Executives at the CineAsia conference this week said the decision-making behavior of movie audiences has changed due to the more than two-year COVID era — and not just through streaming. It remains to be seen if exhibitors and distributors can keep up with customers who are more picky and get distracted more easily.
“People don’t hesitate to go back to movies for the right movie. But consumers have changed their habits in favor of blockbusters. [Cinema-going] It is no longer an ordinary activity. “It’s getting more and more event-driven,” said Koh Mi Lee, CEO of Malaysia’s largest exhibitor Golden Screen Cinemas. “[Exhibitors ] Need to push the habit.”
CineAsia is taking place at Bangkok’s IconSiam complex after skipping three years – one due to street protests in Hong Kong and two due to COVID – and has resumed with a familiar mix of studio screenings, industry seminars and a trade fair showcasing the latest in cinema technology. The APAC session was moderated by Rance Pao, CEO of consulting firm Artisan Gateway.
We have seen a slower than expected recovery [in Singapore]said Mark Shaw, Shaw Cinemas director, exhibitor and distributor in Singpore. He noted that part of that was due to Hollywood titles changing their release dates from 2022 to 2023. He also noted the interaction between movie theaters and audiences.
“We have to make it fun again [show that there are] No more taped seats or masks. You have to book everything in advance these days. Going out becomes a chore and it is difficult for people to go out.”
While other seminars have heard that higher movie ticket prices have been largely accepted by consumers, two speakers on Tuesday asked if things were that simple.
“Changing consumer behavior is partly due to higher ticket prices. Not all people go out on Thursdays and Fridays [like they used to]. They await feedback from trusted friends and influencers. This makes weekdays and second weekends increasingly important to box office success, said Eugene Yang, senior vice president of distribution and marketing, APEC, at Paramount Pictures International. “Therefore, timing will be more important than ever in 2023.”
Cinepolis, the Mexican conglomerate that’s now one of India’s biggest exhibitors, had a disproportionately strong recovery in India before unexpectedly faltering. “After we had the best quarter in our history, we started investing more. Then the second quarter was the worst. That made us ask questions. We saw that admissions went down.” [with the impact masked by ticket price increases] “Tastes are changing,” said Devang Sampat, CEO of Cinepolis, India. Recent years have seen more encroachment by Hollywood films into the Indian content bastion, while 2022 has seen increased nationwide success with films from South India.
The speakers said that rebuilding audience tempo and loyalty in Asia is unlikely to be achieved through a unified supply of big Hollywood blockbusters and sequels. In what seems to be a lesson learned in part from broadcasting, that means embracing the diverse genres, tastes, and languages of audiences.
“In the past, we’ve seen local films as somewhat of a threat, and now we’re celebrating the success of local content,” said Subi Rathanamongkulmas, Vice President South Asia at Universal Pictures International. “While we can be hopeful, we also need to accept that we must do things differently.”
Its proposals included greater use of data, greater participation by exhibitors in film marketing, better engagement between the exhibition and distribution sectors, cinemas as part of the social dialogue, and the achievement of local relevance and personalization.
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