The opening of Jeddah Park marks VOX Cinemas’ third cinema in Jeddah and 17th location in KSA
VOX Cinemas, the dedicated cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, opened its 17th location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Park Mall on June 4, 2024.
Centrally located in Jeddah Park, Aziziyah – a one-stop destination for retail and entertainment – the 13-screen multiplex features two GOLD screens, one IMAX® with Laser screen, and a Private Cinema.
The latest cinema is fully designed for movie lovers, with premium reclining seating that provides unparalleled comfort, so audiences can kick back, relax, and enjoy the magic of movies. The location also features the latest in cutting-edge technology, providing stunning visuals and crystal-clear audio for a truly immersive experience.
Anmar AlQurashi, Managing Director – Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment said, “The opening of Jeddah Park underscores our commitment to provide audiences with a premium cinematic experience that combines the latest technology with the comfort and luxury our guests have come to expect. We believe that the state-of-the-art multiplex will not only provide a social hub for film enthusiasts but also enrich the cultural fabric of the local community.”
The opening of Jeddah Park marks VOX Cinemas’ third cinema in Jeddah, alongside Red Sea Mall and Town Square, and comes just six months after it launched VOX Cinemas Century Corner in Riyadh.
VOX Cinemas now operates a total of 175 screens across 17 cinemas in six cities throughout the Kingdom.
Click here to book tickets at this new cinema, and reach out to our team to learn more about cinema advertising opportunities at VOX Jeddah Park – Jeddah.
Source: VOX Press Release
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
With the opening of Marassi in Bahrain, Reel Cinemas now operates in three countries: the UAE, KSA, and Bahrain
Reel Cinemas has opened its first venue in Bahrain at Marassi Galleria – a premier beachfront mega mall in Manama – in collaboration between Eagle Hills.
Reel Marassi Galleria – Bahrain features seven state-of-the-art cinema screens, including an IMAX with Laser screen and two Platinum Experience Screens. Cinema enthusiasts can also enjoy a specially crafted 5-star food and beverage menu, offering a unique blend of entertainment and dining.
Mr. Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Emaar Properties PJSC, said, “After witnessing the success of our cinemas across the UAE, Emaar is excited to bring the iconic Reel Cinemas experience to the Bahraini market. With this latest addition to Emaar Entertainment’s diverse portfolio of offerings across the region, Reel Cinemas will provide a unique movie-going experience to suit all needs, in line with our commitment to developing popular attractions across the MENA region, and we are confident that it will become a popular destination for residents and tourists alike.”
Since its opening, Marassi Galleria has quickly become the center of attention, offering a plethora of entertainment options including shopping, dining, and leisure activities alongside its vibrant cinema.
Motivate Val Morgan, Reel Cinemas’ exclusive cinema advertising partner, proudly welcomes our latest addition and the first Reel Cinemas location in Bahrain to our circuit.
Contact us to advertise at Reel Marassi Galleria – Bahrain.
Source: Marassi Al Bahrain
Eid in the region isn’t just a celebration; it’s a spectacular opportunity for brands to captivate a vibrant and engaged audience. This Eid, the stage is set with over 14 films premiering during the festive weekend, creating a dazzling canvas for brands looking to amplify their advertising impact.
Here’s why seizing this opportunity with cinema ads priced by admission is a strategic masterstroke.
Cost-Effective Engagement: Cineplan’s by-admission buying route offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising methods. You pay only for the viewers who see your ad, ensuring a targeted investment with a potentially high return.
Targeted Reach During Peak Season: The Eid movie lineup this year spans genres and languages, catering to diverse tastes. This ensures that cinemas, whether in IMAX or luxury theaters, are packed, providing brands with effective ways to target audiences by language, genre, and demographics.
Standing Out in the Content Rush: Traditional advertising channels risk being drowned out. Cinema advertising shines here, with its large, immersive format that captivates attention and allows for creative storytelling. A well-crafted ad can become an unforgettable part of the movie-going experience.
Captive Audience, Maximum Impact: Eid brings families and friends together at the cinema, creating a captivated audience free from distractions. With this ambiance set and all eyes on the big screen, your ad has a prime opportunity to make a lasting impression.
Explore the Eid long weekend movie releases and kickstart your Eid campaign with Our Cinema Buying Platform.
VOX Century Corner is the exhibitor’s 10th location in Riyadh.
VOX Cinemas, the dedicated cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, opened its 16th location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Century Corner by Rakaa Holding on 1 October 2023.
Centrally located in the city on King Fahad Road, VOX Century Corner – Riyadh features a 10-screen cinema, including five Standard auditoriums, an IMAX® with Laser auditorium, a 10-seater Private Cinema, and three THEATRE auditoriums – a first-of-its-kind luxurious offering in the country providing a dining experience with gourmet food in an intimate setting.
With the opening of the latest location, VOX Cinemas now operates a total of 164 screens across 16 cinemas in six cities throughout the Kingdom.
Click here to book tickets at this new cinema, and reach out to our team to learn more about cinema advertising opportunities at VOX Century Corner – Riyadh.
Dubai Municipality booked an off-screen cinema campaign to promote the eco-friendly Dubai Safari Park starting 10 November 2022.
The Branded popcorn tubs were distributed to moviegoers at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, City Center Mirdif, City Center Al Zahia, and City Center Deira.
Dubai Safari Park also took over the digital screens at VOX Mall of the Emirates – the hero screen above the candy bar and the large screen at the entrance to the IMAX auditorium.
