Latest news with #SilkyOtter
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Poignant doco screening
PHOTO: ARCHIVE A documentary by two Kiwis about changes to a Japanese coastal village that was formerly a bustling whaling town is being screened at Queenstown's Silky Otter cinema next Sunday, July 27, at 7pm. Following the screening of Ayukawa: The Weight of a Life, Jim Speers, who wrote and directed the doco with Tu Rapana Neill, will be present for a conversation and a Q&A session. The screening's being hosted by Arrowtown's Superpartner Gallery, which this month is exhibiting accompanying photographic and text works by Speers, Neill and collaborative partner Amanda Wright. "Filmed over four years, the documentary explores the complex history and traditions of a Japanese coastal town with a deep connection to whaling culture, interweaving intimate conversations with striking cinematography," Superpartner director Marc Blake says. "The film observes the multitude of challenges faced by the small community, including economic and social change and the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami." Tickets, $15, are available at
RNZ News
24-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
How are New Zealand cinemas surviving?
Silky Otter Cinemas chief executive Neil Lambert. Photo: Supplied The winter school holidays are about to begin - the perfect time for a family trip to the movies. But with rising cost of living, the slow economy and numerous streaming options like Netflix and Neon, how are New Zealand cinemas surviving? Neil Lambert, owner of premium cinema chain Silky Otter is busy opening his eighth cinema. The new Christchurch theatre has bagels and fried chicken bao buns on its menu. Lambert said hospitality was key to its success. "Wages have gone up dramatically in the last five years, and on top of that, rents are more expensive, food costs are more expensive. But if you look at the way that the ticket price has increased and how consumers have allowed the ticket price to increase, it hasn't gone up much. It hasn't gone up anywhere near in capacity to that [cost increases]. "Now as a business to thrive and not even thrive, to survive, you have to get an all-round hospitality experience. You have your customers come in the door, pay for a movie ticket - which we have to split with the studios - and it's quite a substantial split. So for us food and beverage are huge. That's why we have full service kitchens." Richard Dalton bought Auckland's historic Lido cinema 24 years ago. He said business at the theatre in Epsom was improving. "Business has picked up this year. It's still not perfect because I think the recession is still biting lots of people, but it's definitely showing signs of life returning back to normal." Richard Dalton, director of Lido Cinema in Auckland Photo: Ke-Xin Li He said for Lido, it was not always the blockbusters that brought in the cash. "Every cinema is different, so if you talk to the guys at Events and Hoyts, I'm sure they would tell you completely different stories. For them it's all about the blockbusters and it's all about the first two weeks of business on those. "For us, we always pay a lot more money in the first week back to the film company and then as the weeks go by, the amount you pay back to the film companies starts to fall. "Tinā is still popular at six, seven, eight weeks into its season, so we probably made more money at the end of its life than we did at the beginning of its life. For us in this particular model it's all about keeping films going for as long as possible." Richard Dalton says Tinā was still popular long into its season. Photo: Supplied Dalton said it was special to have movies like Tinā in the cinema. "Everyone comes out crying and you know they're loving it because they sit there for the whole credits. The credits are running and people are still sitting there sniffling, trying to compose themselves and talking. It's a real bonding film. It was such a pleasure to play." While Dalton's main audience are older adults, he thought it was important for cinemas to get children in too. "We got Elio coming up in the school holidays. We'll play things for very young children because often the grandparents might even bring them along. "I do feel strongly about this, so our ticket pricing for kids is just $10 and I kind of wonder why the chains want to charge so much for children's tickets. I think in these tough times, I think they've scared a lot of the market off by overpricing. Especially for a family day out, it becomes really expensive. "You got two parents and three children and popcorn and everything, you're gonna end up spending over $100 or something, which is madness. Children absolutely are the future, if you can get them at a young age and give them a good time and not scare parents off." For a Saturday morning show of Elio , it would cost $58 at the Lido for a family of four. But with up to $20 for a child at Hoyts and Event Cinemas, the same family could be spending $68 at Hoyts, or $113.80 at Event. However, Event does offer discount tickets to members of its Cinebuzz programme. Steve Newall, editor at the film and media website Flicks, said 2025 and 2026 would see a wide range of movies hitting the screens, and New