like Saudi – this year, there’s only been one film.
“As of now, Arabic content comprises only 5 per cent of the total box office. So we are going to start producing a lot of original content and focus on commercial films. We’re not into documentaries yet, more so films that are going to attract the audience to come to the cinema.”
GB: Looking specifically at the Vox brand, when did you realise its strength and influence?
Toni El Massih: “The day we went from being Cinestar to VOX Cinema. That happened in 2011 and then we spent about six months working on the re-branding. That’s when we knew we had a very strong brand. We had a strong team, and we were confident about taking it forward and building it from there.”
Michelle Walsh: “Being part of the Majid Al Futtaim group gave us the impetus, the investment, the belief and the ambition to expand.”
GB: You have had a partnership with Motivate Val Morgan for cinema advertising since the beginning – for the last 20 years. How has the relationship evolved?
Cameron Mitchell: “Motivate, I think, is the only partner that we’ve had from day one, because they are clearly the best in the region at what they do. They are very closely aligned with us and everything we are doing, and they share that same sort of consumer focus that we have. Everywhere we go, they come with us.
“So now in the UAE, we have more than half of the market share of screens, in Saudi it’s about 80 per cent, we are about 85 per cent in Oman and in Bahrain, we’re about 60 per cent. In Lebanon, we’re about 20 per cent. We don’t disclose market share numbers for Egypt. In all of those places, Motivate’s our partner and they represent us for on-screen advertising. We have an amazing relationship with the team.”
We at Motivate Val Morgan would like to extend our best wishes to VOX Cinemas on this milestone and look forward to many more years of success as business partners.
Chevrolet – American automotive manufacturer, booked a Car Display with Motivate Val Morgan – through Benchmark, at VOX Cinemas – Mall of Egypt.
The car display featured the all-new Chevrolet Malibu 2020, and was positioned in the foyer area of the cinema from 25th November 2019 – 1st December 2019.
With a sophisticated, appearance and remarkable driving dynamics, the 2020 Malibu is ready to take you wherever the road leads.
Read more on the Chevrolet Malibu 2020 here.
Interested in booking a similar campaign? Contact us for more information on off screen opportunities across our cinema circuit.
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Women – directors and actors, are set to take charge of Hollywood in 2020!
According to World Economic Forum, the number of women behind the camera on Hollywood movies jumped to record levels in 2019, with 12 directing top-grossing films including Frozen II, Captain Marvel and Hustlers.
Additionally, a study by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California found that women made up 10.6% of directors of the top movies last year, more than double the percentage in 2018 and the highest percentage of female directors in the past decade.
2020 is already off to a good start with five of the year’s most anticipated blockbusters – Bird of Prey, Mulan, Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984 and Eternals – all directed by women.
Birds Of Prey
Director: Cathy Yan
Release Date: February 6, 2020
Birds of Prey, will be DC’s first venture in 2020 and the first movie from the studio to come after Todd Phillips’ acclaimed Joker movie. The movie stars Margot Robbie – reprising her famous role of Harley Quinn, and will feature a few other leading ladies such as Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Rosie Perez (to name a few).
Mulan
Director: Niki Caro
Release Date: March 26, 2020
Disney’s next live action remake will not be a musical and is missing the indestructible Mushu in its first trailer. However, audiences need not fret, as this version of Mulan from Niki Caro is paving its own path and staying clear of mimicking the 1998 animated classic.
Black Widow
Director: Cate Shortland
Release Date: April 30, 2020
One of Marvel’s big releases this year will be by a female director – Cate Shortland, and follows a leading superhero – Natasha Romanoff (also known as Black Widow) played by Scarlett Johansson. Black Widow’s solo movie has been a long time coming as a result of Scarlett Johansson’s character being a popular in the Avengers series. The story of Natasha Romanova should give audiences a real chance to see her in action and outside the realm of an ensemble movie.
Wonder Woman 1984
Director: Patty Jenkins
Release Date: June 4, 2020
As a sequel starring a popular DC comics character, it’s no real surprise that Wonder Woman 1984 – directed by yet another leading female director Patty Jenkins, is topping the list of most anticipated movies in 2020. Gal Gadot will also be back to reprise her role of Diana Prince, with Kristen Wiig taking on the role of Barbara Minerva (better known as Cheetah) – the archenemy of Wonder Woman.
Eternals
Director: Chloé Zhao
Release Date: October 29, 2020
In April 2018, Marvel Studios announced that they will be developing a film based on the Comic book series Eternals. Directed by Chinese film director Chloé Zhao – known for The Rider, the film will star leading female actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Gemma Chan, alongside Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington and Richard Madden. The Eternals are immortal aliens who should possibly offer much to the cosmic side of Marvel’s Phase Four.
According to a list of the most anticipated movies of 2020 by Fandango, around half will be led by women. It’s also worth pointing out that from this list, the top four movies are female-directed.
Visit the Movie Planner section of our website to watch trailers of other upcoming movies in 2020.
Sources: Variety, World Economic Forum and Fandango.
