UAE cinema chain Reel Cinemas has been undergoing a revamp of late, with The Dubai Mall cinema now home to 14 transformed screens with Dolby Atmos surround sound and Barco Flagship Laser Projectors. Together with the four existing Platinum screens, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall has 18 operational screens in total.
The cinema’s new look is rather FUTURISTIC – offering guests a complete digital journey. From self-service machines for ticket purchasing and F&B orders (the cinema no longer features a traditional box office and candy bar), to a social wall and a curved digital poster wall, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall aims to set new standards for cinema chains across the Middle East.
The cinema at The Dubai Mall has also upped its refreshment offerings through new partnerships, where cinemagoers can now get their hands on gourmet burgers, pizzas, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes and a wide range of hot and cold drink- including Karak Chai.
The second phase of the cinema’s renovation is presently underway, and once completed, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall will house approximately 26 screens with a seating capacity of over 2300 seats.
The cinema chain has also launched UAE’s first movie pass membership – available to cinemagoers in Dubai.
For Dhs79 per month, or Dhs199 for three months, members get access to unlimited screenings at Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall. Though only applicable to standard cinema screens, members can use their pass every single day of the week.
There are limited memberships available, and early members also get discounted rates for a limited period. All members enjoy 10 percent discounts off Reel Cinemas F&B, and memberships are active until December 31 2018, with payment of monthly renewal fees.
In order to get a ticket for a screening, members need to visit a Reel Cinemas ticket counter within 90 minutes of the film’s start time, and present their Unlimited Membership card. Unfortunately, tickets cannot be booked online
Visit Reel Cinemas for more information. Motivate Val Morgan is the official cinema advertising partner of Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall. Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at these two locations.
Sources: Reel Cinemas, Arabian Business and Time Out Dubai
Nasser and Jamila are avid movie buffs. There was a time in the early 90s when they would visit their local movie hall, at least once a week. Then came videocassettes followed by DVDs and the high resolution Blu-ray discs which gave them irresistible options.
As a result, their viewing habits dramatically changed – virtually giving up going to the cinema. They preferred to plonk themselves on their sofas and watch the latest movies in the comfort of their homes. Jamila and Nasser were not alone, as a majority of the people followed suit resulting in dwindling cinema audiences, which had a snowballing effect –advertisers cut back on their cinema advertising, overall revenue and investments in cinema halls dropped, theatres got more and more dilapidated and the installed audio and projection technology gradually became obsolete. The situation looked very bleak for the industry.
However, in the last decade or so a dramatic change has been witnessed. Powered by some astute marketers who foresaw a revival of the big screen, the concept of the multiplex was introduced to the country.
Brand-spanking new cinema theatres, plush seating, digital surround sound, high definition projection systems, giant projection screens, new cinema experiences, online bookings and loyalty programmes have transformed the entire cinema going experience in Oman.
In addition, new movies with excellent cinematography and mind boggling special effects, backed by high decibel marketing have hit the screens with remarkable frequency. The premieres of many blockbusters have also been held in Muscat, a day before the world premieres!
The result? Audiences have come flocking back! The number of theatres and screens have expanded exponentially in Muscat; as well as in interior areas. Watching a latest movie with friends or family followed by a meal has now become a very popular social outing in Oman.
All these developments have gradually brought back advertisers to cinemas in Oman. From two or three, their numbers have grown dramatically and the “desired maximum” number of commercials before the movie is in danger of being exceeded.
From a marketing and advertising point of view, there are several questions that crop up:
Is cinema, now a good medium for advertising?
What makes it special?
What kind of products are an ideal fit for this medium?
Can you exploit the setting for a product launch?
Should you invest in cinema advertising?
As far as advertising is concerned, cinema enjoys one major advantage over TV – a totally captive audience. In a cinema hall, the audience is generally focused on what is happening on the big screen. In contrast, TV viewers are distracted by multiple tasks they are attending to and this can take their attention away from an advertiser’s message.
“Cinema ads deliver six times the impact and engagement of TV,” as per a study conducted by Val Morgan Cinema Network – Australia (Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Advertising’s business partner).
The other distinct strength that the medium enjoys is the ability to expose branding right from the parking lot to the cinema screen. For example, an automobile brand could have an attractive display in the parking lot area, a test drive booking activation stand in the foyer area of the cinema, along with commercials strategically positioned before the start of the movie. In fact, for high involvement products like automobiles, watches and perfumes, cinema multiplexes could provide a very different kind of product launch venue.
