Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Jacqueline Fernandez, mesmerize cinema audience as they feature together in an ad film for RDM Boards. The two celebs had to undergo intense training in ‘Hand to Hand‘ combat and ‘Tango‘ lessons to create an on-screen flare with a touch of romance – which showcases strength and durability of the products offered by RMD Boards.
The leading designer for luxury tiles and decor brand wanted a strong campaign to enter the hearts and minds of UAE audience and what better medium to choose from, than cinema.
The 135 second ad – featuring Jacqueline Fernandez (one of the ‘Most Popular India Actress‘) and Hrithik Roshan (The Greek God of Bollywood), have them performing amazing stunts putting their fitness and flexibility on display for the audience.
Dubai saw a gala launch that welcomed Hrithik Roshan on 21st November 2016 for the exclusive debut of the ad campaign specifically targeting UAE residents.
To reach out to a large audience base with undivided attention, RMD boards chose to advertise with Motivate Val Morgan across cinema operators at prominent locations such as Reel Cinemas (Dubai Mall), VOX Cinemas (Mall of the Emirates, City Center Deira and City Center Mirdiff), Cine Royal Cinema (Khalidiyah Mall, Dalma Mall and Deerfields Mall) and Oscar Cinema (Al Wahda Mall).
Watch the mesmerizing ad – where two of the most desirable actors from Bollywood team up to set the UAE screen on fire.
Sources: BollywoodMDB, Koimoi, IndiCINE
VOX Cinemas has moved over to a new Theatre Management System (TMS).
Going forward, the cinema operator will be building and controlling the scheduling of ads from one central location with STRICT Quality Control (QC).
Therefore, we kindly request our valued Advertisers and Media Agencies to send through their DCPs by 12 Noon (the latest) on a Sunday, if the respective on screen campaign is to run on the Thursday of that week.
Contact us for further information
With the recent launch of ‘One Brand Marketing Strategy‘ by Coca-Cola – uniting all their brands under one global creative campaign, brand awareness for the most loved cola in the world has greatly increased with the reach extending to their strategically targeted consumers.
The campaign officially kicked off from March 2016 in South Africa with a fully integrated marketing campaign including a smartly thought through innovation for Coke Zero in the Cinemas or as we like to call it – Cinevation.
The whole idea behind the cinema campaign was to avoid a countrywide sampling of the product, which would increase costs to extreme heights. Coke Zero wanted to find an environment where the focus of the audience is distraction free and open minded, rather than the usual prejudice that Coke Zero won’t match up to the taste of the regular coke they regularly consume.
So what better medium to choose than ‘Cinema’ where the entire concept is of a distraction free & relaxed environment. If a large audience, with their full attention, could be convinced that Coke Zero tastes as good as regular Coca-Cola, they would become the initial group of converts to spread the message further.
Coke Zero invited over 100 existing Coca-Cola consumers who were least skeptical when invited to an exclusive cinema screening. On arrival, they were given popcorn and Coke Zero hidden inside a regular Coca-Cola cup – which meant that the audience thought they were drinking regular Coca-Cola.
Just before the movie started, when the brand had full attention of the audience, it aired an on screen ad featuring the person – who had served them popcorn & drinks, revealing the big surprise: that the drink they thought was Coca-Cola was actually Coke Zero. It then captured the cinema audience’s reactions and testimonials and used this content to create a TVC to convince others that Coke Zero has the same great taste as Coca-Cola.
The cinema experience was amplified to reach as many 25-39 year olds, and garnered a lot of attention from the cinema stunt – where Coke Zero posted the entire video on their Facebook page.
At the end of this campaign, Coke Zero had reached 100% of the cinema audience who readily agreed that Coke Zero tastes as good as Coca-Cola. 5 in 10 saw the cinema activation, 8 in 10 saw the online video, and 8 in 10 visited the Coca-Cola Facebook page to view the video.
As the weekly consumption increased, it resulted in exceeding the monthly consumption target for Coke Zero. With brand acceptance and loyalty growing, tasting metrics improved for Coke Zero by a fair share.
Cinema provides 5X higher recall, clutter free placement for your brand & a highly receptive audience for innovative activations.
Have a similar or even more creative cinema activations in mind for your brand?
Contact a member of our sales team for more information.
Sources: Biz Community, Cream Global, The Top Tens
There’s no denying the popularity of Indian movies in the UAE. Cinemas are house full every weekend for the latest Indian blockbusters as audiences are getting a lot more in terms of choice from an unending genre of movies from this region.
