COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy. Many brands whose effective medium of advertising was cinema are now having to stall campaigns from playing in the cinema. But this is not the end of cinema. It’s just a minor hurdle that cinema and many other businesses are faced with due to the pandemic.
A movie is just ordinary unless watched in an environment that makes you feel part of it. Cinemas have always enriched the quality of movies in terms of exposure, which OTT services cannot accomplish.
When the word cinema comes to mind, we think of the joyful moments spent watching a movie with friends and family. It thus plays a vital role as a medium offering advertisers a targeted audience to engage with.
In the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, several films were forced to stop production due to government-imposed restrictions on travel and large gatherings. But now, things seem to be back on track and production has resumed. Most major films have postponed release dates, insisting on not going for an OTT platform release. This clearly indicates how important cinemas are in terms of generating revenue.
Cinemas in UAE, KSA and other GCC countries have reopened; operating at 30% capacity with strict safety and precautionary measures in place, screening previously released movie titles. People are adapting to the ‘new norm’, and the time will come when we witness cinemagoers flocking to cinemas again to catch the latest blockbusters on the big screen. New content will release soon, admissions will be back on track, and it will soon be time for brands to start displaying ads on the big screen.
