As theaters lose, internal impulses merge into the new normal

Among the attractions that have opened in Colombia’s so-called smart reopening phase are the botanical gardens, theme parks, restaurants and hotels, and as new in the Colombian entertainment sector, taxis. Since September 5, the Bogotá Mayor’s Office has granted operating permission and successful film screenings have been staged in previous years.

Among the companies offering this service are Royal Films, Procinal and Cine Colombia, which have had to absorb their service offerings to survive the pandemic. Additionally, companies like Cine Colombia and Procinal have also enabled home delivery for their confectionery.

Despite the regeneration they had to undergo, according to publications by Mounir Fellah, president of Cine Colombia, the sector raised only $ 945 million this year, a minuscule number, compared to $ 357.581 million in 2019.

“In the past six months, from April 1 to September 30, 2020, the box office in the United States was $ 109 million. In the same period, Falah said of the sector in the world, in the same period, in 2019 the figure was reached $ 6,075 million.” In addition, he stressed that he had to end the leases in the “El Edén” shopping center, and to close one of the newest rooms in the country, whose initial investment was $ 30 billion.

According to La República, the sector leader is demanding a return of rental fees to that establishment during the pandemic and is asking the construction company for more than $ 11,500 million for breach of contract, in addition to backward business interests.

According to data from the Colombian Film Association (Acocine), the sector grossed over $ 1 billion in 2019, of which 35% corresponded to foodstuffs sold in theaters. Accordingly, inflows represented $ 652 billion on the balance sheet.

In the case of the flagship, Cine Colombia, it brought more than 65 million viewers to its theaters last year and is now hoping to generate significant capacity in its line of auto theaters, which is already enabled by spaces in Bogotá, Chia and Cali.

Procinal, a Bogotá company that went into a reorganization and recognized by the Corporate Supervisory Authority, is having a bad time as well, despite having an indoor cinema opening in its name in Sapanita, Antioquia. According to La República newspaper, the commercial director, Natasha Mayongo, confirmed that they had been forced to close a room in Santa Marta because they were unable to agree with the owner.

Although the national government has yet to clarify the future of traditional theaters, Andrea Beltran, Director of Marketing at Cinemark, told La República that they are already ready for the reopening and that they have a tentative date of November 12th.

Drive-ins is now open

The first movie theater to be put in service with Colombians was Cine Colombia located in the Unicentro shopping center, north of Bogotá. Another company, the most important one, also managed by the same company, is located in Chia Municipality and has a capacity of 79 vehicles.

A cinema showroom has also opened in Komvandi, Cali, managed by Royal Films, with a capacity of 195 cars. On the Cali – Jamondi road there is a road owned by Cine Colombia, with a capacity of 157 vehicles. There are also cinemas of this type in the departments Antioquia, Cundinamarca and Boulevard.