The future of movie cinemas in South Africa

South African cinema companies are shifting strategies to compete in the era of streaming services by offering alternative content such as live concerts, comedy shows, and theatre performances.

This is according to Nu Metro’s head of marketing, Melanie Williams, who said the company will also screen international concerts, concert films, and live music performances.

“With streaming services gaining more popularity, the future of the movie theatre industry primarily boils down to two main factors: the content being produced as well as the overall experience on offer for the consumer,” Williams told MyBroadband.

“At Nu Metro, we pride ourselves on offering the best possible cinematic experience for our customers, from our multi-sensory 4DX cinemas, which will immerse the viewer into the movie itself, our larger-than-life Xtreme cinemas and our luxurious VIP cinemas.”

While the experience offered to customers is critical, it is also essential for cinema companies to expand their content offerings to remain competitive.

“The future of the movie theatre industry surprisingly also lies in alternative content,” said Williams.

“Live streaming events such as international concerts, live theatre performances, concert films, comedy shows and live music performances.”

“There has been a high demand recently for alternative content, and we strive to continue to incorporate that more to give our customers an unbelievable cinematic experience for years to come,” she added.

MyBroadband also asked Ster-Kinekor for comment, but it had not answered our questions by the time of publication.

However, the company’s chief marketing officer, Lynne Wylie, previously told MyBroadband that it had also shifted its strategy to include non-traditional cinema content.

“There is also a focus on non-traditional cinema content, also known as ‘alternative’ content, such as music events to generate additional revenue,” said Wylie.

“Ster-Kinekor had an exclusive screening of the 4D reimagined Talking Heads concert film, Stop Making Sense, in IMAX for one screening.”

She said the event was a hit and sold out, and Ster-Kinekor offered repeat screenings of the concert film at all of its IMAX cinemas in South Africa.

Barbie and Oppenheimer gave Cinemas a massive boost in 2023

Two movie titles — Barbie and Oppenheimer — took the world by storm in 2023, providing a significant business boost for Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor.

In September 2023, Nu Metro’s Williams told MyBroadband that Barbie significantly boosted cinema attendance.

Oppenheimer’s impact wasn’t as significant, but Williams said it exceeded Nu Metro’s expectations.

“Nu Metro experienced an overwhelming response to Barbie at our cinemas, delivering record-breaking box office results and an encouraging uptick in attendances, including various sold-out shows across its opening weekend,” she said.

“The box office results of both Barbie and Oppenheimer confirmed that audiences are attracted to the timeless cinema experience, which remains a viable out-of-home entertainment option that can’t be replicated elsewhere.”

Ster-Kinekor’s Wylie said the company observed a similar trend.

“Both Barbie and Oppenheimer have performed extremely well on the Ster-Kinekor circuit,” said Wylie.

“Barbie’s cinema attendance is number one for the 2023 calendar year to date and has ranked in position 20 in the Southern Africa All Time Top 100 list for Box Office as of August 2023.”

She added that Barbie’s performance was especially impressive considering it was only screened in 2D.

On the other hand, Oppenheimer ranked eighth regarding attendance for the Ster-Kinekor Circuit Three calendar year.