Despite the crisis and the forced closure of cinemas in Belgium, Kinepolis is packed with projects at the time of its reopening. Therefore, the Belgian group will offer to privatize its rooms to individuals, who can reserve a room for a maximum of 10 people. It will also check Netflix products as soon as possible in Belgium, having already done so in Luxembourg and Spain, where theaters are mostly open.
Kinepolis Privé, a concept from the United States, allows the privatization of cinema for a maximum of 10 people to watch a movie from a selection of recent feature films. It is possible to book up to three days in advance. This requires paying a flat rate of € 199 for the rental, regardless of the number of guests. So it is possible to go there on your own.
Alternatives to ‘relocation’
Current health measures are in place there, as in other rooms: social distancing of people outside the bubble, wearing a compulsory mask and bans on eating and drinking, in addition to closing stores.
This product is already available for ten days in Luxembourg, where Kinepolis operates three cinemas, and it will be in Belgium once the complexes there reopen, said Eddie Duquin, CEO of Kinepolis, on Thursday, on the sidelines of the presentation. Annual results of the Belgian group.
►►► Also read: Coronavirus in Belgium: Small cinemas are in agony and seek help
The product is unprofitable, the president admits, who describes it rather as “Transitional product“Towards a new normal and”Something we like“It is not expected to attract many visitors.”When conditions return to normal, we will also need our rooms for more than ten clients as a minimum.“
The “Kinepolis on tour”, a cinematic car concept that was hugely successful last year and which will return next summer, isn’t profitable either. But this makes it possible to offer a customer new experiences, and he is willing to pay for them, Eddie Duquesne asserts.
Netflix is making its mark on the big screen
“Our position is to reopen immediately after the lockdown if we can, even when there is a shortage of staff and although it is cheaper to keep them closed. We want to be there for clients and give them a chance to be thereHe insists.
Netflix products will soon be showing in Kinepolis belgeds theaters. “We told them that we were ready to show their movies exclusively in our theaters“Before it was released on their platform, the CEO explains. Agreements were struck to present these feature films for a few weeks. This possibility already exists in Luxembourg and Spain and will be available once the complexes reopen in Belgium, with an adjustment to display in the local market.”
A guarantee of exclusivity
Discussions are also underway with other studios and other platforms for similar agreements. Kinepolis explains that it is heading to these streaming platforms because traditional movie studios continue to charge high prices – about half the ticket price a customer pays – while the exclusivity of movie theaters increasingly dwindles under the pressure of VOD.
“If we lose this uniqueness, then the value of what we get is much less“The commander justifies.”If we only got three weeks of exclusivity, we wouldn’t pay the same. Broadcasting platforms understand that.“
“Food trailblazer. Passionate troublemaker. Coffee fanatic. General analyst. Certified creator. Lifelong music expert. Alcohol specialist.”