Driven by evolving audience preferences and a fresh perspective on cinema as an immersive experience, cinemas worldwide are undergoing a rapid transformation
The cinema industry is experiencing a significant transformation. With cinema now viewed as a holistic customer experience, various factors influence moviegoers, including screen formats such as IMAX and Dolby, food and beverage offerings, parking, and family friendliness.
Recognizing these needs, exhibitors worldwide are making strategic investments in new builds, refurbishments, and technology. According to the Global Cinema Federation (GCF), exhibitors are projected to spend around US$2 billion globally in 2023-2024, showcasing their confidence in the future of the big screen experience.
Out of the total US$2 billion investment, US$1 billion is expected to go towards new builds, US$600 million towards refurbishments, and US$400 million towards technology. Now that we know which areas exhibitors are investing in, let’s also break down the major factors driving them to embark on this substantial level-up:
To stand out from home viewing, cinemas are investing in modern amenities such as in-seat dining, luxury recliners, and interactive games. This creates a more immersive and social atmosphere where watching a movie becomes a complete experience. From arriving at the theater to enjoying photo opportunities, giveaways, product samples, and lobby activities, the cinema visit must be memorable.
Affluent moviegoers see cinema as an essential part of their social lives, and prefer theaters with luxurious amenities. A recent YouGov survey, reported by the Video Advertising Bureau, found that 73% of affluent moviegoers with household incomes of US$100,000 or more favor theaters offering unique amenities and fine dining, enhancing their overall experience.
IMAX, Dolby Cinema, and other premium formats are gaining popularity with more and more titles being made for these experiences. Cinemas are investing in these formats to provide superior viewing options, meeting the growing demand for high-quality cinematic experiences.
Google Trends analytics show a surge in searches when a movie is announced or stars are attached. When trailers are released, fans flock to social media, turning awareness into excitement. This anticipation lingers until the movie hits theaters. Hence, exhibitors recognize the need to be part of this conversation through their online presence and maintaining engagement. Cinemas announcing social media competitions with big prizes are prime examples of leveraging this trend.
With several highly anticipated blockbusters, including the most “filmed for IMAX” releases in a year, set for 2025, cinemas are leveling up to handle the influx of eager moviegoers and offer the best possible experience for audiences.
These strategic investments demonstrate the industry’s commitment to evolving and enhancing the cinema experience, ensuring it remains a beloved pastime for audiences worldwide.
Source: Global Cinema Federation, VAB News
Newly opened Ajdan Walk is part of AMC Cinemas’ ongoing strategy to develop the Kingdom’s cinema sector under the Vision 2030 Quality of Life program. The Cinema offers 9 auditoriums providing an enjoyable luxury experience with advanced audiovisual technologies
AMC Cinemas, the first global cinema operator in the Kingdom, has opened a new location at Ajdan Walk in Al-Khobar.
It will provide a state-of-the-art cinematic experience in line with the high standards AMC Cinemas is already known for.
AMC Ajdan Walk was officially inaugurated in presence of prominent personalities and media representatives on Wednesday, December 22. Guests watched an exclusive screening of newly released, The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth part of the Matrix series of films.
The new cinema offers 900 seats across nine auditoriums, including seven luxurious screens and two premium large formats, Dolby Cinema, which offers vibrant images and exceptional sound purity, and Prime, which evokes enthusiasm through amazing display technologies, sound systems with an immersive viewing pleasure, and luxurious reclining seats which provide the utmost comfort and relaxation.
Speaking on the occasion, Andrew Such, AMC Cinemas CEO said, “The opening is part of our ongoing strategy to provide an innovative cinematic experience for audiences throughout the Kingdom. It also reflects our commitment to provide the highest international standards and ensure movie-goers’ visits to our locations are an unforgettable experience.”
“With the opening of AMC Ajdan Walk we continue to demonstrate our support for the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 Quality of Life program which aims to enhance and grow the entertainment sector. It motivates us to continue our strategy to build and provide innovative cinemas across the Kingdom,” he added.
