We conducted an interview in 2018. Five years later, how would you sum up your activities at CIV?
Overall, it's been quite positive, even though we've had our ups and downs, especially during the COVID period, which was critical because we had no films and our theater was closed for six months in 2020. We felt the impact of the pandemic until the end of 2021. We had to reinvent ourselves during this period to ensure a minimum level of service. We took the opportunity to bring international and local cinema classics back into fashion. This period was conducive to promoting the other services we offer to B2B customers, including theater rentals and events, while controlling seating capacity to comply with social distancing requirements. This worked out rather well for us and allowed us to use our theaters to their full potential, as they are ultimately multipurpose venues. During these eight years, we opened our first multiplex in the town of Yopougon, where we offer a varied and diverse program thanks to our three theaters, much to the delight of movie lovers in the town and surrounding areas.
How did you deal with the arrival of competition, particularly from Pathé?
We welcome competition because it means that the sector is buoyant and that demand is strong if Pathé and Gaumont decide to set up shop here. Moreover, it is not good to be in a monopoly situation for too long because we do not feel challenged in terms of the quality of services and benefits we provide to the population. For this reason, we are ready to welcome a competitor, and not just any competitor, but Pathé, which has over 100 years of experience in cinema operation in Europe.
In fact, we support national initiatives that want to get into the movie theater business. A few months ago, through an initiative of the French Embassy, we helped train a group of cultural entrepreneurs in our business. We explained our approach, which can sometimes differ from that of large groups. For us, this was important because we wanted to share our best practices for becoming an operator, taking into account our African realities, but above all to encourage them to join the adventure to revitalize the sector. We are convinced that it is through a competitive market that we will be able to structure the sector and make our voice heard in the highest echelons of government. Alone, we can speak, it's true, but together we can speak louder!
Today, in a few figures, what does the Majestic network represent in Côte d'Ivoire (number of theaters, attendance rates, etc.)?
We have six theaters across the network at four locations: Majestic Ivoire, Majestic Prima, Majestic Sococe, and Majestic Ficgayo, for a total of 1,480 seats across the network. We intend to expand further in Greater Abidjan, but also in the interior of the country, in order to offer the entire Ivorian population local expertise in cinema that meets international standards. In terms of attendance rates, we are back to pre-COVID levels, with attendance at around 25.03%, which means that our theaters are continuously filled to a quarter of their capacity. The global attendance rate is 30%, so we are not far off capacity, but to be honest, we are open seven days a week and we are full from Friday to Sunday, unless there is an international blockbuster such as Black Panther, The Woman King, or Avatar, or simply an African film such as Le Gendarme d'Abobo, Les 3 Lascars, Dans la peau d'un caïd, etc. At the moment, weekday screenings are also full, and we have a string of sold-out shows. Unfortunately, African production, especially Ivorian production, of commercial feature films that meet the expected quality criteria is not abundant, but over the past eight years, the number of films has increased. We see a lot of arthouse films that don't necessarily interest our audience, which is young and has specific tastes in terms of cinema. We know this from experience. We have observed the genres that work and hope that African films will take this into account in the productions they offer to theaters.
Do you still have a partnership with Marvel Studios? What does that involve? How much space do you give to African cinema in your programming?
We are still in contact with the studios through our distributors, but for the Marvel Festival, we partnered with The Walt Disney Company France to organize the first Marvel festival in Abidjan. It was a wonderful experience that we will certainly repeat in the future, in innovative ways that allow the entire population to take part and enjoy a unique and exclusive cinematic experience. African cinema has a prominent place in our programming. We have fixed time slots and days in theaters that are dedicated exclusively to African films. In addition, we have specific pricing of 2,000 CFA francs and 2,500 CFA francs (depending on the theater) to allow all segments of the population to come to our theaters and discover our actors and our stories in comfort and safety. We are an Ivorian cinema, by Ivorians for Africans.
AlloCiné recently launched a version in CIV. How do you view the arrival of such a player on the Ivorian market?
It's a godsend because it enriches and gives visibility to productions, especially local ones. We would have liked to see African initiatives offering the same type of service. There are projects underway that will significantly increase the visibility of theaters in order to truly popularize cinema as a leisure activity, which is still not very integrated into local consumption habits.
You are entering an active phase of development. Can you tell us more about it?
Yes, we are starting it, and we are in discussions with venues to accommodate new theaters. You will know more very soon. We are not going to reveal our entire strategy, but our goal is to maintain our position as market leader and, above all, to be as close as possible to the people.