Denmark’s Nordisk Film Cinemas has recently kicked off a new service to draw more viewers to its 23 theatres. The new subscription product, called Bioplus Unlimited, gives its users unlimited access to all regular cinema screenings.

Bioplus Unlimited applies to all films and time slots, including 3D and 4DX screenings. The exceptions are non-ordinary screenings, such as concerts, operas and special events. The service has a binding period of four months and is priced at 229 Danish crowns (circa €30.70) per month.

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According to the figures published recently by Swedish research firm Mediavision, Danish cinema tickets usually cost between 120 and 150 Danish crowns (between €16.10 and €20.10). In addition, the subscription product gives a discount of 20 Danish crowns (€2.70) when buying a second ticket to a screening.

To date, Denmark has “the highest cinema reach share in the Nordics”. In detail, “During an average month during the autumn of 2023, 35% of Danish households bought at least one cinema ticket, [whilst] Sweden has the lowest share of households that spend money on cinema in the Nordics, reaching 25% of the households in an average month.”

Cineuropa reached out to Martin Magid, of Nordisk Film Cinemas. Delving into the reasons why the company decided to launch Bioplus Unlimited, he reveals: “We have been testing our subscription product in Aalborg for two years, and it has been a success. During the test, we observed that the blockbusters are being watched multiple times by many subscribers, and that the subscribers watch the niche films more often. If people have already paid to watch the films through the monthly subscription fee, they are not taking any risk by trying out an extra film or by watching the same movie once again.

“Based on our successful test, we believe that this initiative will boost the total number of cinema visits, and thus create a bigger audience for the many good local and international films that premiere in the cinema.”

The service was officially launched on 28 November. Speaking about its initial reception, he says: “Our guests have given the product a warm welcome so far. There is no expiration date as such, but we will evaluate the performance carefully and assess whether we need to make any changes.”

Zooming in on the audience segments that the subscription product aims to intercept, Magid explains: “Our product primarily appeals to frequent movie-goers, but its reach extends beyond that – it has also successfully engaged those who visit the cinema less. This testifies to its wide appeal and diverse target audience.

“A closer look at our subscriber demographics paints an interesting picture, as to date, over one-third of those captivated by our offering are individuals younger than 27 years old. From a long-term perspective, we are delighted that our product largely attracts the younger demographic, as we hope this will result in more frequent cinema-goers in the future.”

Touching on the current state of theatrical exhibition in Denmark, Magid admits the sector “is navigating through some challenging years”, as “the implications of both COVID and the [SAG-AFTRA] strike have reverberated through the entire value chain, Denmark included.

“The entire industry is working relentlessly to restore guest numbers to pre-COVID cinema levels, but we’re not there just yet. Furthermore, our forecast for 2024 still falls below pre-COVID levels [circa 12 million admissions in Denmark]. It is paramount that we can provide our guests with a continuous, rich slate of films – for example, as it was before COVID – and looking further into the future, that we maintain an optimistic outlook. Concurrently, we believe our new subscription product will serve as a catalyst for the Danish film value chain by encouraging frequent attendance and thereby boosting visitor numbers,” he sums up.