CEO of Ajdan Development Company (Ajdan Walk Waterfront Operator) Eng. Mohammed bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Otaibi said, “We are proud of our cooperation with AMC Cinemas in opening the first independent Cinema theatre in the Kingdom. At the same time, we are looking forward to making this place one of the modern landmarks in Al-Khobar’s first waterfront.”
With the opening of AMC Ajdan Walk in Al-Khobar, AMC Cinemas now operates 66 screens across 10 locations in the Kingdom with five in Riyadh and one in Jeddah, Al-Dawadmi, Hafr Al-Batin and Majmaah.
Contact us to advertise your brand on the screens of AMC Ajdan Walk – AL Khobar.
Source: AMC Press Release.
It’s been nearly two years since the onset of the pandemic, and whilst the world is moving towards returning to near normalcy, cinemas around the world are now open, with audiences back to enjoying movies on the BIG screen at cinema.
However, the lingering question that remains is that, despite the surge in streaming content, can cinemas return to pre-pandemic levels?
We have explored current market trends and how the present will influence the future of this time-honored tradition – watching a movie on the BIG screen:
The Great Escape: Cinema is undoubtedly a means of escape. Movies were the most popular form of entertainment during the dreary moments of pandemic, but recent box office figures have proven that viewing movies at home is just a ploy to compensate for the inability of watching movies in a theater. A majority of audiences believe movies enjoyed at the cinema offers a range of richness and passion that goes beyond the mere escape from reality.
Content: Filmgoers are willing to return to the cinema for content they believe in. During the early stages of reopening, cinemas struggled mainly due to the lack of content, as a result of major tentpoles placed on hold, while others released across on-demand platforms. However, when studios were willing to take risks, which was the case with Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it paid off well.
An Experience: The pandemic has changed the consumption behavior of cinema audiences. However, this change represents a huge opportunity for the industry to engage in more innovative and personal ways with moviegoers. Cinema visits can be part of a broader experience-based value delivered to audiences. For example, an increase in the number of films made in new digital formats – such as IMAX and Dolby, illustrate the positive shift in the audiences’ fondness for cinema as an experience.
Patience is Profit: When movies are released simultaneously on streaming platforms, the profit potential – for blockbusters, is hindered. For example, Marvel’s Black Widow, which had the potential to gross between $750 million and over $1 billion at global box office, made much less due to simultaneously releasing on streaming platforms. In a similar manner, the earning potential for original movies to become megabuck movies is also limited by streaming release.
The Future: Increased production costs have been a pain point for independent filmmakers, for only the larger studios that can take bigger risks in terms of funding and marketing their movies. Studios recognize that the economics of blockbusters are based on box office. Thus, for the next few years, original scripts will be less sought after by studios for theatre releases in favor of franchises and reboots. It is also likely that more studios will expand their animation offering to adult and family audiences, given that it is easier to produce.
It’s becoming clearer that the pandemic likely exacerbated trends that were already in place before it began—blockbusters earn bigger bucks, and the gap in terms of fare between independent films and superhero movies grows. 2021 has done necessary legwork for cinema recovery. While the franchise frenzy will continue to drive the cinema recovery in 2022, audiences are yet to be tested on their willingness to support smaller movie releases in theaters.
Sources: Variety, CineBlend, Deloitte and IMDB
Muvi Cinemas celebrated the opening of its tenth and largest cinema location yet – Mall of Dhahran, on Thursday 15th October 2020.
The cinema is the first destination for movie lovers in the major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry – located in the Eastern province of KSA, and features 18 screens with a total of 2368 seats, including four unique cinema experiences: ScreenX, Dolby Cinema, Samsung Onyx and muvi SUITES.
The new cinema was inaugurated by Dhahran Municipality Chief Eng. Mohammed Al Jassim and Sultan Alhokair, CEO of Muvi Cinemas, in the presence of representatives from the Quality of Life Program, Arabian Centers Company, General Commission for Audiovisual Media, social media celebrities, and media representatives. The opening also included a special screening of the 2020 American horror movie Antebellum to VIPs and invitees.