We take a look back at some of the movies that have done exceedingly well in the UAE and around the globe with their intriguing storylines, carefully hand-picked casts & specifically targeted tactical movie promotions. Such characteristics have increasingly made an impact amongst UAE audiences to such an extent that most of the blockbuster Indian movies enjoy a sold-out-situation even before the movie releases in cinemas.
As we look at a huge lineup for movies such as ‘Raees‘, ‘Kaabil‘, ‘Jagga Jasoos‘, ‘2.0‘ and many more releasing in 2017, let’s have a peak at some movies that have paved a strong way in 2016 for the ever-growing fan base of Indian celebrities in the UAE.
With many Indian movies – not limiting to just Bollywood, making waves and breaking records in 2016, here’s a look at 5 of the Worldwide Highest Grossing Indian Movies that ruled the UAE Box Office in 2016.
1) Sultan
‘Sultan‘, an Indian Hindi-Language sports drama with a graceful serving of romance directed by Ali Abbas Zafar starred Salman Khan as the title character opposite Anushka Sharma.
The film tells the story of Sultan Ali Khan – a local wrestling champion with the world at his feet as he dreams of representing India at the Olympics. It’s also a story of Aarfa – a feisty young girl from the same small town as Sultan with her own set of dreams. When the 2 local wrestling legends lock horns, romance blossoms and their dreams and aspirations become intertwined and aligned.
‘Sultan‘ destroyed box office records all across the world including the UAE where it bested competition. Some of the titles that ‘Sultan‘ had won also include ‘Biggest Eid Opener‘, ‘Biggest Opener of 2016‘, ‘Highest Opening Weekend Grosser of 2016 for an Indian Movie‘, ‘Highest Opening Day Collection in UAE-GCC‘.
It stands at No.4 for ‘The Top 10 Overall Highest Grossing Bollywood Films of All Time‘ and grossed a worldwide overall revenue of US$ 87 Million.
In the UAE, the film recorded the ‘Highest Advance Booking‘ and the ‘Biggest Opening Day‘. It took a massive AED 292,000 over the three-day EID weekend, surpassing many of the Hollywood films that released during the same period.
Future Salman projects in 2017:
2) Kabali
It was a different kind of hysteria this time round for Rajinikanth fans – it was the first time the Indian action hero played a role of his own age!
The much-awaited Indian Tamil-Language film of the year – ‘Kabali‘, released in the UAE on July 21 with Rajinikanth fans flocking to cinemas in groups to watch his latest film.
During the time of release fan frenzy was also at an all time high. Some companies in South India chose to shut for a day rather than face mass bunking by employees. Air Asia flew a Kabali branded aircraft with passengers from Bengaluru to Chennai in India, and chocolate brand Cadbury also launched Kabali products in the Indian market.
In the GCC, over 200 theatres (including 100 screens in the UAE) screened the movie, and advance online bookings received overwhelming responses with many sessions running house full. According to a local distributor, there were approximately 151,000 tickets sold for in the first two days of release across the UAE.
The film also got extra screens due to huge public demand – replacing many Hollywood films in theatres. Be it in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, there wasn’t a single ticket available to catch the Rajinikanth film on its opening day.
‘Kabali‘ had the ‘Highest Worldwide Opening Day‘ for a South Indian film, earning US$13 million on the first day. The film also had the ‘Highest Opening Weekend‘ for an Indian film with US$46 million worldwide. Overall the film’s worldwide gross total is around US$52 million.
Future Rajnikanth projects in 2017:
3) Theri
‘Theri‘ which means ‘Spark’ is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Atlee starring the South Indian superstar Vijay, Other actors teaming up in the lead roles include British actress Amy Jackson.
Vijay plays an honest cop whose family is ruthlessly slaughtered by a politician and his aides. He decides to change his identity and commits his life to bring his daughter up in a serene atmosphere. However, some freak events end up compromising his identity, and what he does to save his daughter and avenge the death of his family unfurls as Theri.
The film had a worldwide release in April and grossed US$13 million worldwide in first weekend. In the United Kingdom, ‘Theri‘ broke Enthiran’s box office collection for the first weekend. Overall the film grossed a whopping total of US$23 Million worldwide.
4) Janatha Garage
‘Janatha Garage‘ is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action film written and directed by Koratala Siva, starring one of the most versatile & complete actor in the India Cinema Industry, Mohanlal.
The film released worldwide on September of 2016 and registered the ‘Highest Opening of All Time‘ for a Telugu film.
The movie opens a tie-up between a student who loves nature and a mechanic who loves to help people. Both of them should face the most deadly business man to save his people.
‘Janatha Garage‘ grossed US$6 Million worldwide on its opening day and overall gross earnings of US$20 Million Worldwide.
