As kids and teenagers gear up to head back to school, now’s the time to advertise your brand on the BIG screen!
It’s that time of the year again… the time to stock up on stationery essentials, coolest bags and the most trending fashion wear… all in the name of heading back to school!
Here’s a list of back to school ads that are currently playing in cinema, and some that previously dominated the big screens during this season:
Roco
Ad Duration: 20 sec.
Campaign Duration: 19 August 2021 – 8 September 2021
Country: Saudi Arabia
Cinema Locations: Multiple VOX, Muvi, AMC and Cinépolis cinema locations.
Pottery Barn Kids
Ad Duration: 30 sec.
Campaign Duration: 5 August 2021 – 11 August 2021
Country: Saudi Arabia
Cinema Locations: VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall
Please note: The same ad screened in UAE as well between 5 August 2021 and 18 August 2021.
Centrepoint
Cinema’s unique ability to deliver impact and engagement to a captive audience of parents and children makes it one of the perfect platforms to roll out a ‘Back to School’ campaign.
Got a back to school campaign you would like to roll out on the mother of all screens?
Contact us for more information on cinema advertising opportunities.
The new 6-screen cinema at Nakheel Plaza Buraydah is part of the latest initiative by Muvi Cinemas to launch multiple new locations across the Kingdom.
Muvi Cinemas opened its eleventh location at Nakheel Plaza Buraydah in the city of Qassim in Saudi Arabia on 15 June 2021. The 6-screen cinema with a total of 892 seats, which also includes an Xperience screen powered by CGS, is the first cinema to open in the central Saudi province of Al-Qassim (of which Buraydah is the capital).
Similar to other locations operated by the exhibitor, Nakheel Plaza Buraydah was designed by UK’s Chapman and Taylor, and is based on a theme of urban downtown, with and aim to create a dynamic, modern and innovative cinematic experience.
Muvi Cinemas presently operates 109 across 11 locations in 7 cities of Saudi Arabia, and plans to add an additional 30 sites with more than 300 screens over the 12 months ahead.
As the official cinema advertising partner of Muvi Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan congratulates the cinema exhibitor on its opening of Nakheel Plaza Buraydah, and warmly welcomes this location to our cinema circuit in KSA.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities on the screens of Muvi Cinemas – Nakheel Plaza Buraydah.
Sources: Muvi Cinemas, Middle East Construction News, Broadcast Pro Middle East, and Campaign Middle East
VOX Cinemas continues to expand its footprint across Saudi Arabia with the opening of a new 7-screen multiplex at The Spot – Sheikh Jaber in Riyadh.
VOX Cinemas launched a state-of-the-art multiplex at The Spot – Sheikh Jaber in Riyadh on 19 May 2021. The 7-screen cinema with a total of 662 seats and VIP and KIDS experiences is the result of a partnership between Majid Al Futtaim and Rakaa Holding to bring five new integrated entertainment destinations to Riyadh and Jizan.
Providing entertainment for the entire family, the latest location features a modern eight-lane Yalla! Bowling alley and a games section furnished with billiards tables and air hockey.
Commenting on the opening, Mohamed Al Hashemi, Country Head, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment, Cinemas and Lifestyle said, “VOX Cinemas is extremely proud to partner with Rakaa Holding to expand our footprint across Saudi Arabia, which is a key strategic market for us. This launch demonstrates our alignment with Vision 2030’s ambitions to increase the number of family entertainment centres and our commitment to making world-class entertainment accessible to communities throughout the Kingdom. We look forward to welcoming guests to our latest cinematic experience and creating even more great moments for them to enjoy.”
Hamad Al Malik, Board Member of Rakaa Holding added: “We are proud to collaborate with Majid Al Futtaim, which is synonymous with customer-focused and innovative experiences. Saudi Arabia has a thriving leisure and entertainment sector and, given Majid Al Futtaim’s market understanding and expertise, we are confident that these new developments will be hugely successful.”
VOX Cinemas presently operates 141 screens across 13 locations in 5 cities of Saudi Arabia, making it the largest exhibitor by screen count, and the largest independent distributor in the Kingdom. Motivate Val Morgan warmly congratulates VOX Cinemas on the opening of The Spot – Sheikh Jaber and warmly welcomes this new location to our cinema circuit in Saudi Arabia.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at VOX Cinemas The Spot – Sheikh Jaber.
