VOX Cinemas’ drive-in cinema offers Dubai moviegoers a classic movie night under the stars.
Movie nights have taken a bit of a hit with the closure of cinemas across the globe amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, in response to the easing of restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic in United Arab Emirates, while maintaining the safety of audiences by adhering to social distancing guidelines, VOX Cinemas launched its latest vintage style drive-in cinema at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai on Sunday 17th May 2020.
Situated in the shopping mall’s upper parking lot, on level 3, the drive-in cinema features a large screen underneath the Ski Dubai slop, where patrons can park in front of to enjoy a movie under the open air, while adhering to social distancing rules.
“The health and wellbeing of our guests and employees remains our top priority and moviegoers can be rest assured that the VOX Cinemas Drive-in complies with all government and best practice guidance, while still allowing guests to enjoy the big screen experience,” said Cameron Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim – Cinemas.
“Drive-in visitors will earn Share Points and can access the Mall of the Emirates mall and facilities before the movie,” he added.
VOX drive-in accommodates 75 cars with a maximum of two people each, and in line with government regulations, individuals above the age of 60 and children between 3 and 12 years of age are not permitted to access the mall and drive-in cinema.
Tickets are priced at AED180+VAT, which includes the movie and a robust F&B package – popcorn, nachos, big bag of M&Ms and drinks (plenty for two people to enjoy throughout the film).
How the concept works
Step 1:
Purchase tickets online at uae.voxcinemas.com (movie showtimes will be revealed every Monday.)
Step 2:
Once patrons arrive at the Mall of the Emirates car park, they will be given clear instructions on how to proceed towards the red-carpeted entrance by VOX staff.
At the red-carpeted entrance, the ticket QR codes are scanned and soft drinks and snacks handed over.
Step 3:
Patrons will then be directed to their designated parking slots and asked to turn off their headlights. Parking spaces are allocated based on the height of the vehicle in and effort to ensure that everyone can easily see the large screen.
The movie’s audio will be transmitted through a FM frequency directly to the In-Car Entertainment System, which will be indicated on the screen prior to the start of the pre-show and movie.
Within days of its official launch, the new VOX concept has been so well received, with all movie sessions sold out till early June. However, due to the extended lockdown in the UAE, which will take effect from 8pm to 6am starting Wednesday 20th May 2020, the drive-in cinema will remain closed till further notice.
Nevertheless, given its demand, the concept won’t be going anywhere, and you can expect it to generate as much popularity once it resumes operation.
Check out media kit and contact a member of our UAE sales team for more information on cinema advertising at the VOX drive-in cinema.
Sources: What’s On Dubai, Gulf News, Variety, The National and Arabian Business
There has been a rapid increase of investment by advertisers in cinema advertising, the luxury brands are not far off.
Today, there are countless of options for luxury brands to tell their stories. To choose the right platform, advertisers need to tap into the consumers cluttered mind, which is exposed to advertisements on a daily. One way to ensure that the brand breaks through this clutter is by raising the intimacy the consumer shares with the brand.
Important findings from the latest 2019 Brand Intimacy Report by MBLM and attributes of cinema advertising which help build Brand Intimacy among cinemagoers, gain a better understanding of ‘Brand Intimacy’ and more.
Understanding Brand Intimacy
Brand Intimacy is defined as the emotional science that measures the bonds we form with the brands we use and love. These bonds are reciprocal and are fueled by emotion. Brands that build stronger bonds create stronger business return and longevity.
According to the 2019 Brand Intimacy Report, consumers are more willing to pay price premiums for Intimate Brands and less willing to live without them.
“Brands in the luxury category rely on creating, sustaining and developing stronger emotional relationships with their consumers. We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the industry around the enhancement and ritual archetypes, indicating that their consumers are changing their relationship to brands in the luxury category,” states William Shintani, managing partner of MBLM.
Latest MBLM Report 2019:
In 2019, the luxury industry remains in the 7th rank out of the 15 industries showcased in the 2019 Brand Intimacy Report.
Dior rises to the top of the luxury industry, followed by Chanel at #2 and Louis Vuitton at #3. The Top 10 is rounded out by Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Gucci, HugoBoss, Burberry, and Hermès respectively.
Enhancement and Nostalgia are fastest growing archetypes (the type of emotional relationship between a person and a brand) in the luxury category.
31% of users report being in one of the three stages of intimacy (sharing, bonding and fusing) with the luxury industry.
