The UK Cinema Association has welcomed today’s announcement that the ground-breaking Meerkat Movies 2 for 1 cinema ticket promotion will be extended for a further three years.
The news, announced by the cross-industry UK cinema body Cinema First (of which the UK Cinema Association is a founder members), will see the promotion now run until at least 2023.
comparethemarket.com, one of the UK’s leading price comparison websites, launched Meerkat Movies in March 2015, offering customers two-for-one cinema tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday for one year upon purchase of an eligible product. The reward scheme is the biggest of its kind anywhere in the World.
In 2019 UK cinema admissions were among the highest in the past 50 years, with box office surpassing £1.25 billion for the third consecutive year. 2019 saw massive investment in the UK cinema sector, with 20 new cinemas being opened and many more refurbished across the country, and much more planned for 2020.
A diverse film slate of almost 900 releases drove audiences of all ages to the cinema throughout 2019, with blockbuster titles Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4 and The Lion King leading the charge and British films including Downton Abbey, Rocketman and Last Christmas delivering strong numbers at the UK box office.
Meerkat Movies has been an important catalyst in cinema-going in recent years, having driven more than 34 million admissions to date. Further details on the promotion – and the offer to comparethemarket.com customers – can be found here.
This longstanding partnership has been important to Cinema First’s mission of promoting and developing cinema-going in the UK, and has attracted new audiences to the unique and truly immersive experience of watching films on the big screen with friends and family. The extension of the contract reinforces comparethemarket.com’s commitment to its customers and recognition of the unique power of film and its positive impact on our communities.
Welcoming the news, Iain Jacob, Cinema First Chair, said:
“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with comparethemarket.com to bring the massively popular Meerkat Movies rewards to cinema audiences for another three years.
comparethemarket.com are digital trailblazers who have the incredible ability to capture the public’s imagination through their powerfully creative Meerkat Movies campaign, which brilliantly reinforces the unrivalled experience of the cinema.
The UK cinema industry is booming and in recent years audiences have been spoilt for choice with an incredible slate of blockbuster and independent titles, many of which are homegrown. This year’s film line-up is again shaping up to be exceptional, with continued high levels of production, cinema infrastructure and technology investment ensuring film is at the heart of British culture. 2020 promises to be another extraordinary year for cinema-going in the UK.”
Mark Vile, Chief Marketing Officer at comparethemarket.com added:
“Meerkat Movies continues to be a huge hit with our customers, with over four million people using the reward to date. Bringing people together to enjoy film with two-for-one cinema tickets for a whole year is the perfect way to thank each of our customers and signals our commitment to rewarding customer loyalty. We look forward to continuing this truly unique and exciting partnership with Cinema First.”
The full Press Notice announcing the extension of the contract can be found here.