Background

Founded in 1936 in Dedham, Massachusetts – and owned by National Amusements Inc, a leader in the motion picture exhibition industry – Showcase Cinemas is one of the world’s oldest and most recognized global theater chains, with 76 venues (operating almost 1,000 screens) spanning the US (22), UK (17), Brazil (29) and Argentina (8).

Synonymous with comfort and quality, Showcase Cinemas – operating under a variety of brand names, including Cinema de Lux, SuperLux and Multiplex in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island – offers a wide and ever-evolving choice of dining options, including full-service restaurants, bars and cafés, and traditional concessions kiosks. For a few dollars more, it even offers in-theatre dining options, with food and drink delivered directly to your seat.

Technology plays an important role in the Showcase Cinemas’ connected digital approach, impacting almost every aspect of its business, beginning before movie-goers even set foot inside its establishments. This includes, but is far from limited to, optimized tickets via the company’s free smartphone app, e-ticketing, contactless payments, the online pre-ordering of food and drinks via its Xpress Pickup service, as well as a wide range of perks and services via its choice of membership and loyalty reward programs.

With customer experiences of paramount importance, Showcase Cinemas strives to set an industry benchmark, remaining ahead of its competitors – the usual suspects – and remain the top gun for quality, choice and entertainment. This was however proving increasingly difficult due to the capabilities of its existing network of displays – which included a range of different manufacturers – creating inconsistencies and obstacles.

Challenge

With the future always at the forefront of its thinking, and to maintain its daily mission of delivering showstopping experiences to visitors, creating and seizing new innovative communication and revenue-enhancing opportunities, Showcase Cinemas required a complete overhaul of its existing display network in all 22 of its US movie theaters.

Impacting locations in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island, its ambitions included a new fleet of high-impact and fully customizable digital signage and videowall displays for its busy lobby areas, with each capable of displaying crystal clear content in any lighting condition.

Transforming lobbies into hives of digital activity, displays would be used to provide a range of different functions (either collectively or standalone), consistent in all locations, such as the promotion of movies including trailers, marketing its membership and loyalty programs (including its Starpass and Popcorn Club), and to drive sales to its main refreshment kiosks.

Solution

Part of a major refresh of all Showcase Cinemas in the US, the company turned to Atlanta-based PPD, DEEL Media – a leading digital signage solutions specialist, with extensive experience in delivering turnkey solutions to movie theatres – tasked with replacing its aging and outdated display network, to transform the visual experience for movie-goers. This included delivering additional and consistent communications across all locations, while creating new revenue opportunities.

Following deep-level discussions and site visits, 549 x Philips D-Line 4K UHD digital signage (43”-75”) and 19 x Philips X-Line (49”-55”) videowall displays, were selected, and installed in all Showcase Cinemas’ lobby areas and along corridors leading up to each theatre screen. This replaced the previous scatter gun approach to displays, switching to a single manufacturer, rather than using multiple brands across its network, for more consistent capabilities and experiences.

Philips X-Line and D-Line displays were selected, in part, due to their flexibility and versatility to conform to almost any environment, thanks to their powerful high-impact 4K screen, ensuring picture-perfect performance in any light condition, including direct sunlight.

The Philips displays were configured and tailored to suit each unique theatre design and environment using DEEL Media’s proprietary ‘Carbon™’ content management system, providing extensive control, management and creation capabilities, managed either on-site or from a central location for the first time.

Strategically positioned in the lobby, with each providing a specific function, the displays have transformed the theatres into a scene of digital activity, with a constant, wide, and varied feed of digital content and information to visitors.

With their experience beginning as soon as they enter the venue, visitors are immediately exposed to the full box office menu, detailing all movies being shown that day, including show times.

Continuing the feast of digital experiences, the centerpiece of each location – and a vital component to drive additional revenues – are the main food concession kiosks, which now feature an elevated and unmissable line of connected Philips D-Line displays, stretching the full width of the purchasing areas.

Here, DEEL Media designed all the content to offer an ever-changing digital menu board, showcasing mouthwatering visuals (including for specific brands, such as Starbucks and Edy’s), together with pricing, calories, and deals on all available refreshments, such as hot dogs, nachos, drinks, popcorn, candy floss, and chocolates.

Philips Signage D-line and Videowall X-Line displays, together with DEEL Media’s platform, also provide opportunities for regular ‘lobby takeovers’ with all displays synchronized to show specific, impossible-to-ignore content simultaneously. Examples of use-to-date include promotions of the latest food combos, seasonal events, and other special gatherings.

Despite a tight deadline, the project was completed across all movie theatres on time earlier this year, and has been hailed as a complete success, with all challenges overcome and ambitions met.

Benefits

• Versatile delivery – Philips D-Line displays enable a wide variety of uses and benefits throughout each movie theater, including for branding and marketing, as well as inspiring, engaging and entertaining.
• Optimization – Philips D-Line signage optimizes any food and beverage as well as retail spaces for better customer experiences.
• Entertaining – Philips X-Line Series creates an immersive and entertaining environment that enhances static and dynamic content to deliver a beautifully vivid picture quality in any setting.
• Focus on teamwork – The PPDS team is primed to collaborate and communicate with system integration partners and customers to ensure the best fit solution with optimal results.