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Global view of the digital cinema market
2006 was a good year for us here
in Singapore, but competition is heat-
ing up with the openings of two new
cinemas by other exhibitors.
With the additional digital screens that
we installed this year, we were able
to screen approximately 10 Hollywood
titles. This is a signifi cant improvement
over 2005. Over and above the Holly-
wood releases, the digital halls were
also used for other events. The 2006
World Cup Finals were screened
LIVE
in HD across two halls; one hall was
equipped with a digital cinema projec-
tor, the other was equipped with a 1.3k
projector.
We look forward to having more digital
content become available this year and
with the list of popular titles in the pipe-
line, we anticipate an increase in ticket
sales for 2007.
Our digital halls have increasingly been
used for corporate events, such as gam-
ing launches and competitions orga-
nized by Electronic Arts Games amongst
others. As such, we are considering de-
ploying more digital screens with a vi-
able business model. In the meantime,
we will continue to explore much more
alternative and pre-show content in
digital format e.g., HD.
Mark Shaw
Operations,
Shaw Organization
1.
Looking back at 2006, how was the cinema market in 2006 for your company? (General market, not digital specifi c)
2.
How did you apply digital cinema in 2006 and how did it change your business?
3.
How do you see the exhibition market evolve with digital cinema in 2007?
4.
How will you change your business in 2007 to make the best use of digital cinema business opportunities?
These were their answers:
We asked three market leading exhibitors, from different parts of
the globe, the following four questions:
In 2006, Kinepolis Group wel-
comed 23.9 million cinema-goers in-
ternationally, up 6% from 2005, mainly
thanks to top international fi lms such
as Pirates of the Caribbean 2, The Da-
Vinci Code and Ice Age 2, but also due
to local successes. The increase in visi-
tor numbers was also strengthened by
the group’s newest complexes, Kinepolis
Granada (2004), Kinepolis Nancy (2005)
and Kinepolis Brugge (July 2006), which
recorded successful visitor fi gures.
Thanks to the widespread digitalisa-
tion of Kinepolis cinemas in Belgium,
France and Spain, Kinepolis devel-
oped further “alternative content.” In
addition to digital full-length fi lms,
cinema-goers can now experience
more and more alternative content
in digital format, such as presti-
gious events, television series, live
concerts, sports competitions and
gaming. As of November 2006, gam-
ing enthusiasts are able to play on the
big screen of Kinepolis’ most recent
complex in Bruges. The XL Gaming
concept will also be introduced in the
other Kinepolis complexes in 2007.
With this move Kinepolis takes its fi rst
steps in the world of interactive enter-
tainment.
2007 will be a crucial year in the digital
growth of Kinepolis Group.
Kinepolis remains a driving force behind
Digital Cinema in conjunction with Barco
and Technicolor, and by the end of 2007,
the company will convert its Belgian
multiplex cinemas to digital for a total
of 130 screens. The availability of digital
content however will have a signifi cant
impact on the digital conversion of the
exhibition market in general.
Kinepolis has already changed its busi-
ness to make use of digital cinema op-
portunities. The participation of Kinepolis
in the digitalisation process of cinema is
very important in the context of diversi-
fi cation towards activities that are direct-
ly or indirectly linked with movie ticket
sales, such as digital B-to-B events, si-
multaneous digital broadcasts to several
Kinepolis complexes, XL gaming, etc.
Gilbert Deley
Managing Director - Kinepolis Group nv
Gilbert Deley
Mark Shaw
128844 - brochure kaft.indd 2
23-02-2007 14:43:43
