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| May 2000 Cinema chains and movie hubs Different strategies By Carrie Chan and Samson Lam RELATED ARTICLES: As the movie industry in Hong Kong zigzags through the doldrums in search of a fresh breeze, the business of cinemas is being hammered by low patronage. Therefore, cinema chains have launched various programmes to survive. Ticket price cuts on Tuesdays and at off-peak times is one common tactic. Moreover, many cinemas in Hong Kong are located in shopping malls for the convenience of moviegoers. Moviegoers can also enjoy the booming sounds of Dolby digital sound systems. Mr. Jeff Lam is the operations manager of UA Cinemas, a chain with seven outlets in Hong Kong. He said moviegoers can enjoy a variety of entertainment on the same day if the cinema is located in a shopping mall: They can shop and dine in the mall before enjoying a movie in the cinema. Space is thus an important consideration when locating a cinema. Cinemas like the American Multi Cinema and the UA Cinemas offer up to 10 houses at one location. A spacious venue is thus vital to these cinema chains. Festival Walk is among the few shopping malls in Hong Kong that provides considerable room a cinema. Mr. George Chan, general manager of the American Multi Cinema, said there is no other cinema operating nearby, so “surely there’s a market.” A spacious environment makes the audience feel comfortable. Mr. Boaz Fung, a Form 5 student lining up outside the box office of the American Multi Cinema, said, “Being comfortable in the cinema is the most important thing.” UA Cinema outlets, which have less space, attract patrons by renovations and posters. Location of a cinema also affects the genres of movies on show. According to Mr. Lam of the UA Cinemas, for locations like Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong, Pacific Place in Admiralty, and Causeway Bay, the target patrons are mainly foreigners, white-collar workers and higher income earners. Hence, Western movies, especially those nominated for Academy Awards, will usually be shown in cinemas located at these spots. Mr. Anthony Chan, a Form 6 moviegoer, regards “the sound system of a cinema” as one of his criteria of choosing the cinema. This effect of the sound system on attendance is particularly obvious when the cinema shows Hollywood movies famous for sound effects. Therefore, cinema owners have to devote some effort installing sound systems. Having several houses at one cinema is another attraction. It gives the audiences more movies to choose from. However, small theatres may be uncomfortable for audience members sitting in front row seats because they are too close to the screens. For those siting behind, since the slope of the house is too gentle, their vision may be blocked by those sitting in front. Said Mr. Chan of the American Multi Cinema: “Our 11 cinema houses are built like a stadium. This stadium-like seating can assure audiences of full vision.” According to House Manager of JP Cinema Olivia Ma, two houses in JP Cinema are separated into two floors, with the first row 30 feet away from the screen. Comfortable seats are another concern of cinema patrons. Cinemas like the American Multi Cinema and JP Cinema offer armed seats with cup holders and a comfortable backrest. Cinema chains also emphasize the quality of services. Different cinema chains have different strategies to satisfy patrons’ needs. In JP Cinema, there is a counter next to the box-office selling souvenirs of the movies. VCDs, DVDs and posters of the movies are available to moviegoers. For UA Cinemas, there's a snackbar selling popcorn and soft drinks. Patrons can book tickets as well as select seats through the Internet. At the American Multi Cinema, there are ushers helping patrons take snacks to their seat while the movie is being shown. While the cinema chains are competing for patrons by showing popular films, some moviegoers are not impressed. Instead, they are turning to alternative movies, or Indies. With increasing audience interest, more cinemas choose to show alternative movies. Broadway Cinematheque and Hong Kong Arts Centre are among these cinemas. Instead of improving the environment of the cinema, they organize programmes to promote film culture. Broadway Cinematheque, located in Yau Ma Tei, was open by Edko Films Limited in November 1997. One of Broadway's aims is to promote non-mainstream movies. It is a movie hub with four movie houses, a film library, two movie bookshops and a cafe. Mr. Gary Mak, associate director of Broadway Cinematheque, said, “Hong Kong people can accept original versions of foreign movies. “This is uncommon in other countries, where people only watch the dubbed versions of foreign movies,” he said. Mr. Mak added that the general public in Hong Kong was tired of Hollywood’s style of movie shooting. The Brazilian movie The Central Station and the