Commenting on the opening of the cinema at Mall of Dhahran, Mahmoud Mirza, Marketing Director of Muvi Cinemas, said: “It is extremely gratifying to introduce another advanced and luxurious cinema concept for our customers in Saudi Arabia. Entertainment has been an important part of the Saudi entertainment business, and it is our responsibility to continue to offer enhanced experiences to our customers.”
He further added, “The new cinema complex which is considered as the largest in Saudi Arabia with its splendid aesthetics stands tall as one of the most advanced Muvi Cinemas in Saudi Arabia and we are excited for our customers to witness the captivating and immersive experience. We are certain that the newest Muvi Cinema in Dhahran Mall will be the next entertainment hub of the Eastern province.”
More on Mall of Dhahran
Mall of Dhahran by Arabian Centres which opened in 2005, is one of the best malls in Saudi Arabia and a key destination in the triplet cities of Dhahran, Dammam, and Al Khobar. Spread across one floor spanning 160,647 SQM, the mall provides more than 400 stores, 70 eateries and a variety of entertaining activities, dedicated to creating a vibrant and unique environment for all its guests.
From small boutiques and high-end brand stores, to new retailers and international brands, the mall is home to popular brands such as: Adidas, DKNY, The Body Shop, Zara, New Yorker, Swatch and many more. In terms of restaurants and cafés, the variety of food offerings range from stylish and contemporary international brands, popular fast-food chains and coffee and cake shops.
To complement its shopping and dining facilities, the mall boasts not only the first home-grown cinema chain – Muvi Cinemas, but also the world’s largest indoor playground – Billy Beez, and kids gaming and play center – Sparky’s.
The mall is Arabian Centres’ No. 1 mall in Saudi Arabia, with an occupancy rate of 94.6%, and its 2019 footfall was over 12.5 million.
As the official cinema advertising partner of Muvi Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan congratulates the cinema exhibitor on the launch of Mall of Dhahran and warmly welcomes this new location to our cinema circuit in Saudi Arabia.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at this new location.
Sources: Muvi Cinemas, Zawya, Mall of Dhahran and argaam
Muvi Cinemas launched a new cinema at Nakheel Mall in Riyadh on Wednesday 23rd September 2020. The cinema features 13 screens with a total of 1685 seats, and includes four unique cinema experiences: ScreenX, Dolby Cinema, Onyx and muvi SUITES.
The cinema exhibitor also recently launched an 18-screen cinema at Mall of Dhahran (Dhahran) on 15th October 2020, bringing Muvi’s total screen across KSA to 103 screens. The site also marks the tenth location for Muvi Cinemas in 14 months since debuting their first location, having entered the market in 2019 as KSA’s first homegrown cinema chain.
*More information on Mall of Dhahran to follow in the coming weeks.
As the official cinema advertising partner of Muvi Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan congratulates the cinema exhibitor on the launch of Nakheel Mall in Riyadh and warmly welcomes this new location to our regional cinema circuit.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at this new location.
Source: Muvi Cinemas
AMC’s nine screen cinema at Riyadh Gallery is equipped with massive screens, 4K Barco laser projectors, immersive sound and Luxe Recliner and Plush Rocker seating. The cinema also features Dolby Cinema and AMC Prime screens.
AMC Cinemas opened a new cinema at Riyadh Gallery in KSA on Thursday 27th August 2020.
The cinema features 9 screens – with 4K Barco laser projectors, immersive sound and Luxe Recliner and Plush Rocker seating, with a total of 901 seats, and also includes Dolby Cinema and PRIME at AMC screens.
Greeting guests on arrival to the cinema is AMC Cinema Souq, a reimagined and fully customizable food & beverage concept. AMC Cinema Souq treats moviegoers to classic cinema fare, restaurant quality hot foods, one-of-a-kind deserts, creative handcrafted beverages from AMC MacGuffins Mocktail & Coffee Bar, as well as movie merchandise and much more. Visitors can come in and enjoy AMC Cinemas food & beverage offerings at any time as the Cinema Souq is available to everyone.