Notable findings for the luxury industry include:
MBLM leverages the yearly study to help advertisers create, sustain and measure ultimate brand relationships. To download the full Brand Intimacy 2019 Report, please click here
Attributes of Cinema to Build Brand Intimacy
Cinema has the strongest combined brand impact of any medium, according to research by Millward Brown, commissioned by Digital Cinema Media.
Millward Brown brought together the combined learnings of 183 CrossMedia case studies from across Europe, 88 of which were in the UK, and examined how each medium performed against five metrics.
Pound-for-pound, cinema outperformed all of the other media in all but one of the five metrics.
Why choose cinema as a medium for advertising?
Cinema is the strongest medium for making brands memorable with a return of investment (ROI) of 2.9 per cent, ahead of TV with an ROI of 2.5 per cent.
Cinemas deliver greater recall and resonance for audiences than any other AV channel, now is a better time than ever for marketers to invest in cinema advertising to build their brands.
Ideal Environment for Advertising
Dark Auditorium & Distraction Free – All eyes on the big-screen and attention guaranteed without interruptions.
Everything About it is BIG
Larger Than Life Image – Consumers notice cinema ads as they make real use of the big screen with impressive graphics, panoramic landscapes and unusual visual displays.
Exceptional Audio
Surround Sound & Booming Bass – Sound is a key part of the cinema experience, with the best ads using it to optimize its effect.
Captive & Receptive Audience
“Opt in” Medium – With the audience choosing to go to the cinema, your brand reaches out to a relaxed and receptive audience.
In addition, cinema offers 360-degree exposure and innovative opportunities to brands – utilizing both on-screen and off-screen advertising. Ranging from sampling, activations, promotions and many more activities, advertisers can now compliment and support their on-screen ads with off-screen advertising for greater brand impact.
The tendency of people towards cinemas is increasing day by day. According to a survey, since 2008, the total number of people visiting cinemas increased by 24 percent, with 75 percent of the adult population. During the shows, with an excess of 87 percent of moviegoers exposed to the ads, cinema’s appeal is continually reaching to more and more people which provides a powerful way for advertisers to reach audiences.
Target luxury niche audiences using Cinema
With an increase in the number of blockbusters releasing across the region and an equal increase in the number of cinema admissions each year, there’s no doubt that cinema remains an important platform for entertainment – catering to all ages and nationalities, and advertising in the region.
Luxury cinema concepts are very high-end and upscale – designated plush lobby areas, comfortable leather reclining seats, bespoke F&B offerings and a personalized waiter service, which elevates the movie going experience for consumers with a sophisticated mindset.
Such cinemas create small, intimate and curated relationships with sophisticated audiences which are more viable for luxury brands than mass awareness-seeking media campaigns.
Brand Storytelling is increasingly becoming the new way to create meaningful dialogs with luxury consumers – and there’s no better place than cinema for showcasing such content.
Luxury cinema concepts are no longer specific to certain operators. Today, most reputed cinema operator across the region offer unique luxury cinema experiences – catering to audiences of varying levels of sophistication.
Over the last two years, cinema operators have invested a great deal on expanding and upgrading their respective cinema multiplexes. From luxury cinema screens, to cinemas designed focusing on the little ones, the cinemas are now catering to a variety of demographics than ever before.
This upgrade includes the revamp of existing luxury cinema screens and the introduction of luxury cinema concepts and stand-alone boutique cinemas.
Luxury cinemas are intimate and private with fully reclining armchairs and adjustable footrests arranged in pairs with their own private table. The seating is tiered for unobstructed viewing.
The sheer opulence and indulgence of these luxury cinemas also offers unsurpassed levels of service. Drinks and snacks are served on-demand throughout the movie and the menu offers a range of premium food options.
An exclusive lounge facility is adjacent to each of these luxury cinemas – to deliver an intimate cinema experience for guests.
Motivate Val Morgan serviced cinemas that offer luxury cinema experiences include: VOX Cinemas (regionally), Reel Cinemas (UAE), Oscar Cinema (UAE), Cine Royal Cinema (UAE) and Cinemacity (UAE).
Partnering with the late celebrity Michelin star chef Gary Rhodes, VOX Cinemas introduced a new luxury THEATRE by Rhodes – the first concept of its kind in the Middle East in September 2015 at its Mall of the Emirates cinema location.
THEATRE by Rhodes delivers the most innovative and customer-focused experience, presenting movie lovers with a full food and beverage menu –prepared by in house chefs who are all trained to meet the internationally renowned Rhodes’ standard.