5) Pulimurugan
‘Pulimurugan‘ is an Indian Malayalam-language action-thriller movie directed by Vysakh, starring Mohanlal in the titular role.
Mohanlal is considered one of the best actors to come from the south of India and celebrates titles bestowed by many of the cinema industries royalties as ‘The Complete Actor‘. He was quoted as ‘India’s Answer to Marlon Brando‘ in one of the most reputable magazines in the world.
The story of ‘Pulimurugan‘ is set in the fictional village called Pulioore that shares land with the forest and is prone to attacks from wild animals. Whenever a stray tiger wanders into human habitats and starts killing people, the village turns to Pulimurugan. He comes as a professional in searching and hunting down a tiger.
There is a backstory as to why he started hunting tigers – Pulimurugan’s father got mauled by a tiger in front of his eyes when he was a boy. Later, with the help of his uncle, he kills the man-eating tiger that took his father’s life and continues to do so as a service to his village.
The film created a record for the ‘Highest Opening Weekend Grosser‘ for an Indian film in the UAE box office with gross earnings of US$2 Million in the first weekend. Overall, the movie earned US$19 Million worldwide, putting it in 5th position of the ‘Highest Grossing Asian Movies of 2016‘.
Future Mohanlal projects in 2017:
Missed out on placing your brand across the Top Blockbusters in 2016? Plan your campaign for upcoming projects of these power-packed celebrities and contact a member of our Sales Team for more information on advertising opportunities.
Sources: IMDB, Bollywoodlife, Fabnewz, Emirates 24×7, firstpost, Gulfnews
The breadth and depth of movies today is uncharted. Looking beyond the blockbusters is a full suite of quality titles not to be missed.
Think 2015 is a hard year to beat in terms of quality movies? Take a look at 2017’s roster, and tell us if you still think the same.
In fact, with the number of movie titles scheduled for release over 2017, moviegoers and advertisers will need some help keeping track of all the release dates.
We’ve put together a concise list of blockbusters and quality titles scheduled for release in 2017.
January
2017 starts out with a bang – where fans of xXx and Resident Evil franchises can look forward to new installments in the month of January.
February
The action heats up in February, with John Wick: Chapter 2 and the first big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series – The Lego Batman Movie. Comedy fans should also schedule a trip to the cinema for Fist Fight, starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day.
March
In March, look forward to a busy month of awesome films – including a new entry in the Wolverine series and Kong: Skull Island, and a live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
April
Fans of fast cars and action will hit the theatres to see the newest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast 8, while Bollywood fans can finally watch the partnering of Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in Jagga Jasoos.
May
Start out your May with a trip to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy sequel. Then then take the family out to watch The Nut Job 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 4
June
Come June, the summer blockbuster schedule opens up in earnest with the long-awaited Wonder Woman to start off the month. Fans of action will be granted their monthly quota of explosions, battles, and chase scenes with World War Z 2, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Transformers: The Last Knight, and for the kids, there’s Cars 3 and Despicable Me 3.
July
July continues the summer blockbuster rampage: there’s a new Spider-Man film early in the month, followed by War for the Planet of the Apes and even Dwayne Johnson’s Jumanji reboot.
August
Ridley Scott returns with the newest piece of the Alien universe when Alien: Covenant arrives in theaters in August. Moviegoers can also get super-excited for the Flatliners sequel/reboot, which will feature Kiefer Sutherland and Ellen Page.
September
September marks the start of scary movie season, and this year is sure to not disappoint with a highly anticipated remake of Stephen King’s psychopathic clown story IT. For kids, animated series Ninjago gets its own big-screen adventure.
October
October promises to be a month of horrifying and horrifically good movies, starting with a Blade Runner sequel and followed by Insidious: Chapter 4 and Saw: Legacy. If horror isn’t your thing, you can always get a dose of sunshine and happiness with My Little Pony: The Movie.
November
It may be getting cold around Dubai around this time of the year, but cinemas will heat up in November when Thor: Ragnarok arrives, followed by Justice League and Murder on the Orient Express. On a slightly lesser exciting note – but no doubt better for the kids, is Coco.
December
December’s schedule looks thin at the moment, but rest assured, it’ll fill up for the holiday season (as we get closer). At this stage, one thing we do know for sure is the next installment in the new Star Wars trilogy.
Please note: Some of the release dates may be subject to change, but keep checking our website, for we’ll be sure to update you with the most up-to-date information.
Contact us for more information on cinema advertising opportunities in 2017.