To inaugurate the opening of Riyadh Gallery, various government officials, guests of honor and members of AMC’s executive team joined in the festivities with an exclusive premiere of PRIME at AMC, an extraordinary cinema experience featuring laser projection, Dolby Atmos sound and AMC’s signature Luxe Recliners.
Commenting on the evening John Iozzi, Managing Director of AMC Cinemas said: “We are proud to be opening our fourth location in Saudi Arabia and to share this evening with friends, dignitaries and the people of Riyadh. I look forward to sharing many more AMC Cinema experiences with the people of KSA as we urgently expand our footprint across the country and continue to provide our guests with the best in cinema.”
نحتفل بإطلاق ٩ صالات سينما جديدة في AMC الرياض جاليري ?
مجهزة بأحدث التجارب وأكبر صالة #برايم_في_AMC مع تجربة سوق السينما للراحة في التسوق ??
تفضل بزيارتنا اليوم وعيش السينما وأكثر في AMC ?#AMC_سينما_وأكثر#المرئي_والمسموع#رؤية_السعودية_2030#مشاريع_الترفيه_السعودية pic.twitter.com/KuCPBJBiHc
— AMC سينما (@AMC_Cinemas_SA) August 28, 2020
AMC Cinemas also opened another new location – Al Khair, at Al Makan Mall in Riyadh on Tuesday 25th August 2020, which features 9 screens with a total of 801 seats, and includes IMAX and PRIME at AMC screens.
*More information on Al Khair at Al Makan Mall in Riyadh to follow in the coming weeks.
Together with Al Khair and Riyadh Gallery, the cinema exhibitor presently operates 37 screens across 5 locations in 2 cities of Saudi Arabia.
Motivate Val Morgan congratulates AMC Cinemas on the opening of Al Khair and Riyadh Gallery, and warmly welcomes these locations to our regional cinema circuit.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across the four AMC locations in Saudi Arabia.
Related Articles:
AMC Opens Third Location at Al Makan Mall in Hafr Al Batin
AMC Opens Second Location at Panorama Mall in KSA
Motivate Val Morgan Welcomes AMC Cinemas to its Circuit in KSA
Sources: AMC Cinemas and Zawya
Muvi Cinemas – Saudi Arabia’s first home-grown cinema brand, has opened the first Dolby Cinema screen in KSA, located at the U-Walk Boulevard, Arabian Centres in Riyadh
Dolby Cinema™ is a premium cinema created by Dolby Laboratories that combines Dolby proprietary technologies such as Dolby Vision™ and Dolby Atmos®, as well as other signature entrance and intrinsic design features, designed to make every visit a completely captivating cinematic event.
Dolby Vision™ brings the story alive with amazing brightness and darker darks to offer a more lifelike sense of depth, rendering colors and detail unlike other movie screens, and Dolby Atmos® transports audiences into the movie with breathtakingly realistic, moving audio that fills the room, while the clarity and precision creates a stunning, textured soundscape that adds layers of depth to each scene.
Films to be screened at the Dolby Cinema in U-Walk include Arabic drama/comedy Shams Al Maarif, English films My Spy and animation Trolls World Tour and Arabic comedy Al Ghasala.
There are a total of 251 Dolby Cinemas globally, with an additional 200 Dolby Cinema screens committed, and more than 300 movie titles being released or announced in Dolby Vision™ and Dolby Atmos®.
Speaking on the opening of the Dolby Cinema at U-Walk, Sultan Alhokair, CEO of Muvi Cinemas, said: “We are very excited to be opening Dolby Cinema and bringing the most powerful image and sound technology to Saudi Arabia. Dolby Cinema will provide a different experience for Saudi cinemagoers and will be the first of three screens to be added to our extensive portfolio of offerings.”
Muvi Cinemas was established in 2019 with headquarters in Riyadh. Last year, Muvi announced an expansion plan to launch 250 new screens across the Kingdom within 24 months to offer unique and exclusive experiences for all guests, and recruit and train more local talent. The cinema chain operates a total of 41 screens across the following locations in KSA: Mall of Arabia (Jeddah), Al Hamra Mall (Riyadh), Nakheel Mall (Dammam) and U-Walk (Riyadh).