Sources: VOX Cinemas (Press Release)
VOX Cinemas opens its first ever 10-screen multiplex in Hail at Hail Square, Saudi Arabia
VOX Cinemas opened its first ever multiplex in Hail, Saudi Arabia on 14 April 2021. The launch of the 10-screen cinema with a total of 1,309 seats at Hail Square underpins VOX Cinemas’ commitment to expand its footprint to new cities and make its world-class leisure, entertainment and cinema experiences accessible to everyone across the Kingdom.
VOX Cinemas Hail Square boasts signature concepts including VIP, a luxurious offering for discerning movie lovers and KIDS, a colourful and dedicated auditorium catering to young film fans and their families, as well as cutting-edge audio-visual technology for an immersive and unrivalled cinematic experience.
Hail Square marks VOX’s twelfth cinema in the Kingdom and fourth opening since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state-of-the-art multiplex also features Yalla! Bowling, a family and kids entertainment centre with eight bowling lanes, as well as an array of arcade games such as foosball, billiard tables, air hockey and sub soccer to entertain the whole family.
Mohamed Al Hashemi, Country Head, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment, Cinemas and Lifestyle, said, “We are extremely proud to be opening the first ever multiplex in Hail, which reiterates Majid Al Futtaim’s commitment to enter new cities, support job creation and make our leisure and entertainment concepts accessible to families throughout the Kingdom. As part of our endless pursuit to create great moments for everyone, every day, we deliver innovative and integrated cinematic experiences that exceed the expectations of our valued guests.” Al Hashemi added, “VOX Cinemas is dedicated to realizing the goals of Vision 2030 and we will continue with our ambitious expansion plans by opening several new multiplexes throughout the Kingdom this year. Saudi Arabia was the top theatrical market in the Middle East in 2020 and we look forward to leveraging the opportunities of the nascent and rapidly evolving leisure and entertainment sector in this market. We remain incredibly appreciative of our partnership with His Highness Prince Bandar Al Saud and the Unified team and are committed to bringing world-class entertainment offerings to all of their new mall developments.”
Prince Bandar bin Khalid F. Al Saud, President of Unified Real Estate Development said, “In VOX Cinemas we have found a partner that shares the same principles of commitment, ethics and executional excellence that we have at Unified. We are truly delighted to be a part of this world class cinema in Hail which will offer our customers a unique experience and, importantly, will create over 200 job opportunities. We continue to grow our partnership with Majid Al Futtaim and VOX Cinemas, and we look forward to further creating more and more one of a kind entertainment venue through our partnership in line with the Kingdom’s vision 2030 and the Quality of Life Program.”
VOX Cinemas presently operates 134 screens across 12 locations in 5 cities, making it the largest exhibitor by screen count, and the largest independent distributor in the Kingdom. Motivate Val Morgan warmly congratulates VOX Cinemas on the opening of Hail Square and warmly welcomes this new location to our regional cinema circuit.
Contact a member of our team to advertise your brand on the screens of VOX Cinemas – Hail Square.
Sources: VOX Cinemas (Press Release)
AMC Cinemas Dawadmi 3 at Al Makan Mall is the first cinema in the city of Al Dawadmi in KSA, featuring 3 screens – two regular screens and one PRIME at AMC screen, and AMC Cinema Souq – a reimagined and fully customizable food and beverage concept.
AMC Cinemas opened its eighth location – Dawadmi 3, at Al Makan Mall in Al Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia on 20 April 2021.
The 3-screen cinema with a total of 320 seats, featuring a PRIME at AMC screen, is the first cinema to open in the city of Al Dawadmi, and is located in the central region of Saudi Arabia (200KM west of Riyadh) with a population of 53,000.
Greeting guests on arrival at the cinema is AMC Cinema Souq, a reimagined and fully customizable food & beverage concept offering restaurant quality hot foods, one-of-a-kind deserts, and creative handcrafted beverages.
Al Makan Mall is the only shopping mall in Al Dawadmi, attracting consumers from nearby cities such as ‘Sager city’, thus considered the main shopping destination in and around the area.
Together with the two new locations Dawadmi 3 and Star Avenue – which opened on 12 April 2021, AMC Cinemas presently operates 57 screens across 9 locations in 5 cities of Saudi Arabia, with a goal in line with the government’s plan to diversify entertainment content as well as provide new experiences to a range of audiences in several cities across the Kingdom.
*More information on Star Avenue to follow in the coming weeks.