Source: MVM Movie Release Schedule, Looper
Dubai Lynx is at the heart of MENA’s creative communications industry. Over three days, an agenda of talks, training, networking, exhibitions and awards ceremonies celebrate the region’s creative output, making it the essential event on MENA’s creative calendar.
The Lynx is MENA’s top creative award. Each year, thousands of entries compete from across the region – but a select group of industry experts award only the very best.
Start preparing your entries now and complete them by 24 January 2017 for early bird savings.
Seventeen awards sections will be judged by industry experts in 2017 – covering everything from traditional print and outdoor communications to technology and digital campaigns.
The final deadline for entries is Tuesday 7 February 2017.
Winners will be announced and celebrated at the prestigious Dubai Lynx Awards Ceremony at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai on 8 March 2017.
Lynx Award Categories:
Download a Full 2017 Entry Kit a Sample Entry Form here
As the official representative of Dubai Lynx in the UAE, Motivate Val Morgan wishes you the best of luck at Dubai lynx 2017.
Let your work SHINE!
Source: Dubai Lynx
Smaller juries will improve quality of discussion inside the jury room.
Cannes Lions has announced changes to its juries. The size of the jury panels present in Cannes in 2017 will be reduced by 92 members across the board, ensuring the highest standard of meaningful debate can take place.
The first phase of the voting process for: Promo & Activation, Media and Direct Lions, will now be completed by a shortlist jury in the weeks prior to the Festival. The jury members will be selected using the same process and criteria as the awarding juries and held to the same rigorous standards of neutrality and fairness.
Jury panel sizes will also be reduced across Film, Radio, Print & Publishing, Outdoor, Digital Craft, Creative Effectiveness and Mobile categories.
“Protecting the integrity of the Lions is down to getting the right people in the judging room,” said Jose Papa, Managing Director of Cannes Lions. “Some juries have been much larger than others in the past as a result of the number of entries they have to judge – but it is the Titanium jury, of ten extremely well-qualified people, that is the gold-standard. After extensive consultation with previous jurors and the wider industry, we have concluded that we can reduce the number of jury members while still allowing them plenty of time to judge the work.”
2016’s Titanium Jury President, John Hegarty, founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, commented, “I would rather be judged by fewer jurors who are more focused, more responsible and better qualified. Collective responsibility and the quality of discussion are lost if you have too many judges. Size is no guarantee of strength.”
Philip Thomas, Chief Executive of Cannes Lions, added, “The standard of judging and quality of our juries is one of the major factors that contributes to the longstanding value of Cannes Lions. Upholding the value of the Lion is paramount.”
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2017 will take place from 17-24 June in Cannes, France.
As the Official Representative of the Cannes Lions Festival in the UAE, Motivate Val Morgan brings you the latest news from the desk of Cannes Lions. Stay tuned for more updates over the weeks ahead.
Source: Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
Barco Escape offers viewers a panoramic view – with a setup of two additional screens on either side of the main display, offering 270 degrees of cinematic action. It is one of the most intriguing cinema experiences of the present day.
Cinema has come a long way since the introduction of the Laterna Magica (Magic Lantern) in the 17th Century, Silent Films in the 18th Century, Sound films in the 19th Century, to the presently adored 3D, 4D and IMAX experiences.
In addition to the large screens offering 3D, 4D and IMAX movie experiences, cinema has also welcomed the compelling new concept – Barco Escape. With its premiere in 2014 alongside 20th Century Fox’s blockbuster movie, ‘Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials‘, Barco Escape received rave reviews from moviegoers, as well as critics who relish the concept of a more in-depth cinema experience.
Barco Escape has been working hand in hand with top studios & filmmakers to create projects that will offer audiences an unmatched immersive viewing experience solely available in cinema. The most recent breakthrough has been the five-year, annual multi-title deal with 20th Century Fox – with 2 titles releasing in 2017.
Other deals include:
With an impressive and growing content pipeline, Barco Escape is primed for success.
Barco Escape was introduced in the Middle East by Reel Cinemas – owned and operated by EMAAR Entertainment. After the successful integration with Star Trek Beyond in July 2016, Barco Escape at Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall will look forward to 6 Below – which will be the first full length Hollywood feature shot 100% in the Escape format.
Sources: Barco Escape, Gulf News
Bollywood defines the epitome of the Indian cinema industry which has continued to flourish, growing in popularity, size & reach across the UAE with an immense fan following from the expat community including a notably strong percentage of UAE Nationals.
The popularity of Indian cinema in the UAE is quite a well-known fact, especially with the constant immersion of Bollywood movies across the region and into the minds of cinema going audiences. Bollywood has not only grown into the hearts of the expat population from the subcontinent but has also garnered strong following from the local Arab community – which approximately makes about 25% of the total Bollywood movie audience.