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across the four locations of Muvi Cinemas in Saudi Arabia.
Sources: Muvi Cinemas, Arab News and BroadcastPro Middle East
Muvi Cinemas – Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown cinema brand, opened its doors to cinema audiences at its fourth location at U-Walk in Riyadh on Thursday 5th March 2020.
The cinema features 13 screens with a total of 1398 seats and a range of cinema experiences which include Dolby Cinema™, ScreenX, Samsung Onyx and Suites.
Dolby Cinema™ delivers the total cinema experience. It combines the most powerful image and sound technologies with inspired design to make every visit an unforgettable cinematic event.
ScreenX is a truly immersive cinema experience for those who want to experience blockbusters not just watch them. The world’s first multi projection movie theatre. ScreenX presents unprecedented panorama screen by extending the main screen to each side of walls in the auditorium. Through this panorama screen, the audience will feel as if they are right in the movie. This experience is also available at the cinema exhibitor’s Mall of Arabia location in Jeddah.
Muvi Cinemas is the first cinema in the Middle East to include a Samsung Onyx Cinema LED screen, which accommodates virtually any venue configuration while delivering technical performance and reliability beyond that of traditional projector-based operations.
The extraordinary display installed at Muvi Cinemas – U-Walk transforms the cinema viewing experience with HDR support, offering unparalleled picture quality – true colors and greater vibrancy and accuracy.
Discover the key features of Samsung Onyx in the video below:
Suites is the ultimate luxury cinema experience by Muvi – featuring reclining seats, footrests, extra legroom and USB charging ports. The experience includes an exclusive lounge with an a la carte menu, where cinemagoers can choose from light bites to a full meal. Meals can be eaten in the lounge or inside cinema.
The opening of U-Walk follows the launch of the 7 screen cinema with 659 seats at Nakheel Mall in the city of Dammam which opened in February 2020.
For more information about Muvi Cinemas, visit: www.muvicinemas.com
As the official cinema advertising partner of Muvi Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan congratulates the cinema exhibitor on its opening at U-Walk (Riyadh) and Nakheel Mall (Dammam), and warmly welcomes these two new location to our cinema circuit in KSA. Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities in KSA.
Source: Muvi Cinemas and Samsung
Cinema is appealing to a more diverse group of consumers than ever before, making it an attractive platform for many brands to utilize. In order to ensure brands reach and engage their target audience effectively with their cinema promotion, there are certain consumer trends to be kept in mind, considering their potential impact on the outcome of a campaign.
The following article was published on LinkedIn by Casey Story – Organization Development Professional | Learning & Development Specialist | Sales Trainer & Coach
Kurt Wagner from Recode Media wrote an article stating that, “2019 will mark the first-time digital ad spend in the US outpaces TV and print combined.” Marketers will attest to this trend as there is a noticeable change in expectations among clients. Media planning conversations use to focus mostly around aspects including: Audience, engagement, reach, recall, like-ability, however the stakes have been shifting since 2008. Which most will remember as the year we all started walking around with cash registers in our pockets (personal smartphones).
Shifting of expectations from brands are steering agencies and media sales professionals to steer towards a ‘Positive Business Outcome’ approach to their media strategy. These teams are now focused on identifying the right consumers, reaching them in the right environment, engaging with them at the right time, and on the right devices to achieve and prove delivery of the KPI’s set forth by their clients.
While digital advertising allows brands to achieve several of these key components in the new outcome-based approach to planning, there are several considerations including: identifying the right consumers, reaching them in the right environment and engaging with them at the right time, that must still be supported by other channels in the traditional media space.
The following are three US consumer trends in 2019/2020 that make cinema advertising a more viable channel than ever to support brand goals:
Subscription Movie Going is Still Alive
Similar to blockbuster, taxi services and the music industry, the movie going industry did not feel a major disruption of their consumer’s expectations for a long period of time. The model was straightforward: negotiate with studios to fill theaters and auditoriums with blockbuster hits, sell tickets and concessions, invest in capital improvements that enhance the overall experience if/when needed. The main purpose was that the content on screen should be enough to encourage consumers to spend $10-20 dollars per ticket to see the films. Here’s where MoviePass makes its entrance.
