Why UAE cinemas are buzzing with action
Drive-in or multiplex, Covid rules have not dampened enthusiasm
‘Let’s build a drive-in …” For Cameron Mitchell, it was the ‘Eureka!’ moment. He was searching for viewers to get back after multiplexes were closed during the Covid-19 lockdown phase. Of course, get them queuing up and watching in socially distanced ways
It was also the time when doubts were set to rest whether UAE residents would ever return to the cinemas amid a pandemic.
“The drive-in cinema at Mall of the Emirates was delivered in about five days — from when we said ‘Let’s do it’ to its opening,” said Mitchell, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment.
“At the time, it was one of the only cinemas that was open globally. People just embraced it. We feel it came at a time when people needed some good news, when they wanted to spend some time with their family — outside of their homes.
“We were getting a lot of feedback on social media that people were really missing the experience. With all the cinemas closed, we looked at what we could do. We spoke to the government whether we could run a drive-in, following their guidance on the number of people that could be together at any given time.
Work in progress
“We worked through the protocols with them, and these were similar to those being followed at the malls. We also worked with our sustainability team to offset the carbon emissions from the cars at the drive-in so that it wouldn’t adversely affect the environment.”
The drive-in was as much about making a statement of intent as it was about gauging potential viewer interest in catching a flick at a big screen. With cinemas having reopened subsequently, the drive-in has dropped in prominence as a box office draw — but it sure had its moments.
Recently, VOX Cinemas opened the biggest multiplex in Sharjah, at the brand new City Centre Al Zahia. That’s 1,485 additional seats spread over 16 screens, and puts VOX Cinemas firmly in line to “hit 1,000 screens in about three to four years and that will take us to the Top 10 cinema operators globally,” the CEO said. “We are investing $100 million annually and we will stick to that.”
Curbs on capacity
It will be some time before catching a cinema heads back to pre-Covid-19 times. For one, there are strict limits on the audience numbers for each show, and these vary across Gulf markets.
But Mitchell says it is about adapting as every other business and sector has been doing. But did the pandemic force a rethink on existing Majid Al Futtaim multiplex projects in terms of seating capacity or number of screens?
“It was never considered to downsize — we show about 400 movies a [normal] year,” he said. “We have a mix of different screen sizes — that matters. Whether it’s for someone who wants to catch the latest release in its first week at a 400-seat cinema, or who prefers 80- or 100seat cinema after six to 10 weeks from its release.
“We are sticking to the investments we have announced [on new screens]. Yes, last year was disastrous for the industry and that too coming from a record year in 2019, when between 6-7 billion people went to the cinema,” Mitchell said.
Some of that bullishness stems from all that can be done in the near- to midterm in Saudi Arabia, which allowed cinemas to operate in 2018 after a long gestation period of 35 years.
VOX Cinemas currently operates 12 cinemas and 134 screens in the Kingdom and is fast catching up on the 22 cinemas and 237 screens it has in the UAE.
“In Saudi Arabia, we are running the cinemas 24 hours a day — there is demand for it,” the CEO added.
“Saudi Arabia in three to five years will be a $1 billion market on its own — it is going to be a Top 10 global market very, very quickly.”
We were getting a lot of feedback on social media that people were really missing the experience.”
Cameron Mitchell | CEO, MAF Cinemas
Pent-up viewing
Even before Covid-19 came calling, the global cinema industry has had its share of worst-case scenarios to contend with. Web-delivered content was building audiences worldwide, and the thinking was it will massively eat into cinema’s viewer base.
Is cinema entering a crisis phase?
To that Mitchell has one short and eloquent response: “Rubbish …”