From a state-of-the-art auditorium to the large leather reclining pod-seats, waiter service and exclusive lounge, THEATRE by Rhodes is luxury cranked up to the max – effectively an upgrade on the VOX Gold Class cinema experience.
THEATRE by Rhodes is solely available at VOX Cinemas: Mall of the Emirates (UAE – Dubai), Yas Mall (UAE -Abu Dhabi) Nation Towers (UAE -Abu Dhabi), Doha Festival City (Qatar) and The Avenues (Bahrain).
Example Luxury Brand Cinema On-Screen Campaigns Booked Through Motivate Val Morgan:
Cartier
Tiffany & Co.
Tag Heuer
Why choose to partner with Motivate Val Morgan:
Motivate Val Morgan’s coverage includes over 480 cinema screens across 55 cinema locations in the Middle East – UAE, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. We partner with leading cinema operators who offer luxury cinema experiences and have a presence in the best shopping malls across the region.
With an incredible slate of content coming to the big screen in 2020, cinema is set to once again appeal to a wide range of demographics.
Contact a member from our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities that target affluent and sophisticated audiences.
Sources: Aviamost, Forbes, CampaignLive
The Men in Black (MIB) have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe, and in this new adventure (Men in Black: International), the agents tackle their biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the organization, in the new Lexus RC F sport coupe.
Lexus vehicles are the official global fleet of the agents in the latest film from the MIB franchise. The Lexus RC F (US 2020 model) stars as the MIB agents’ most elite weapon and vehicle of choice for high-velocity pursuits. The luxury sports coupe recently underwent an exciting change, making it faster, lighter and even more ready to transport the Men in Black as they save the universe; in the film, it also boasts some pretty amazing alien tech. The Lexus RX Hybrid and Lexus LX SUVs are also featured in alien encounters in scenes in the film.
Lexus worked with VOX Cinemas in Saudi Arabia and UAE to promote their partnership with Sony Pictures as the official vehicle of the Men In Black: International film, which released across cinemas on 20th June 2019.
A car display was booked to exhibit at VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall (Jeddah) during the ‘premier’ of the movie. Additionally, a 30 sec. on-screen ad was also included as part of the Lexus package from VOX Cinema – which screened during the two premier sessions at Red Sea Mall.
A car display was also booked to exhibit at the premier of Men in Black: International in the UAE at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, and remained on display till Monday 1st July 2019.
The team at Motivate Val Morgan assisted Lexus in getting their on-screen material – which screened at the premier, approved by GCAM in Saudi Arabia (on short notice) and also connected Lexus with VOX Cinemas in order to successfully plan and execute the car display during the premier of Men in Black: International at VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall and Mall of the Emirates.
Is your brand featuring in/collaborating with any upcoming movies? Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities to amplify reach and recall for your brand.
Sources: Lexus, Deadline and Top Gear Philippines
Avengers: Endgame marks the culmination of what is arguably Hollywood’s greatest ever storyline, one which began with the release of Iron Man more than a decade ago and has captured the imagination of a generation ever since. This blockbuster has broken several records in the past few months which include – the highest-grossing worldwide opening weekend, highest admissions in the UAE, highest trailer views within 24 hours and the longest runtime in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The unprecedented anticipation surrounding this film has led to exceptional box office numbers.
Highest-Grossing Worldwide Opening Weekend
As announced by Disney, Avengers: Endgame pulled in an estimated $1.2 billion in worldwide box office in its opening weekend – effortlessly smashing the record of $640.5 million done by Avengers: Infinity War which released last year. The figure makes this star-studded movie the first film in history to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales in its debut weekend – creating a new benchmark in the world of cinema.
Highest UAE Admissions
With over 485k admissions, Avengers: Endgame broke records in the UAE for having the highest admissions in the first four days since its release (Wednesday 24th April – Saturday 27th April 2019), beating the record held by The Fate of the Furious (2017) by 39%.
Last year, Avengers: Infinity War ran for a total of 23 weeks in the UAE and did over 730,00 admissions, making it the No. 1 movie in UAE’s ‘Top 10 Movies of 2017’. Avengers: Endgame is most likely to garner a larger lifetime admission figure of close to 750k admissions in the UAE.
As per Gulf News, a Disney source confirmed that Avengers: Endgame released across 300 screens and has collected Dh26.4 million since its opening day. A well-placed UAE cinema source also stated that the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe recorded well over 500k admissions across the first five days of its screening, becoming the biggest film to ever release in the country.