The long-term arithmetic reflected in MoviePass’ model made it clear that without improved compensation from the circuits, the company was working on both borrowed time and money. As we know, the negotiation never happened, and MoviePass has been written down by its holding company.
The low-cost subscription model that MoviePass introduced however dramatically changed the consumer expectation regarding the cost of going to the movies. For the first time in years the exhibitors (Cinemark, Regal, AMC) have had to adjust their pricing strategy and are introducing subscription plans of their own. These actions have been well received by consumers. AMC recently announced that since launching their Stubbs A-List program (a $19.95 monthly subscription) in June of 2018, they have enrolled over 700,000 members.
This trend is important for advertisers considering cinema campaigns, because the data shows that when consumers have access to lower priced movie tickets, they see more movies. In the same article published in Variety, AMC noted that Stubbs A-List members had accounted for over 14 million movie ticket sales in the same amount of time.
Cinemark, Regal, and regional affiliates throughout the US are all working to finalize or develop their own subscription-based models to adapt to this shift in consumer expectation. What this means for advertisers is that passionate movie goers, those same consumers that drive 73% of spending in the US will be coming out in record numbers to their local movie theaters throughout 2019 because for the first time in years, they have a more affordable way of doing so.
Hollywood’s Franchise Era
The question, “When will Hollywood introduce us to new stories?” often rings in the minds of movie-goers alike. Ben Fritz’s book The Big Picture – The Fight for the Future of Movies answers this and discusses Hollywood’s shift towards the ‘franchise movie model’.
The reality is most consumers want two things when they choose to go to the movies:
Consumers may argue that they would prefer more adult dramas, romantic comedies, horror films, etc. However, the facts (historical ticket sales), reveal otherwise.
Looking at 2019’s slate of films, it is safe to say that we are in the heart of the Hollywood franchise era. The opportunities to experience something larger than life and culturally relevant are already driving record box office sales.
Captain Marvel (2019) made a total of $1,126,129,839 at the Worldwide Box Office. While remakes of popular Disney classics have been making cinema rounds. Classics such as: Dumbo made a total of $347,866,307 since its release in March 2019. Cinema-goers have also witnessed a rise in live-action remakes of popular Disney films this year, with movies such as The Lion King which made a whooping $1,638,761,919 at the box-office (to date). Whereas, the live-action version Aladdin’s live action version made a total of $1,037,017,346 since its release in May 2019.
From the Marvel Universe, the concluding film of the franchise- Avengers: End Game broke records at the box-office banking a total of$2,795,473,000 and continued to run in cinemas for 20 weeks across cinemas in the US.
The last quarter of the year holds great promise for the box office with mega sequels such as Frozen II, Jumanji: The Next Level and the concluding film of the Star Wars series: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker soon to release across cinemas worldwide.
Advertisers considering cinema campaigns should look closely at the historical success of the franchise model in domestic ticket sales. In the last four years, the highest grossing movies yearly in the US have come from within a franchise. This trend appears to continue throughout 2019. With the increased occurrence that moviegoers will be visiting theaters due to: Lower priced subscription service tickets and quality of content, advertisers have a unique opportunity to extend their reach among this audience year round.
Content Marketing: A Driving Force for Customer Connections
As digital spending eclipses traditional media spend this year, the digital marketplace has certainly become increasingly noisy. When adopting a positive business outcome marketing strategy, the goal is less about a brand’s ability to yell louder and more often than their competition. The goal, hence must shift, and brands must identify innovative ways to engage with their audience in an authentic manner, a trend that is leading the shift toward content marketing.
There are generally two approaches to developing a content marketing strategy:
When a brand has done well adopting either strategy, they pull their audience to their message instead of simply pushing more content into an already crowded marketplace. The impressions delivered from a content marketing strategy are much more valuable because customers actively seek out the content and actively share the message to other, like-minded, potential consumers.