Contact us for more on how off screen cinema advertising could help move your brand closer to its target audience.
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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
Atlantis recently executed a cinema activation – ‘Cinevation’ – during a Black Widow session in the IMAX auditorium of VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates.
The Atlantis ad booked to screen alongside the blockbuster Black Widow played first, followed by the activation video with a message to the audience to look under their seats for a special surprise – vouchers to visit Aquaventure Waterpark.
One lucky couple also won the bumper price – a romantic staycation at Dubai’s most iconic resort.
On Screen Commercial:
Activation Video:
The cinema activation was part of an annual deal booked by Atlantis (through Magna Global) to promote the resort’s Marine & Water Park, F&B and Rooms alongside eight movies releasing between 2021 and 2022 – including No Time to Die, Gucci and Missions: Impossible 7.
Have a similar or more creative in-cinema activation in mind for your brand? Contact a member of our sales team today for more information.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Marvel’s first epic to star an Asian hero and Disney’s first theatrical-only release since 2019, had a lot of factors against it, but it didn’t just overcome them, it practically somersaulted over.
According to tracking website Box Office Mojo, Shang-Chi earned $8.8 million from Thursday night (September 2) previews which began at 7pm across North America, the second highest preview result of the pandemic era behind Black Widow‘s $13.2 million, but rang up an estimated US$75.5 million at U.S. theaters between Friday September 3, and Sunday September 5 (labor weekend). As of September 19, the blockbuster has garnered US$160.9 million and US$112 million at the domestic and international box office (respectively), which equates to over US$272.9 million at worldwide box office (1.8 times the production budget of US$150 million), and is the second biggest opening of 2021.
Bob Chapek, Disney’s CEO, described the film as an “interesting experiment”, for the movie was the first franchise by studio to exclusively release in theatre, without the simultaneous release on Disney+, since the outbreak of the pandemic. But Simu Liu, the lead actor in Shang Chi, wrote on twitter – “We are not an experiment… We are the surprise.”
Media and industry pundits too labeled Shang-Chi as a ‘gamble’ for the studio’s choice of committing to a theatre only release, citing various reasons: the pandemic affected box office ticket sales, the fact that Labor Day weekend is typically slow for theaters, and the protagonist is a newcomer (with tweethearts of social media even referring to Liu as ‘Shang-Who’). However, based on movie reviews and box office figures: Shang-Chi broke the high-risk perception by major studios of releasing exclusively in theatres and not having a simultaneous streaming release, proved that the pandemic won’t stop people showing up for Marvel, and that even on a traditionally slow weekend, audiences were willing to return to the big screen for highly anticipated blockbusters.
After Black Widow, Jungle Cruise and Cruella concurrently released on Disney+, the studio announced last week that the rest of its 2021 slate — including Marvel’s Eternals and Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story — will each screen exclusively in theaters. The news is promising for cinema exhibitors, for Disney films are routinely among the highest-grossing of the year.
Next up for Marvel are Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home, releasing October 21, November 4 and December 16, 2021.
Contact us for cinema advertising alongside these upcoming blockbusters.
Sources: npr, The Numbers, Variety, Vulture, L.A Times and Cinemablend
VOX Cinemas – Mall of Oman is the largest cinema in the Sultanate.
The cinema features 3 Gold cinemas – the cinema exhibitor’s first luxury cinema offering in Oman
VOX Cinemas opened its largest cinema in Oman at the newly launched Mall of Oman in Muscat on 1st September 2021. The 15-screen cinema, with a total of 1471 seats, features IMAX, Gold and Kids concepts.
The three Gold cinemas at VOX Cinemas – Mall of Oman is the cinema exhibitor’s first luxury offering in the Sultanate, with an adjoining VIP Lounge offering moviegoers a luxurious and diverse menu of popular and modern flavors presented in signature VOX style.
In addition to refreshment counter favourites such as popcorn, nachos and hotdogs/burgers, cinemagoers of VOX Cinemas – Mall of Oman can also indulge at the Nutella Bar and Kitchen 35 – a bakeshop with artisan breads, pastries and fresh juices.
Mall of Oman is home to a host of brands including a 9,000 square meter Carrefour Hypermarket and several brands from Landmark Group (Max Fashion and Centrepoint), Majid Al Futtaim (Hollister), Al Futtaim Group (Marks & Spencer) and Apparel Group (LC Waikiki, R&B and SMYK). Other famous outlets at the mall include DKNY, Nespresso, G-SHOCK, Homes R Us, Tavola and Al Khalili Buildex. The mall also features a 1,000 plus seater food court which offers a selection of global chains. For patrons looking for more indulgent cuisine options from across the globe, the mall will soon feature various cafés and restaurants, including over 50 dining options.
80% of Mall of Oman’s gross leasable area is leased and the mall is set to welcome over 300 additional retail outlets in the coming months. The mall will also feature the largest indoor snow park in the Sultanate next year, spanning over 14,000 square meters.
VOX Cinemas presently operates 78 screens across 14 locations in 6 cities of Oman.
As the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan congratulates the exhibitor on the opening of its largest cinema in the Sultanate of Oman, and warmly welcomes this new location to our regional cinema circuit.
Click here to book your tickets at this new cinema, and contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities on the screens of VOX Cinemas – Mall of Oman.
Sources: Majid Al Futtaim (Press Release) and Arabian Business
