Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Movie halls business faces uncertain future

Haider-al-Lawati
Haider-al-Lawati
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Three decades ago, the advent of video rental stores had an enormous impact on attendance at movie halls, reducing viewership by around 40 per cent.


Now, cable TV and Internet-based international entertainment services firms are doing the same, adversely impacting the domestic cinema industry in a number of countries around the world, particularly in this region.


Experts believe there is intense competition in the cinematic world with many regional players facing a sharp decline in revenues in the face of international content streamed into homes in various languages.


Huge television screens manufactured by electronics giants from Japan, Korea and elsewhere have enabled this trend, making it possible for every home to have the tools to enjoy cable and streaming services.


Today, people young and old watch programmes and films at home aired in different languages and at different times to suit all viewers.


It seems that the COVID-19 pandemic has also had a major negative impact on the local cinema industry with movie halls shuttered in many countries as a precaution against the spread of the virus. There are hopes expressed by businesses operating in this sector that the authorities will accelerate the reopening of cinema houses while putting in place measures to control the number of attendees.


The influx of major investors has spurred the growth of the movie theatre business in the region.


Many shopping malls and commercial centres in the Gulf region feature multiplexes with several screens showing different films simultaneously, enabling members of the same family to watch different movies at the same time, but based on their individual choices.


All of these issues were discussed in a forum hosted recently as part of the ‘Majlis Al Khonji’ series of virtual seminars. At the event, Abdul Redha Sultan, an executive director at his father’s establishment, traced the history of the movie hall business in Oman prior to the country’s modern renaissance and its growth ever since.


In addition to commercial films and documents screened in cinema halls, there were also screenings in private homes, camps, boards (diwaniyas) and large companies such as the Petroleum Development Company, he said.


The British consulate introduced screenings in 1950, complemented by the Indian consulate in the early 1960s with weekly shows of Indian language films for a certain amount.


The popularity of these screenings grew after the introduction of electricity by owners of some mansions in 1959. Movie screenings at such homes typically attracted 30 to 35 people per show, he said.


The trade flourished after 1970 through the establishment of modern cinema halls and the establishment of joint-stock companies in this field.


Today, there are 23 movie halls in the Sultanate featuring a total of 108 screens — a fiercely competitive sector facing an uncertain future because of the pandemic.


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