Cinema is one of the last channels available for brands to tell an authentic story, at scale, in an environment with no ad skipping devices, and in front of consumers looking to be entertained.
Content marketing pieces delivered in this environment cut through the noise. Campaigns resonate with consumers, and the transparency of the cinema platform provides piece of mind for brands seeking to reclaim bot served impressions and eliminate wastage of advertising resources.
Are these trends similar in the Middle East?
Movie Ticket Offers
Leading cinema chains in the Middle East have tied up with mobile network providers (Example – du and Etisalat in UAE), offering cinemagoers to buy one movie ticket and get the other free. Similarly, numerous banks also provide customers a range of Debit and Credit card offers to availing movie-ticket and/or a free upgrade on the size of popcorn and beverages at the candy counter. Certain bank cards also offer moviegoers a buy 1 get one get one free movie ticket deal.
Such offers affirm the fact that when consumers have access to lower priced movie tickets, the frequency of cinema visits increase.
Love for Franchise Films
The craze among movie-goers for popular franchise films isn’t limited to the United States alone. Cinema statistics in the Middle East reveal the love and commitment among movie-goers in the region.
Following are statistics of UAE admissions for MEGA blockbuster franchise films:
Captain Marvel (2019)
Ran for 12 weeks and did over 425K admissions
Dumbo (2019)
Ran for 12 weeks and did over 180K admissions
The Lion King (2019)
Did over 697K admissions in the first 8 weeks since release
*The movie is still screening across select cinemas in the UAE
Avengers: End Game (2019)
Ran for 15 weeks and did over 848K admissions
Cinema Experiences like Never Before
A number of cinema chains in the Middle East offer unique cinema experiences – thus catering to the increasing demand by cinemagoers to watch movies like never-seen before. Audiences can now enjoy the latest blockbusters on mega screens such as IMAX, MAX, Dolby Cinema, nibble on gourmet delights at Dine-in Cinemas or opt for a luxury experience such as Gold by Rhodes, Theatre by Rhodes and Platinum Suites, while lounging in a comfy reclining seats, or dive into action on with 4DX and ScreenX.
VOX Cinemas recently launched a concept of ‘Distraction- Free Cinema’ to ensure cinemagoers immerse themselves entirely in the cinematic experience by tuning out all the distractions from theatres which include: no use of mobile phones or smartwatches, no late arrivals and no guests under the age of 18. Ninja-like staff are on surveillance inside the cinema throughout the screening.
In summary….
As price discovery, consumer targeting capabilities continue to improve the effectiveness of a brand’s digital execution, it’s important for marketers to identify the channels that allow them to reach a brand’s right consumer, in the right environment, at the right time, with a creative and authentic message.
Based on the forecast of movies, the trends in consumer behavior, and a shift in how brands are building relationships with their audience, there has never been a better time to double down in the cinema space.
Source: LinkedIn, Vox.com, AdAge, The Numbers, MVM Statistics
Reel Cinemas recently launched 10 new cinema screens at Al Ghurair Centre – giving the neighbourhood a brand-new place to catch the latest blockbuster releases.
Having originally opened to the public with 8 screens back in April 2019, Reel Cinemas now operates 18 screens at Al Ghurair Centre which includes a variety of experiences such as Platinum Suites, Reel Junior for the little ones, an ultra-high-tech premium Dolby Cinema screen and dedicated screens for family-friendly movies.
Cinemagoers will also be able to get their hands on a variety of snacks which include the classics such as popcorn, sweets and soft drinks, plus hot food such as samosas, jalapeño poppers, bhajis, butter chicken fries, and even crêpes.
With the addition of the 10 new screens at Al Ghurair Centre, Reel presently operates 67 screens across 7 locations in the UAE.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at Reel Cinemas.
Related Articles:
Reel Cinemas Opens at Al Ghurair Centre in the UAE
Reel Cinemas Opens New Cineplex at The Springs Souk
Reel Cinemas | The Dubai Mall | New Platinum Suites and Screen X
Reel Cinemas Launches First Dine-In Cinema at Jebel Ali Recreation Club
New Locations in the Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Circuit
Source: Time Out Dubai