With UAE contributing a great deal to the total box office collection and success for movies such as PK (US$120 million), ‘Baahubali‘ (US$97 million), ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan‘ (US$93 million), ‘Sultan‘ (US$87 million), the craze of Bollywood has not seen a downside in this part of the world – where the number of fans following the most popular Bollywood celebrities such Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan & Aamir Khan never ceases to amaze.
The Top 10 Overall Highest-grossing Bollywood Films:
1. PK – US$120 million
2. Baahubali: The Beginning – US$97 million
3. Bajrangi Bhaijaan – US$93 million
4. Sultan – US$87 million
5. Dhoom 3 – US$80 million
6. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – US$64 million
7. Chennai Express – US$63 million
8. 3 Idiots – US$59 million
9. Dilwale – US$59 million
10. Bajirao Mastani – US$53 million
That being said, UAE has agreeably accepted Indian cinema as part of the regions cinema industry and has started to grow interest in various other Bollywood celebrities in the recent years: for example, ‘Bajirao Mastani‘ starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra did well in terms of admissions which has graciously awarded it one of the Top 10 Spots for the highest revenue grossing movie of all time in Bollywood History.
Other Bollywood movies that did well overseas – featuring presently sort after Bollywood celebrities include Kapoor & Sons – featuring Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt(US$7.7 million), ‘Mohenjo Daro‘ – featuring Hrithik Roshan (US$4.3 million) and ‘Neerja‘ – featuring Sonam Kapoor (US$4.14 million).
The Top 10 Bollywood Film Grossers Overseas in 2016:
1. Sultan – $24.30 million
2. Fan – $10.22 million
3. Kapoor & Sons – $7.7 million
4. Housefull 3 – $6.87 million
5. Airlift – $6.51 million
6. Rustom – $5.5 million (17 days)
7. Mohenjo Daro – $4.3 million (17 days)
8. Ki & Ka – $4.2 million
9. Neerja – $4.14 million
10. Dishoom – $3.51 million
Recent releases have seen many of the celebrities growing a steady fan following by the sophisticated, yet simple-minded UAE locals & expats. One of the celebrities that need special mention is Akshay Kumar who has seen his movies grossing record revenues after ‘Rowdy Rathore‘ – which released in 2012, ‘Airlift‘ (US$20 million), ‘Housefull 3‘ (US$15 million) & ‘Rustom‘ (US$15+ million).
One of the other names receiving attention is Ajay Devgan who has seen large growth as a brand name across the UAE with the recent success of his movie Shivaay. Being the second strongest competitor to the Khans’ in the tough & competing industry of Bollywood, Ajay Devgan has not only been noted for his ‘macho’ action scenes and romantic capabilities, but also for the directorial skills he showcased with ‘Shivaay‘ – which has become one of his highest grossing movies of in his 24 year career in the industry thus far.
Notable Ajay Devgan Movies (Lifetime Revenue):
* Presently screening in cinema
After a successful year for Bollywood in the UAE, and as we near the end of 2016, the much-awaited blockbuster ‘Dangal‘ – starring Amir Khan, might just be the icing on the cake. ‘Dangal‘ releases across cinemas in the UAE on December 22 this year, but its inspiring trailer has already successfully managed to grab the attention of eagerly awaiting fans.
With a strong lineup of blockbusters set to release in 2017, don’t miss out on Bollywood as a stream to align your brand alongside – targeting both local and expat audiences. Contact a member of our Sales Team for more information on following Bollywood movies in cinema.
Sources: The National, Box Office Collection, Box Office India and Indicine
What do you usually expect to see before a movie begins at the cinema? Trailers accompanied by the usual on screen advertisements?
Motivate Val Morgan cover both on screen and off screen cinema advertising, and more interestingly, we also facilitate in-cinema activations – or as we like to call it, Cinevations.
Sharjah International Book Fair recently surprised moviegoers at Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall, with something unusually creative before the screening of ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ at 3 evening shows from 20th to 22nd October 2016.
HB Experience executed the Sharjah International Book Fair Cinevation – in coordination with Motivate Val Morgan and Reel Cinemas.
The Cinevation was also accompanied by an on screen advertisement (presently screening at Reel Cinemas Marina Mall, VOX Cinemas Ajman City Centre, Deira City Centre, Mall of The Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, Fujairah City Centre and Oscar Cinemas Al Shaab Village), which was booked for a period of 4 weeks (13th October to 9th November 2016).
Interested in executing similar in-cinema activations? Contact a member of our Sales Team today for more information.
Source: Sharjah International Book Fair (Facebook & YouTube)