Cinema advertising in Oman can prove to be very cost effective, especially if you have a core audience that is located in the capital and the surrounding areas. The unit cost of advertising is fairly low and the eyeballs that a brand is likely to capture can be quite significant.
The only catch is that creating high quality cinema ads can be very expensive. However, in cases where TV ads are readily available through the principals, this problem also gets easily resolved as conversion of a TV commercial to a cinema ad in DCP format is fairly simple.
Globally, it has been forecast that cinema advertising will hold its own in the years ahead, albeit with a small share of the total market. So, if you have a budget that permits you to go beyond your lead media and you have a product that can benefit from demonstration or creation of a mood in the advertising message, then cinema might be a medium definitely worth considering.
* This article was written by John Smith – a seasoned marketing professional who has spent almost two decades in the Middle East. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Advertising is the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas (City Centre Muscat and City Centre Qurum) and City Cinema (Shatti, Ruwi, Azaiba, MGM, Panorama, Sohar, Salalah, Sur and Buraimi), and serves over 90% of the Oman market share.
For examples of present cinema campaigns in Oman, refer to our article ‘New Cinema Campaigns in Oman’ – published on September 11, 2017.
Contact us for more information on cinema advertising opportunities across Oman, UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar and Bahrain.
Source: Times of Oman
From filming in the cold weather of Austria to the hot climate of Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi, director Ali Abbas Zafar says the upcoming Bollywood blockbuster Tiger Zinda Hai has been shot in extremely challenging weather conditions.
A crucial sequence in the action-thriller, starring superstar Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, was shot in the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi. The recorded temperature on the days they shot was 50-degrees Celsius, a statement said.
“Tiger Zinda Hai required a certain scale of desert in the film and Liwa provided that. Temperatures were soaring and as we shot action sequences with a moving car here, the conditions were extremely challenging,” said Ali Abbas Zafar.
Zafar added that the film’s unit stood by the local vision and that “the local crew in Abu Dhabi were also very supportive.”
Tiger Zinda Hai – slated for release on December 21 in UAE, is a sequel to the 2012 spy-thriller Ek Tha Tiger.
Zafar also praised Hollywood stunt director Tom Struthers who has choreographed the action sequences for the film.
Tom Struthers is known for his work in films such as The Dark Knight and Inception.
“Tom is a master of high-octane action sequences and for Tiger Zinda Hai, his brief was to create action that is both larger than life and yet, realistic. He has delivered sequences that will stay with audiences for a long time,” said Zafar.
The team shot a schedule in Abu Dhabi, which featured choppers, jets, army vehicles and heavy artillery from the army.
“We had to create a lot of explosions for the film. We’ve blown up fifteen vehicles, of which four are moving vehicles. One of them was a 40-tonne truck which made a lot of noise when it blew up. What was difficult to make, actually feels beautiful to watch now,” said Struthers.
He added that the action in the Bollywood film is on par with that in any other film he has done in the past.
Watch the trailer below:
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on advertising alongside this Bollywood blockbuster.
Source – Gulf News (Tabloid)
Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas is set to invest AED1.2 billion ($330 million) through a series of acquisitions, organic expansions and a commitment to customer experience.
VOX Cinemas has secured 23 new locations, opening progressively over the next three years, with 2018 set to be the company’s most aggressive year yet, when it will open 16 locations with a total of 145 screens spanning seven countries in the MENA region.
The company said recent joint ventures in Oman and Bahrain have anchored the company as the region’s largest cinema entertainment provider.
This year’s expansion into Africa with Mall of Egypt in March and Qatar in April led the Middle East expansion, with further new cinemas in Bahrain and Kuwait opening in the next six months. New cinemas will also launch across the UAE.
Cameron Mitchell, CEO for Majid All Futtaim Cinemas said: “We are continuing to extend our unique offering to more movie lovers by doubling our screen count to over 600 across seven countries in the Middle East, creating more than 1,500 new jobs across the region by 2020. Recently, the company expanded its film distribution interests through a new partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film across the region, and we are currently reviewing opportunities in film production for 2018, rounding off our vertical integration plans.”
Mitchell added that the company expanded its customer base by 50 percent in the last 12 months, expecting to end the year with 18 million visitors.
“We are excited to bring our branded concepts to several new locations, including Majid Al Futtaim’s City Centres Sharjah, Al Zahia (UAE) and Sohar (Oman), as well as in Al Ain and on Palm Jumeirah.”
Motivate Val Morgan is the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas.
Source: Arabian Business
Director Zack Snyder and cinematographer Fabian Wagner shared a pair of cool new photos from behind the scenes of Justice League. The ensemble actioner from DC and Warner Bros. is less than two months away from its wide release, and with the new trailer that released over the weekend, anticipation has reached fever pitch.