Motivate Val Morgan congratulates AMC Cinemas on the opening of Dawadmi 3, and warmly welcomes this location to our cinema circuit in Saudi Arabia.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across AMC locations.
Source: AMC Cinemas and Swicorp Wabel Reit
AMC Karam 5 at Karam Mall – the first cinema in the Al Majmaah governorate, offers luxury auditoriums, best-in-class projection, sound and seating, and is the latest effort by AMC in an ongoing program to provide state-of-the-art cinemas across KSA.
AMC Cinemas, in yet another milestone to develop the moviegoing experience in Saudi Arabia, opened its seventh location in the Kingdom at Karam Mall in the Al Majmaah governorate on 31st December 2020. AMC Karam 5 is the first cinema in Al Majmaah, and will offer moviegoers the high standards they have come to expect and enjoy from AMC Cinemas.
The 5-screen cinema with a total of 751 seats, which includes a Prime at AMC screen, is another impressive step in the rapid evolution of the cinema experience in Saudi Arabia. Every auditorium is fully equipped with a massive screen, 4K Barco Laser Projector, immersive surround sound, with Luxe Recliner and Plush Rocker seating throughout.
Following the launch of AMC Karam 5, the cinema exhibitor seeks to reach the largest possible number of movie lovers around Saudi Arabia, a goal which is in line with the government’s plan to diversify entertainment content as well as providing new experiences to a range of audiences in several cities and governorates around the Kingdom.
Speaking on the occasion of the opening John Iozzi, CEO & Managing Director of AMC Cinemas said, “This is a big, positive step to cater to cinema audiences in the various governorates of Saudi. Our goal is to provide an innovative and creative cinematic experience for cinema lovers, by maintaining international standards as we continue to support the Kingdom’s 2030 vision, which focusses heavily on improving the entertainment sector. This is a vitally important part of the components of the Quality of Life program and motivates us to continue our efforts to build and provide innovative cinema that suits the tastes of all our customers around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
AMC Cinemas presently operate 45 screens across 7 locations in 3 cities of Saudi Arabia – Riyadh, Hafar Al-Batin and Al Majmaah.
Motivate Val Morgan congratulates AMC Cinemas on the opening of AMC Karam 5, and warmly welcomes this location to our cinema circuit in KSA.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across AMC locations.
Source: AMC Cinemas (Press Release)
The latest ads on the BIG Screen across UAE and KSA in the month of December 2020
2020 will be drawing to a close in a few days, and in a year that has been extremely challenging for the cinema industry and its affiliated businesses such as cinema advertising, Motivate Val Morgan is grateful to our advertisers who not only still believe in the power of cinema, but has shown their undoubted support towards the medium in a year which we can all agree was full of twists and turns, and are happy to bid farewell to.
December ushered in the festive spirit in the lead up to Christmas, and we also witnessed the release of one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the year in the Middle East – Wonder Woman 1984. Advertising alongside the release of DC’s ravishing superhero on the BIG Screen and during the weekend of Christmas were the following brands:
Jahez
Campaign Start Date: December 17, 2020
Campaign End Date: January 6, 2021
Cinema Locations: Across all screens of VOX, AMC and Muvi cinema locations in KSA
Atlantis
Follow A Movie: Wonder Women 1984
Campaign Start Date: December 17, 2020
Cinema Location: VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates
Al Hokail Medical Group
Campaign Start Date: December 24, 2020
Campaign End Date: March 6, 2021
Cinema Location: Muvi Cinemas – Mall of Dhahran
Week 1,4,7 & 10
Week 2,5 & 8
Week 3,6 & 9
Mobily
Start Date: December 24, 2020
End Date: January 13, 2021
AMC Locations: KAFD, Panorama Mall
Muvi Locations: Mall of Arabia, Al Hamra Mall, Haifa Mall, Nakheel Mall (Dammam)
VOX Locations: Atyaf Mall, Kingdom Centre, Riyadh Front
USA Pears
Start Date: December 24, 2020
End Date: December 30, 2020
VOX Location: Drive-in Cinema at Mall of the Emirates and Yas Mall
Reel Locations: The Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall and The Springs Souk
Etisalat
(Change of material – part of an annual campaign)
The cinema campaign was a 60 sec. edit of the above video
Cinema Locations: Multiple VOX, Reel, Oscar, Cine Royal and Cinemacity locations
A 60 sec. edit of the above video played in cinema
Yamaha
(Change of material – part of an existing campaign which started on November 26, 2020)
Cinema Location: Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall
As we move in to the New Year – a year with a number of blockbusters scheduled to release, we remain hopeful and look forward to welcoming more brand ads on the BIG Screen.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities in 2021.
