Tuesday 5th October is the official Global James Bond Day – a celebration of 59 years of the Bond franchise since the release of Dr. No in 1962. This year, we celebrate the success of Daniel Craig’s last turn as 007 in No Time To Die.
Last Thursday (30th September 2021), we witnessed the return of the ‘licensed troubleshooter’ on the BIG Screen in a BIG way, exceeding conservative pre-weekend projections by rocketing to record US$119M in its opening weekend at international box office (a total of 54 markets).
The 25th James Bond film is also the first Hollywood title of the pandemic-era to cross US$100M in its international launch without China.
No Time To Die opened on 985 screens in the Middle East, making it the biggest release in the market this year. UAE and Saudi Arabia grossed US$2M and US$1.8M, respectively, in its opening weekend (Sept. 30 – Oct. 3).
The weekend opening of James Bond – No Time To Die was not only a busy weekend at the cinema, for it was also the busiest weekend’s in 2021 for Motivate Val Morgan, for we witnessed an influx of brands joining the ‘BondWagon’ to secure advertising alongside the most anticipated movie of the year.
Here are the advertisers who gained coverage beside 007 himself:
DHL
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time To Die)
Country: Egypt
Locations: VOX Cinemas – City Centre Alexandria, City Centre Almaza, Mall of Egypt
B.Tech
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time To Die)
Country: Egypt
Locations: VOX Cinemas – City Centre Alexandria, City Centre Almaza, Mall of Egypt
Christian Dior
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time To Die)
Country: KSA & UAE
Locations: Multiple AMC, Muvi, Reel and VOX cinema locations
Cartier
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time To Die)
Country: KSA, UAE & Qatar
Locations: Multiple Muvi, Reel and VOX cinema locations
Spotii
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time To Die)
Country: KSA & UAE
Locations: Muvi Cinemas – Mall of Arabia and VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park Mall
Armani / Prive
Campaign Duration: Sept. 30th to Oct. 29th
Country: UAE
Locations: Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates
Galaxy Fusions
Campaign Duration: Sept. 30th to Nov. 3rd
Country: UAE
Locations: Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, Nakheel Mall and Wafi City
*A total of three commercials that will screen in rotation.
Land Rover (Defender)
Campaign Duration: Sept. 30th to Oct. 13th/Oct. 20th
Country: UAE & Kuwait
Locations: Multiple Reel and VOX cinema locations
Saudi German Hospital
Campaign Duration: Sept. 30th to Dec. 1st
Country: UAE
Locations: Multiple Reel and VOX cinema locations
Campaign Duration: Sept. 30th to Dec. 1st
Country: Kuwait
Location: VOX Cinemas – The Avenues
Yas Island
Campaign Duration: Sept. 30th to Oct. 13th
Country: UAE
Locations: Multiple Reel and VOX cinema locations
Atlantis
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time To Die)
Country: UAE
Locations: Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall and The Pointe, and VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates
Prada
Ad Format: 4DX
Campaign Duration: Sept. 30th to Oct. 27th
Country: UAE
Locations: Multiple VOX cinema locations
Kuwait Finance House
Campaign Duration: Oct. 1st to Oct. 21st
Country: UAE
Location: VOX Cinemas – The Avenues
*A total of three commercials that will screen in rotation.
Doha Academy
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time To Die)
Country: Qatar
Location: VOX Cinemas – Dubai Festival City
RedBull Mobile
Country: Oman
Locations: Multiple VOX cinema locations
The campaign was meant to commence on Sept. 30th; however it has been delayed due to Cyclone Shaheen raging through parts of the Gulf region – mainly Oman. The campaign will therefore commence at a later point in October 2021.
Lincoln
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time to Die)
Country: UAE
Location: VOX Cinemas – Yas Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mercato and City Centre Mirdif
*The two commercials will screen in rotation
LEGO
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time to Die)
Country: UAE
Location: Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall
Bank Muscat
Campaign Type: Follow A Movie (No Time to Die)
Country: Oman
Location: Multiple VOX cinema locations
Audi (Q5)
Campaign Duration: Oct. 4th to Oct. 24th
Country: KSA
Location: VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park Mall and Muvi Cinemas – Mall of Dhahran
On screen advertising wasn’t the only hit during the release of Not Time To Die. From digital screen ads by DHL, a sampling activity by Galaxy, to a car display by Aston Martin at the premier/opening in Egypt and more, check out the off screen activities booked through Motivate Val Morgan on the weekend starting Sept 30th.
In Bond we believed, and as always… 007 delivered!
With an exciting lineup of movies ahead: Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Last Duel, Eternals, Sooryavanshi (Hindi), Annaatthe (Tamil), House of Gucci, West Side Story, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Matrix Resurrections, The King’s Man, 83 (Hindi) and more, don’t miss out on aligning your brand alongside the release of these anticipated blockbusters.
Contact a member of our sales team for on and off screen cinema advertising opportunities over the weeks ahead.
Sources: 007.com, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Box Office Mojo
It is probably no exaggeration to say the past year has been the most momentous year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s history with the announcement of a wide range of social reforms – boosting entertainment and allowing women to drive, to take effect in 2018.
In December 2017, Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on commercial theaters as part of the country’s 2030 vision (stamped by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) to modernize and move the country forward. Four months after, in April 2018 we witnessed the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in over three decades (operated by AMC Entertainment), which was followed by the launch of a 4 screen VOX Cinemas at Riyadh Park Mall – featuring an IMAX screen, 2 VOX Kids screens and 1 VIP screen.
As the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan received an overwhelming response from advertisers within hours of the cinema chain launching in the Kingdom. The first advertisers to book on-screen ads through Motivate Val Morgan were Hotels Combined, Chevrolet, GMC, Emirates Airlines, Homecentre and Cartier, to name a few.
On 24th June 2018 followed the end of a decades-long ban on women driving – enabling women (18 years of age and older) to apply for a driver’s license.
For the vast majority of women in the kingdom, the move allowing them to drive represents a new dawn, offering greater freedom of mobility, access to wider job opportunities, and the reclamation of rights.
Timing their cinema campaigns with the lifting of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia were Audi and Hyundai.
Audi
To mark the monumental day in history, in which woman in Saudi Arabia got into the driver’s seat for the first time ever, Audi created this gripping and inspirational video.
Audi booked a 1-week on-screen campaign to play on all screens of VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park Mall from 28th June to 4th July 2018.
Hyundai
Hyundai’s #whatsnext campaign is a message from people all over the world, welcoming the women of Saudi Arabia behind the wheel.
Hyundai booked a 6-week on-screen campaign to play on all screens of VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park Mall from 5th July to 15th August 2018.
An amalgamation where a once banned and re-established medium, screens an advertisement welcoming a deeply symbolic move to put women back in the driver’s seat!
Have a tactical campaign you would like to execute on cinema screens in Saudi Arabia?
Contact a member of our sales team for more information.
Sources: Al Arabia (English), Gulf News, Gulf Business and YouTube (YallaMotor)