Snyder went right back behind the cameras to continue DC’s curiously unnamed cinematic universe after 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, while Wagner is making a major leap to work on his first big-budget feature film.
That doesn’t mean Wagner totally lacks experience as a cinematographer for big productions. He is coming off his acclaimed work on Game of Thrones, earning an Emmy nomination for his cinematography on the pivotal season 5 episode “Hardhome”. He proved his ability to create sprawling visuals with that episode, which locations like Iceland provided in abundance for he and Snyder to make Justice League. Wagner gave fans a taste of how epic some of the shots in the new film will be in his latest photo from the set.
Check out the behind-the-scenes glimpse at Justice League below, via Wagner’s official Instagram account.
It reveals a shot of what is presumably Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne surrounded by mountains, staring off into a large body of water. The location in question is the Westfjords, a large peninsula in Iceland that was confirmed as a filming location over a year ago. In addition to Affleck, several Aquaman cast members were involved in the Iceland-shot scenes. As Wagner mentioned, filming wrapped in the location almost a year ago.
Snyder also shared a photo of himself on the set via the social network Vero (h/t Batman-News). You’ll notice that Snyder is using a camera that’s painted pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which he first used on the set of Batman V Superman. You can also see that a chilly Snyder was prepared to get wet if he had to, in order to get the best possible shots.
Wagner described Justice League as the “biggest and most fun job” of his career, and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Regardless of how fun the film was compared to Game of Thrones, Justice League was almost certainly the most expensive production yet for him. The official budget is unknown, but it likely falls between Aquaman’s $160 million and Batman V Superman’s $250 million. It’s known that Wagner employed a similar visual style to Batman V Superman, which original cinematographer Larry Fong (unsurprisingly) described as “incredible”. This newest photo from the Iceland set shows that those scenes will surely boast some amazing views.
Don’t miss out on aligning your brand alongside this MEGA blockbuster – guaranteed to usher in large audiences.
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities.
Sources: SCREENRANT and YouTube
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 decipher movie-going audiences and measure the effectiveness of cinema advertising in the UAE.
The report, Cinema 360: Audience, Advertising and Movies, examines the following:
1. Cinemagoers: habits and preferences
2. Cinema vs TV and Digital Mediums
3. Movie genre insights for specific audience targeting
The study validates the distinctive power of cinema as a medium for entertainment and advertising: premium first-run content, delivered to a captive and engaged audience, in an impactful environment, can deliver significant uplift and value to advertising budgets.
Access the reports below:
Executive Summary, Methodology and Overview
Key Findings and Takeaways for Advertisers
The Art of Shaving – a sought-after brand in the UAE, booked 2 Cinema Activities at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, for a period of 1 month through Motivate Val Morgan.
The activities are as follows:
The Art of Shaving is also one of the global sponsors of the movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle – which released in cinemas on September 21. International Markets Leader of the brand Asad Raza Khan said, “The Art of Shaving is proud to be associated with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. This association symbolizes the coming together of two concepts which completely believe in the perfect gentlemen and what is needed to become one.”
The Art of Shaving was established in 1996 in New York and was acquired by P&G in 2009. The brand is the top complete male grooming solution, offering products in Skin, Shave, Hair, Body, Face and Beard Care. The brand also introduced a top quality Fragrance line earlier this year.
Dedicated to providing the best overall grooming experience for men, The Art of Shaving arrived in UAE earlier this year, with its first two shops at City Walk: Phase 2 and Dubai Festival City. The brand is also present in select Paris Gallery outlets – including The Dubai Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall.
Check out their website for more information on products and services.
In Screentalk #112, we indicated that June 2017 saw a 20% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to June 2016 (based on the first two and a half weeks of the month). However, with admission figures in hand for the whole month, June 2017 has in fact seen a 47.4% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to June 2016.
Three movies that contributed to the increase in admission figures in June 2017 include:
The three movies are presently sitting at 9th (Wonder Woman), 12th (The Mummy) and 17th (Transformers: The Last Knight) spot in UAE’s Top 20 Movie List for 2017.
Additionally, July 2017 has seen a 79.4% increase in YOY admissions in comparison to July 2016.
Three movies that contributed to the increase in admission figures in July 2017 include:
Please Note: all three movies are presently screening across cinemas in the UAE and sitting at 4th (Spider-Man: Homecoming), 10th (War for the Planet of the Apes) and 19th (Dunkirk) spot in UAE’s Top 20 Movie List for 2017.
