It is with great pleasure that we announce cinema advertising representation at VOX Cinemas – City Centre Bahrain.
The cinema features 20 screens with 3,378 seats, and includes IMAX and VIP experiences.
VOX Cinemas – City Centre Bahrain is one of the most visited cinemas – globally, with approximately 2.3 million admissions per year.
Together with VOX Cinemas – The Avenues Bahrain, which opened in November 2017, we presently represent 30 screens across the country.
Download our on screen and off Screen rate cards for Bahrain and contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinemas advertising opportunities at both locations.
Led by one of the world’s most powerful millennials – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ‘Vision 2030’ is steering KSA into an unprecedented era of social and economic reform.
Having adopted entertainment as one of the key pillars in its new development plan, ‘Vision 2030’ initiated the lift on the 35-year-old ban on cinema, which in turn has opened up a previously untapped and lucrative revenue stream for the Kingdom and its entertainment sector.
A Kantar TNS study conducted among Saudi residents in 2017 shows fresh opportunities for marketers to make inroads into the Kingdom. As per the research, 67 per cent of respondents said they would head for a round of movie watching and 90 per cent of Saudi residents plan to visit malls with cinemas more often. Thus, cinema advertising is set to become a new growth medium, presenting significant opportunities for advertisers to target young (Saudi Arabia has 32 million consumers with the majority under 25) and affluent (Saudis spend more than $5 billion a year on overseas leisure travel) audiences within KSA.
The government of KSA estimates that movie theatres will contribute over 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy, with about 300 cinemas and 2,000 screens to be built in the country by 2030.
Existing Cinemas in Saudi Arabia
April 2018 witnessed the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema operated by AMC Theatres – a single screen cinema with a total seating capacity of 620, followed by the launch of VOX Cinemas at Riyadh Park Mall in May 2018 – featuring an IMAX screen, 2 KIDS screens and 1 VIP screen with a total seating capacity of 330.
Upcoming Cinemas in Saudi Arabia
AMC Theatres will be a major contributor to the total cinema count in Saudi Arabia by 2030, as the cinema operator intends to open 30 to 40 cinemas in 15 cities over the next five years, growing to 50 to 100 theatres by 2030.
VOX Cinemas has a SAR 2 billion investment plan in place to expand its footprint to a total of 600 screens in the Kingdom over the next five years. As part of this plan, the leading cinema chain recently announced the opening of the first multiplex in Jeddah at Red Sea Mall by December 2018 – featuring 12 screens which will include three GOLD by Rhodes and an IMAX screen, and a 15-screen multiplex in the first quarter of 2019 at Al Qasr Mall in Riyadh – featuring its signature KIDS and MAX experiences.
Al-Rashed Empire Cinema Consortium – who successfully received a license to operate cinemas in the Kingdom in July 2018, will be the third player in the market. The cinema operator has plans to open as many as 30 cinemas in various cities around Saudi Arabia.
Cinema Advertising in KSA
As the exclusive cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas and the only company presently selling cinema advertising in KSA, Motivate Val Morgan has received an overwhelming response since the launch of the cinema at Riyadh Park Mall.
With a growing appetite for international/regional content and world-class cinema experiences, existing cinema operators stepping up plans to open additional screens across the country and more operators expected to enter the fray, KSA presents a hotbed of opportunities for cinema advertisers over the next few years.
Meet the first cinema advertiser in Saudi Arabia, browse the list of upcoming blockbusters releasing in Q4 2018 and contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
Sources: KSA Entertainment, Film Journal, Gulf News, The Arabian Marketer, The Washington Post, Wikipedia, Saudi Gazette, The Motley Fool, PR Newswire and Arabian Business
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)