VOX Cinemas, the dedicated cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, launched a new multiplex at Town Square, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 29th November 2020.
The 12-screen cinema with a total of 1367 seats, boasts numerous firsts including the Kingdom’s first MX4D, the newest evolution in 4D cinema, and ICE (Immersive Cinema Experience), which provides a truly sensorial experience. It also features IMAX with Laser, VIP and KIDS screens. Guests can also indulge in their favourite cinema snacks from the Nutella and Candy Bar.
The inauguration was attended by His Highness Prince Bandar Bin Khalid F. Al Saud; Nasser Bin Huwaiden Al Ketbi, UAE Consul-General to Jeddah, the admired Saudi singer Abdulrab Idrees and Mohamed Al Hashemi, Country Head of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures Saudi Arabia.
The opening of the new multiplex marks VOX’s 11th cinema in Saudi Arabia and consolidates its ambitious expansion plans across the Kingdom as part of its commitment to Vision 2030.
With a total of 124 screens, across 11 cinemas, in 4 cities, VOX Cinemas is the largest exhibitor by screen count and the largest independent distributor in Saudi Arabia.
Mohamed Al Hashemi, Country Head at Majid Al Futtaim Ventures KSA, said, “We are proud to partner with Unified Real Estate Development to open VOX Cinemas Town Square, Jeddah which marks our third launch post lock-down and will create job opportunities for 200 people. At VOX Cinemas, we remain fundamentally confident about the future of the cinema industry and will continue with our ambitious growth strategy in support of the Quality of Life program. In the coming months, we will expand our footprint with openings in new cities including Hail and Jubail as part of our commitment to make our innovative and unrivalled leisure and entertainment experiences accessible to everyone, even in remote cities. Saudi Arabia can now proudly say that their cinemas are without question, the best in the world!”
He added, “In the context of emerging markets, no one is embracing cinema as keenly as audiences across the Kingdom and we believe that it will become a top 10 global market for cinema and generate $1 billion in box office revenue in the next three to five years. We believe Saudi Arabia is the only market in the world to have expanded in 2020, which is quite extraordinary given the current climate and highlights how critical it is to the industry’s future. We look forward to leveraging the growth opportunities that Saudi’s burgeoning entertainment sector presents by introducing more world-class integrated entertainment experiences and supporting the Kingdom’s evolution towards its 2030 Vision.”
We at Motivate Val Morgan congratulate VOX Cinemas on the opening of the new multiplex at Town Square in Jeddah, and warmly welcome this location to our cinema circuit in KSA.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at Town Square, Jeddah, KSA.
Sources: VOX Cinemas, Eat’N Stays and albilad
AMC Cinemas opened its sixth cinema location at Azizia Plaza in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday 3rd December 2020.
Azizia Plaza features 3 screens with a total of 314 seats, and includes a Prime at AMC screen – presenting best-in-class projection, sound, seating, and exceptional food and beverages and five-star service.
Speaking at the opening CEO and Managing Director John Iozzi said: “AMC Azizia Plaza 3 is part of our continued expansion across Saudi Arabia and we are excited to bring our brand of first-class cinema experience to a new audience.”
AMC Azizia Plaza 3, he stated, was another impressive step in the rapid evolution of the cinema experience in Saudi Arabia.
“Every auditorium is fully equipped with a massive screen, 4K Barco Laser Projectors, immersive surround sound and Luxe Recliner and Plush Rocker seating throughout. Every seat also includes a table and USB charging port for ultimate comfort,” he explained.
“We are committed to supporting the goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to improve the choice and quality of entertainment under the Quality of Life Program,” added John Iozzi.
With the opening of Azizia Plaza, AMC Cinemas presently operates 40 screens across 6 locations in 2 cities of Saudi Arabia.
Motivate Val Morgan congratulates AMC Cinemas on the opening of Azizia Plaza, and warmly welcomes this location to our regional cinema circuit.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities across AMC locations.
Sources: AMC Cinemas and Gulf Projects
While box office returns in 2020 will suffer an estimated 80% global drop due to COVID-19, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is bucking this downward trend, having grown since 2019 to become the Middle East’s top grossing territory this year to date.
