The need for film distribution and collaboration with exhibitions is a perpetual theme of the annual Cinerope Trade Treaty in Barcelona, but it was the different perspectives and priorities of the two sectors that pioneered the executive brown table session on the first day of this year’s edition (June 16-19).
Fernando Evole, VP EMEA of Cinépolis, global cinema operator at Mexico headquarters, wanted “more content, more diverse content, more powerful windows, more marketing dollars.”
Andrew Crips, head of Disney’s Theatre Faction, offered a different perspective. “Fernando had a lovely Christmas list,” he said. “But I think it’s important that every movie visit has to be good. It has to be in great service, premium format. It’s all part of kicking consumers out of their homes today. So I think my Christmas list will be a more investment (in the cinema).
Evole returned to the Windows theme when responding to the last question raised to all participants in the Round Table. Is there anything to keep you at night?
“With Windows, you need to make sure that some territories don’t make the mistakes they’ve made,” he said. “We feel that the US windows have broken the market. If that happens elsewhere, we see that a lot of value will be destroyed.”
At that point, Crips was able to agree.
“The short windows confuse the audience,” he said. “Disney has very long windows. We’re committed to theatre, and we’re in theatre for longer than anyone else. But it’s Disney. I don’t think consumers can convey the difference in films.
Also on the panel was Jane Hastings, CEO of EVT, which operates cinemas in Australia, New Zealand and Germany. Adon Quinn, CEO of Saudi Arabian Mvi Films. Hugh Spearing, Studiocanal’s global marketing and distribution EVP. The session was hosted by Sharon Reed, director of marketing and partnerships in UK cinemas.
It suits your purpose
Hastings highlighted the challenges of release slate, which have inadequately served all audience segments in recent months. “We’re suitable for action-adventure films and family purposes,” she said. “We still don’t deserve any purpose for comedy, female targeted films, dramas, and more mature audiences. But it’s better than that, and the outlook is pretty good.”
Hastings is also concerned about how the film marketing budget is being spent. “We’ve tripled digitally and targeted the same customers,” she said. “What we need is a massive awareness.
“I’ve always loved going to Hollywood because I absolutely know what’s going on in the movies. I’ve never seen so many signs. We all say it’s a completely digital world, but it’s not just a digital world.”
Crips said, “I think these Hollywood signs are for another reason.”
He said, “Media costs never fall apart. They don’t always go up. We’re spending more on marketing our big movies than ever before, and we’re not that effective. We all have to find different viewers, niche viewers, and different ways to tackle digital.
In ticket pricing, Quinn revealed that Muvi tried to pull the discount lever in Saudi Arabia, finding that the benefits of short-term admissions were not maintained. Instead, Muvi offers a huge discount on customers’ next movie ticket purchases after originally purchasing at the full price. A solid result was achieved.
Mvi faces challenges as Hollywood’s reliance on sequels has not served countries that have not had films since 2018. “The sequel) will not translate into the Saudi market as the previous IP of that IP was not viewed in cinemas,” Quinn explained. “How do you create that nostalgic factor (for the audience) when they’ve never seen it in the cinema?”
Local content
Saudi Arabia has been successful with local content made in its home country and Egypt, and Quinn said six of the top 10 Saudi Arabia’s box office grossing films in 2024 are Arabic features.
Local content is an important part of Studiocanal’s strategy, and the company is trying to make more in each of its release areas, Yarra said. “I know how important it is to fill in the gaps and complement other lineups,” he added.
but Paddington The largest owner of franchise study groups, and original content is an important focus for the company.
“(Studiocanal UK Productions) We live in time We wanted to find something we could do for a female audience, which really appealed to us. I also felt it was different from other films on the market.
Crips was asked by moderator lead if they would expect more original films from Disney. amateur Photos of 20th century studios and searchlights The real pain.
“All of last year’s top 15 titles (North America) were based on existing IP or franchise spinoffs,” replied Crips. “So you have to recognize the market reality of what consumers are looking for.
“On the other hand, you cannot generate a new franchise without launching the original content.”
“We’ll be surprised at the amount of original content being produced,” Clips said at a Disney Slate presentation at Cineeurope on Wednesday (June 18th).
The 34th edition of Cineeurope will be held at the CCIB Conference Centre in Barcelona from June 16th to 19th.
(TagStoTRASSLATE) Europe (T) Exhibition
