Novo Cinemas eyes the big picture

Novo Cinemas is not only still in the process of rebranding itself, but is rapidly expanding at an exponential rate, set to almost double the number of screens by the end of next year.

Above, the newly opened Novo Cinema at the World Trade Center Mall in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy Novo

Managing cinemas in the Middle East is complicated, especially when you are simultaneously pursuing aggressive rebranding and expansion strategies.

Novo Cinemas, formerly Grand Cinemas, has 22,000 seats and 119 screens in 15 locations across the UAE, Qatar and Jordan. It is ambitiously planning to grow to more than 200 screens by the end of next year.

The cinema operates as part of Gulf Film Group, which is owned by q.media Services, a Qatari government-owned company.

“We see this as a strong advantage. We have the highest level of support from both our parent company and our owners; they are absolutely committed to us delivering on our growth strategy,” said Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, the Novo chief executive. Given the amount of space required for cinemas, potential venues are in short supply. And Novo Cinemas’ competitors in the UAE have, through their ownership, an inside track on the main malls such as Reel Cinemas – owned by the developer Emaar – and Vox, owned by the developer Majid Al Futtaim.

In an interview, Mrs Stanford-Kristiansen, did not wish to discuss the company’s competitors.

But on the subject of locations, she did say that Novo, rather than targeting specific types of venues, focuses instead on sites where it can provide what she calls the “ultimate cinema experience”.

Mrs Stanford-Kristiansen said that Novo would soon open its first standalone cinema in The Pearl, in Doha’s Medina Centrale, as well as new venues in Dubai’s Dragon Mart, Boutique Mall in Al Ain and Muharraq Mall in Manama.

“Grand Cinemas is a name that a lot of people have grown up knowing, especially across the UAE. Grand Cinemas was sold two years ago to Qatar Media Services, and we spent some time deliberating – looking at our core audience and looking at the changing face of the customer.”

After various surveys and studies, the company decided take its existing brand “to the next level,” said Mrs Stanford-Kristiansen.

“It wasn’t easy finding a name that would fit – and finding a name that would fit in both English and Arabic … We had pretty much everybody involved in workshops, right through from the ushers and concession staff up to senior management, because at the end of the day, staff in our cinemas are our greatest brand ambassadors.”

Rebranding was a matter of finding something “a little bit funky and edgy”, she added, to build on and diversify the customer base. Arabian Gulf audiences are unique in their high expectations of service and luxury, she said.

“Here it’s all about making sure our customer’s experience is second to none. It’s about making sure you have the right staff, making sure they go the extra mile to make the customer feel special, having luxury seating, just the overall feel.

“We intend to introduce more VIP elements, and more of the breakthrough technologies we’ve introduced in the past. This includes Imax – the world’s leading name in immersive cinema – premium audiovisual components, and, of course the means by which our patrons book their tickets.”

Novo says it is also keen to encourage greater interest in Emirati, international, independent and arthouse cinema, she said, which poses a whole array of challenges.

“We look at the demographics of people who are living here. I would certainly like to see more Italian movies, French, Spanish; there’s so many great movies out there. But it is still in its infancy and needs some more time and education.”

An example of the chain’s current mix comes from last weekend’s playbill at the Novo outlet in Abu Dhabi Mall.

Viewers could choose from the American films Blended, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Maleficent, 7500, Battle of the Damned and Jersey Boys, the British film Cuban Fury, the Indian film Humshakals and the South Korean-Chinese offering Pororo: The Racing Adventure (dubbed in English).

Anita Nasr, the communications and PR manager at Novo, added: “Our sister company, Gulf Film, happens to have the largest number of companies that they represent as independent studios, so they release a lot of movies that are arthouse, but don’t label them as arthouse.

“The sad fact is that people will come and see a lot of the smaller, more arthouse movies, but then if there’s not enough people seeing them, they will not be in the cinema next time.”

Emirati filmmakers have an even greater struggle when it comes to having their films released, even locally, Mrs Stanford-Kristiansen said. Novo Cinemas screened the local film Sun Dress most recently, as well as My Grandmother's Farm last year.

"It's not easy for them getting that support level going forward. I think even the movie Sun Dress – they made that movie four or five years ago and I really admire those people, to be that committed and keep on fighting until they can get that movie shown."

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