Fresh figures released during the recent META Cinema Forum exhibitors’ conference in October reveals that the Kingdom has overtaken the United Arab Emirates this year, and is currently the region’s top-grossing territory, with more than $73 million in theatrical movie ticket sales over the past 40 weeks – a roughly $2 million increase in box office returns compared with the same period in 2019.
The UAE during the same 2020 period has generated roughly $51 million, roughly a quarter of its 2019 box office draw.
Commenting on the growth of the theatrical market in KSA, Cameron Mitchell, CEO of VOX Cinemas says: “We believe that Saudi Arabia is the only cinema market globally to have expanded in 2020.”
Mitchell sees the Saudi market as having increased by roughly 4% year to date – despite the fact that, due to the pandemic, cinemas where closed between March and the middle of June – and is forecasting an 8% growth by year’s end.
The theatrical market in the Middle East in 2019 was worth $600 million, of which Saudi accounted for a $110 million share and the UAE roughly $250 million – which excludes releases of Indian and Arabic films and some indie content. “This year our numbers are telling us that the UAE is going to be worth about $60 million, and Saudi is going to be worth $120 million,” says Mitchell.
In terms of the bigger picture, Mitchell believes that Hollywood will value the Middle East at about $220 million in 2020 out of which KSA will contribute to 50% of the same this year.
David Hancock, an analyst at London-based Omdia says, “The fact that Saudi has now overtaken the UAE, albeit in a weird year, is suddenly a milestone for the Saudi Arabian cinema market.” Hancock expects the country will be a billion-dollar market “in 3 to 5 years,” depending on recovery from COVID-19 which he estimates this year will cause an 80% global box office drop, with losses totaling up to $30 billion. He also mentioned that KSA is on track to become the dominant market in the region “and one of the top 10 or 15 markets in the world.”
An interesting aspect of Saudi Arabia’s current box office upswing is that grosses in the country are currently generated from a mere 260 screens – less than half the 614 screens operating in the UAE. Average occupancy levels in cinemas across the Middle East have not gone beyond 20%, and Saudi is no exception. However, in terms of generating box office, KSA has the cushy advantage boasting of an average ticket priced at $17.60, which is the highest in the region followed by UAE figure which is $12.80, and Kuwait, the region’s third market, priced at $11.90.
Since cinemas re-opened in June, the biggest releases across the Middle East was Tenet, earning $1.1 and $1.5 Million in its opening weekend in UAE and KSA (figures from Box Office Mojo), followed by Mulan – which earned over $1.3 Million in its opening weekend in UAE. Unhinged starring Russel Crowe also performed handsomely in the region, though figures were not made readily available.
Meanwhile, screen growth in Saudi Arabia is going forward undeterred, with VOX presently operating 124 screens across 11 locations. Aside from VOX Cinemas, other cinema exhibitors operating in the Kingdom include Muvi Cinemas and AMC Cinemas who have 10 and 6 operational cinemas respectively, and are in the midst of massive expansion plans over the year ahead.
It’s also interesting to note that a number of new cinema locations opened across KSA, post the COVID-19 lockdown. VOX Cinemas opened three new locations – Sahara Mall, Tabuk Park and Al Jamea (Town Square), Muvi Cinemas massively expanded with the opening of six new locations – Jubail Mall, Al Ahsa Mall, Haifa Mall, Aziz Mall, Nakheel Mall (Riyadh) and Mall of Dhahran, and AMC Cinemas opened four new locations – Hafr Al Batin, Riyadh Gallery, Al Khair and Azizia Plaza.
VOX projects there will be a total of 340 screens in operation in the country by year’s end, and close to 700 by the end of 2021.
Having a market like Saudi Arabia can help Hollywood studios offset some of their losses, says Mitchell, who is worried that due to COVID-19, the supply chain is drying up. To overcome the challenge posed by the lack of new content, VOX is stepping up its offer of alternative content such as live soccer matches, opera and concerts, and also classic re-releases. VOX has also teamed up with local players Image Nation and MBC Group to produce a slate of Arabic films, at least three of which they plan to release in 2021 as part of a plan to release up to 10 Arabic self-produced titles annually.
Mitchell is confident the country will become a top ten global market for cinema, with ResearchAndMarkets.com forecasting the industry in the Kingdom will be worth more than $1.2 billion by the end of 2030.
Sources: Variety, Arabian Business, Arab News