Iranian movie Children in Heaven drew a satisfactory audience and positive feedback to Broadway Cinematheque. The Hong Kong Arts Centre is another outlet for alternative films. It aims at showing movies that the audience cannot watch in commercial cinemas. Mr. Jimmy Choi, director of the Film and Video Department of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, agreed that there is an increasing interest in alternative movies. The Hong Kong Arts Centre has organized an annual Independent Film Competition since 1992. Mr. Choi said the competition contributes to the popularity of alternative movies. Said Mr. Choi: “We didn’t want to make the competition like an examination, so we offered filmmaking training to the participants one year before the Competition.” There is a media centre inside Hong Kong Arts Centre with production and postproduction facilities. Participants can rent the facilities at a low cost. Both the Hong Kong Arts Centre and Broadway Cinematheque have made great efforts to arouse audience interest in alternative movies. “Broadway Cinematheque first attempted to focus on alternative movies. “However, the promotional costs turned out to be excessive,” said Mr. Mak. As a result, Broadway Cinematheque decided to show both commercial and alternative movies from early 1999. “The ratio of alternative films to commercial films being shown is about three to one during each period,” said Mr. Mak. Broadway Cinematheque organizes thematic film festivals from time to time. One of them is “Desire Unlimited — All about Amodovar”, held in January 2000. A series of Iranian children’s movies were co-presented with The 24th Hong Kong International Film Festival in April 2000. Broadway also established a membership system. Members are offered privileges such as free access to the members-only film library. Trendy magazines, books on specialized topics and over 500 classic and cult movies are available for members to read or check out from the library. One frequent visitor to Broadway Cinematheque said she not only likes its exclusive movies, but also the bookstore. She said that she would like to watch movies at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, especially the World Film Classics, but that the Hong Kong Arts Centre is too far away from her home. Broadway Cinematheque further promotes itself by collaborating with Commercial Radio’s 903 I.D. Club. Club members are offered ticket discounts and privileges in buying tickets for the Hong Kong International Film Festival. “We chose 903 I.D. Club because members of the club are around 20 to 30 years old. “They are more willing to explore new genre of movies,” said Mr. Mak. Broadway Cinematheque also offers space for exhibitions to broaden audience knowledge of movies. The exhibitions are usually related to movie culture. Mr. Choi said that the Hong Kong Arts Centre’s purpose is to make up what the mainstream films cannot achieve. The criteria in choosing movies are the quality and the artistic achievement of the movies. “We sometimes take a thematic approach. “Therefore, the relevance to the particular theme is another criterion,” added Mr. Choi. In recent years, the Hong Kong Arts Centre has organized talks and seminars. These activities allow the audience, filmmakers and talents to interact and exchange ideas. It also publishes two booklets, Artslink and Cinelink. Artslink publicizes show times and synopses of Hong Kong Arts Centre’s programmes. The Hong Kong Arts Centre usually begins to advertise the movies a month before they will be shown. Cinelink, on the other hand, focuses more on movie information. “Publishing Artslink and Cinelink, as well as distributing press releases, are routines in our promotion. “Copies of Artslink and Cinelink are usually distributed in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and bookshops,” said Mr. Choi. Mr. Choi said the Hong Kong Arts Centre truly hopes to rebuild the confidence of the Hong Kong audience in local movies by showing some well-made mainstream movies almost each month. After each showing, a forum is arranged. One of the latest movies shown was The Mission, directed by Mr. Johnnie To. Leading actors of The Mission, including Anthony Wong, Johnnie To, as well as movie critics Thomas Shin and Athena Tsui, were invited to the forum. The promotion is also extended to the film studies departments of local tertiary institutions such as Hong Kong Baptist University, City University of Hong Kong and the Academy of Performing Arts. With grants offered by the Arts Development Council, students majoring in film studies can watch movies at Hong Kong Arts Centre at a discount. It is agreed between Hong Kong Arts Centre and the instructors of the institution that the students are required to discuss the movies in class after watching the movies. |
(Courtesy of Mr. Chang Wai Hung)
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