With GREAT lineup of movies slated for release over the months ahead, there’s no better time than now to advertise in cinema. Don’t miss out on reaching a diversified target audience.
Contact a member of our Sales Team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities over the months ahead.
Source: MVM Analysis
Over the last 38 years, Motivate Media Group has built an unrivaled reputation as a provider of premium content and media solutions.
Building upon this, Motivate Connect – the Group’s in-house content marketing service provider, exists to help partner brands communicate and interact with their customers and stakeholders through the delivery of tailored multi-platform content.
With 75 percent of all internet traffic in 2017 predicted to be video, content marketing has become the group’s most popular and fastest-growing service.
The team at Motivate Connect – comprising of videographers, writers, editors and producers, create social-friendly and sharable YouTube, Facebook and Instagram videos, corporate videos, branded content, as well as animations.
The service includes everything from idea conception and story generation, scriptwriting and storyboarding, to production and post-production.
But don’t just take our word for it!
Check out their showreel below:
And here are some cool videos they have recently produced:
Contact Chris Capstick from Motivate Connect (Tel: 04 427 3412) for more information.
GroupM-owned interactive TV, the largest player in theatre advertising of cinemas in India, commissioned a study, to better understand the moviegoing audience. The study’s findings , in a report, ‘At a Theater Near You’, suggest that cinemas provide an ideal environment for relevant storytelling to the most captive audience that is young, premium and affluent.
Be it Manyavar, the men’s clothing brand, or Vicco Vajradanti paste, chances are that consumers will recall the brand names and jingles from one of the ad films played in cinema theatres and not from TV ads, says a study. Even if cinema, as an advertising medium, is small and hardly gets 1 per cent of the total annual advertising expenditure, brands are realising the power of this medium as third-party monitoring systems get launched.
GroupM-owned Interactive TV, the largest player in theatre advertising of cinemas in the country, has for the first time carried out a study across top eight metros to understand and decipher the movie-going audience. And the findings of the report, ‘At a Theater Near You’, suggest that cinema halls provide the most captive audience that is young, premium and affluent.
“We have tried to figure out who this audience is, why they watch the movies and what are their other habits,” said Ajay Mehta, managing director at Interactive TV. “This is arguably the first ever such study and makes for a fascinating read, it will help to answer any questions that advertisers have had but not been able to get answers to, regarding the audience profile, their behaviour and their consumption habits. We think advertisers will find this very useful in planning their campaigns,” he said.
“Being the leaders of cinema advertising in India, we are trying to make cinema more transparent and accountable,” Mehta said. According to the report, almost 57 per cent of the total population are cinema-goers who watch movies in theatre at least once in six months.
More importantly, 71 per cent of these cinemagoers are in the age group of 15-24 years. Also, 61 per cent of the total moviegoers come from the affluent class, NCCS A. Interestingly, it’s not the popularity of movie or stars anymore (39 per cent) that attracts moviegoers to the screens. Movie-going has become a habit for many families and 61 per cent people go to screens out of habit or to spend time with their families.
The most important point from an advertiser point of view is that 50 per cent of this audience is open and willing to consume advertisements before the start of the movie and during the intermission. Over half of the respondents (50-60 per cent) have said that they pay more attention to theatre ads and find them more interesting than TV ads. Moreover, average consumers reach the movie hall 15 minutes before the show time, which allows enough and more branding opportunities for the advertisers to engage with consumers who are also digital savvy.
“In today’s world, it is not about the 30-second-TVC anymore. It’s about relevant storytelling across diverse channels,” said Siddharth Banerjee, EVP — marketing at Vodafone India. “Depending upon the objective, we now have a plethora of channels to tell a story with more relevance and contextuality than ever before,” he said. According to Banerjee, in cinema, advertisers have the ability to deliver a targeted marketing campaign with speed, shown in pre-selected geographic areas, targeting specific weeks and movies to suit their target audience and marketing campaign calendar.
“This medium helps us to reach out to a core audience which could be hard to engage with meaningfully, otherwise. The younger audiences are heavy users of Internet and cinema. Cinemagoers in the age between 15 and 34 years are heavy users of Internet, therefore, combining cinema with digital can help to target this younger demographic in very interesting ways,” he said.
Banerjee said his company seeks learnings from this research to plan our cinema campaigns even more sharply to help deliver on brand and business objectives. Saujanya Shrivastava, Group CMO at GoMMT (Goibibo and MakeMyTrip), said, “cinema is an important communication medium for consumer brands like us.”
Sources – SAWA and The Economic Times (India)