As of May 7th 2019, the movie has done over Dh40 million at UAE box office.
VOX Cinemas has also confirmed Endgame’s record run since its opening. As per a spokesperson from VOX, “Avengers: Endgame broke our record for advance ticket sales, more than doubling the number of tickets sold in our previous record for the film Baahubali 2. The movie contributed [towards] 80 per cent of the three-day weekend box office and the highest recorded admissions across VOX Cinemas on 26th April 2019.”
Reel Cinemas reported a ‘record-shattering’ opening weekend with the release of Avengers: Endgame, adding that it had doubled its box-office results over its prequal – which took six days to reach the same collection.
VOX Cinemas and Reel Cinemas, together with other cinema exhibitors across the Middle East – such as AMC Cinemas (KSA), screened the movie throughout the day (on a 24-hour basis) during the opening weekend to match the demand of ticket sales.
In addition to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, VOX Cinemas also confirmed that the film broke records in Muscat (Oman) and Kuwait.
Highest Trailer Views
According to Disney, the first official trailer of Avengers: Endgame – released on December 7th 2018, is the most viewed trailer across 24 hours in movie history with over 289 million views (tabulated across multiple platforms – YouTube, Facebook and Twitter). This anticipated trailer surpassed previous records set by Avengers: Infinity War of 230 million views and The Lion King teaser which racked up 224.6 million views.
Longest Runtime in the MCU
While most MCU movies are over two hours long, Avengers: Endgame is the first installment to cross the three-hours threshold with a runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes – 22 minutes longer than Avengers: Infinity War.
In 2018, not only did Avengers: Infinity War top the worldwide box office, but it was also the only movie to hit more than the $2 Billion mark in worldwide box office revenue of 2018 – making it the fourth highest grossing movie of all time after Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Avengers: Endgame is forecasted to be an even bigger hit than its prequel, and moreover, it has a chance of becoming the highest-grossing film of all time – on pace to dethrone Avatar.
Avengers: Endgame is expected to gather momentum as one of the most successful movies in history with fans already booking to watch the movie for the second time round.
Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films:
Spider-Man: Far from Home – 4th July 2019
Black Widow – 1st May 2020
The Eternals – 6th November 2020
Black Panther 2 – 12th February 2021
Shang-Chi – 7th May 2021
Doctor Strange 2 – 5th November 2021
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – 6th May 2022
Sources: Screenrant, Hollywood Reporter, Gulf News, , The National, Arabian Business and CNBC
VOX Cinemas recently added two new locations to its portfolio – Aloft City Centre Deira in Dubai and Abu Dhabi Mall in UAE’s capital.
VOX Cinemas – Aloft City Centre Deira
VOX Cinemas has opened its second OUTDOOR cinema experience at Aloft City Centre Deira – a cinema-themed hotel which overlooks Dubai Creek. The new outdoor cinema will also be licensed – meaning you can enjoy a variety of beverages while catching the latest blockbusters on the big screen.
The cinema is located on the pool terrace on the 4th floor of Aloft Hotel, next to its shisha lounge and infinity pool, and features a retractable roof which offers moviegoers the comfort of air-conditioning during summer, and al fresco during the winter season.
VOX Aloft City Centre Deira has been furnished with plush lounge-style seating designed for both individuals and couples. Solo tickets are priced at Dhs75, and a seat for two costs Dhs150. Cinemagoers can also select from an a la carte menu of appetizers and snacks designed to be enjoyed in front of the big screen.
The cinema also plans to broadcast live sporting events – including football matches, which can be enjoyed over a beverage against the beautiful backdrop of Dubai’s skyline.
VOX Cinemas – Abu Dhabi Mall
VOX Cinemas has added another location to its portfolio in Abu Dhabi. The brand new cinema at Abu Dhabi Mall – which opened to public on Thursday 20th September 2018, features 6 screens and includes MAX and Kids experiences.
And for all you chocoholics.. the cinema also features a Nutella bar!
With the addition of these two new locations, VOX Cinemas presently operates 17 cinema locations with 192 screens in the UAE.
Visit voxcinemas.com for more information on VOX Cinemas – Aloft City Centre Deira and Abu Dhabi Mall.
Contact us for more information on cinema advertising opportunities at all locations operated by VOX Cinemas.
Sources: VOX Cinemas, What’s On and Time Out
