African cinemas back on the scene

Modern tech, rising middle class behind theater revival

ABIDJAN, Cote d’Ivoire — Like the plot in an old-fashioned movie, cinemas in Africa are making a third-reel comeback after years of worrying decline.

In many countries south of the Sahara, digital technology, strong investment and modern theaters are bringing about a major revival of movie-going, ending years of cinema closures.

But this good news for film-lovers also comes with a drawback: The new cinema complexes tend to give precedence to Hollywood blockbusters rather than films made by African directors.

In the 1980s, a wave of cinema closures began to unfurl across the continent as rundown picture palaces were turned into auto repair shops, supermarkets and even restaurants.

The survivors were a number of privately owned venues and cinemas inside international cultural centers.

Today, continent-wide figures for the industry are sketchy, but cinema owners said the sector is making a comeback. It is being driven by demographic demand and digital technology that provides immediate, low-cost distribution, compared to the expensive business of printing and trucking around reels of celluloid.

“The demand is there,” said Jean-Marc Bejani, the chief executive of the Majestic chain, which has opened three cinemas in Cote d’Ivoire’s commercial capital Abidjan in the past two years. Next year, Majestic will open three more in the coastal city’s working-class Yopougon district.

Fast success

A senior manager in the oil industry, Bejani threw himself into the movie business after discovering that there were no cinemas left in Cote d’Ivoire. The success of Majestic’s venture came fast, with 75,000 tickets sold for a single screen in 2015 and 175,000 in 2016 when all three new screens were in use.

“Before this, the movie theaters were old and technically outdated, with films being shown three months later than in Europe,” Bejani said.

“I wanted high definition pictures, with 3D, comfortable seats and films coming out the same time as in France.”

“I come often,” said schoolgirl Marie Benoit, standing in front of the bar selling soft drinks and popcorn inside a Majestic cinema as smart as any European multiplex.

The young girl had for years lived in a city with no big screen.

Canal Olympia has applied a similar high-tech approach to its bid to conquer west and central Africa. Since 2016, this subsidiary of global entertainment group Vivendi has opened six cinemas in Cameroon, Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

The group’s aim is to construct several dozen multirole complexes in the coming years. Work is already in hand to build three new venues in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.

“A middle class is developing in Africa ... with a desire to be entertained,” said Corinne Bach, the head of Canal Olympia.

“It’s a lot of work to get people used to going to the cinema, notably youngsters who have never been before,” she said. “The first results are encouraging.”

But in most countries, blockbuster movies from the United States dominate releases because they are what makes most money by public demand and “for lack of support from the state”, Bejani said.

Franco-Gabonese director Samantha Biffot bemoaned the lack of African films.

“The cinemas need to screen our work, because most African films are only to be seen at festivals or abroad,” she said.

It’s a lot of work to get people used to going to the cinema, notably youngsters who have never been before.” Corinne Bach,