Turkey’s cinema
exhibition business is in impressive health right now, with more than 2,000
screens generating over 40 million ticket sales in 2015. It’s clearly a great time for Turkish
cinemagoers. With consumer confidence riding high, new theatres are opening at
an unprecedented rate. Hungry for better entertainment experiences, customers
are packing auditoriums in big-screen multiplexes and smaller boutique cinemas.
Reflecting a
buoyant Turkish retail sector, over 100 new shopping malls are due to open in Istanbul
and countrywide this year. Many of these sites will feature multi-screen
cinemas, offering shoppers and families a welcoming environment to spend an
afternoon or evening in air-conditioned comfort.
One illustration
of this optimistic economic mood is
Mars Cinema
Group. The forward-looking operator is currently fitting ten Cinemaximum theatres
at sites from Ankara to Van, Mardin and Izmir with over 80 Sony 4K digital
projection systems.
“We’re offering
the best cinema experience in all corners of Turkey” explains Mars Cinema CEO
Kurt Rieder. “And as we grow, our need for new projectors has grown. Combined
with low ownership costs, Sony 4K gives our guests the picture quality they
deserve.”
There’s a huge
influx of enthusiastic patrons with money to spend. And theatre owners are responding
enthusiastically with a premium, value-added product that there’s plenty of demand
for. Super-sized screens and premium surround sound deliver a truly immersive
entertainment experience that a night in front of the DVD player at home can’t
begin to replicate. The tired cinema staples of popcorn and watery cola are being
replaced by upscale food and drink options. With plush seating and attentive
service, it all brings movie-going closer to the experience of flying business
class or visiting a chic bar for cocktails with friends.
So why is Turkey’s
cinema market outstripping its European neighbours?, Virtually all screen
openings are at brand new sites, typically in urban areas, which is in contrast
to the more mature Western European
market where cinemas are now decades old.
Many European screens
went digital almost a decade ago, using early projectors based on more
primitive DLP technology. These projectors are becoming increasingly
unreliable, inefficient and expensive to run. They’re also power-hungry
compared with today’s technology, while spare parts are getting harder to
source. But the real problem is that Europe’s elderly first-generation DLP projectors
are only 2K resolution – scarcely
better than your High Definition TV at home.
Every one of
18,000 Sony cinema projectors worldwide offers amazing 4K resolution. With four
times the pixel count of 2K it’s a revelation for viewing audiences, much like
the switch from Standard Definition to Hi-Def broadcasts over a decade ago.
Just as importantly, our 4K projectors create richly coloured, high contrast
images with bright, eye-popping highlights and deep, dark blacks. Compared with
the flat, washed-out images from older 2K cinema projectors it’s a revelation.
All this puts
Turkey’s cinema operators at a big advantage. New screens don’t have to worry
about the poorer picture quality and unreliability of older hardware. Theatres
can future-proof right now, with 4K projection guaranteeing the best possible
picture quality for years to come.
And that’s exactly
the strategy being adopted by leading Turkish operators like
CINEMApink. The prestigious chain has steered
away from inferior 2K systems, equipping all of its screens at fifteen sites
with over 100 Sony projectors. “We’re very excited about installing Sony 4K”
says CINEMApink CEO Selim Yavuzoglu. “Our customers can get the very best
experience with crystal clear picture quality and immersive sound” – all part
of the operator’s mission to make every seat a VIP seat.
Projection in 4K
makes movies look better. More film-makers are recognising this by delivering
their productions as a
4K DCP – the
‘digital print’ that’s sent to theatres on a hard drive or by satellite link.
This replaces the bulky reels of 35mm celluloid film that are in decline. 4K is
also an increasingly popular artistic choice for movie-makers: director Nuri
Bilge Ceylan was winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or in 2014 for ‘
Winter Sleep’, shot by Gökhan Tiryaki using
Sony 4K cameras.
All those extra
pixels are great news for Turkey’s cinema owners and property developers. Our trail-blazing
customers have recognised that 4K is a great way to keep audiences loyal, with pictures
that other projection technologies just can’t match. What’s more, our projectors
save operators money, cutting running costs with easy operation and maintenance.
So if you’re
opening a new cinema – or refitting an existing screen – the choice is
refreshingly simple. Are your audiences satisfied with the same image quality
they’ll get at home? Or are you going to make sure they’re treated to the best
possible pictures… today and tomorrow?