Zealanders in cities were in the prime spot to choose their cinema experience. "I think the cinema offerings in some ways mirror the range of releases out there and that just as there are titles for different ranges of people, there's also price points that you can find. "A bit of research will really help a prospective movie goer. There are good weekly deals, there are certain cinemas that have specific discounts, and the loyalty schemes that the big chains have offer some advantages too." Matthew Liebmann, chief product, innovation and marketing officer at cinema technology firm Vista Group was a big fan of the cinema experience. "I've been to the cinema 24 times this year and we tend to go all around town, wherever the best time and the best film is." Matthew Liebmann, chief product, innovation and marketing officer at Vista Group is an avid movie goer. Photo: Vista Group He was at Cineeurope, a convention for the cinema industry. He said the sentiment was shared at the convention. "This is an industry that reinvents itself. It doesn't put its head in the sand. It doesn't pretend that the world's not changing, and it's always looking for new technology and new ways to serve guests. So while the technology, the fit out and the food might be changing, that innovative spirit of exhibition remains the same." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
New Chch movie theatre may open this month
The countdown is on to the opening of the replacement for the iconic Hollywood movie theatre in Sumner. The 1938 building in Marriner St has been completely renovated and is planned to open as the Silky Otter Hollywood on Saturday, June 28. The opening date is dependent on receiving Christchurch City Council consent. 'It's great to finally get these things open, there's been a lot of build-up trying to get this cinema open,' said Silky Otter founder Neil Lambert. 'We've already got a really well-established and loved (cinema) in Christchurch. We wanted to make sure that this had that feel to it as well.' The first movie to screen will be F1, which stars Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 driver who comes out of retirement. 'It's a classic Hollywood blockbuster. It has to be seen in a theatre, it can't be watched anywhere else,' said Lambert. He intends the cinema to be open in time for the July school holidays and the release of other blockbusters, including Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth and How to Train Your Dragon. Lambert says once the city council gives the green light, 'we will be pretty much ready to go'. The recliner seats were installed last week, with Lambert now waiting on projectors and kitchen equipment. The building will house three 48-seater luxury cinemas and a bar. 'It'll be unrecognisable when customers walk inside, I think everybody will be pleased with the results,' he said. It was formerly home to Hollywood Cinemas, the oldest movie theatre in Christchurch, owned by cinema pioneer Lang Masters for more than six decades. Masters died, aged 92, in August 2023. To pay homage, the new cinema will be renamed Silky Otter Hollywood. 'It's an institution in so we kind of wanted to keep it that way,' Lambert said. The cinema will not host any major events for the opening, rather Lambert prioritised getting doors open as soon as possible. 'They (cinemas) are almost looked upon as community centres, strangely enough, so for me, the joy of opening cinemas is to really just get the public in.' Sumner will be Silky Otter's eighth cinema in New Zealand. The first was built in Auckland in 2019 as a way to re-imagine the cinematic experience. 'A lot of the older picture houses were kind of falling away and not really keeping up with the times. 'It's a hospitality experience in a night out, that's what we're bringing to Sumner and it fits well into the community,' Lambert said.
Otago Daily Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
'It'll be unrecognisable when customers walk inside': Chch movie theatre may open this month
Sumner's new movie theatre, Silky Otter Hollywood, is set to open at the end of the month. PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN The countdown is on to the opening of the replacement for the iconic Hollywood movie theatre in Sumner. The 1938 building in Marriner St has been completely renovated and is planned to open as the Silky Otter Hollywood on Saturday, June 28. The opening date is dependent on receiving Christchurch City Council consent. 'It's great to finally get these things open, there's been a lot of build-up trying to get this cinema open,' said Silky Otter founder Neil Lambert. 'We've already got a really well-established and loved (cinema) in Christchurch. We wanted to make sure that this had that feel to it as well.' The first movie to screen will be F1, which stars Brad Pitt as a Formula 1 driver who comes out of retirement. 'It's a classic Hollywood blockbuster. It has to be seen in a theatre, it can't be watched anywhere else,' said Lambert. Neil Lambert. He intends the cinema to be open in time for the July school holidays and the release of other blockbusters, including Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth and How to Train Your Dragon. Lambert says once the city council gives the green light, 'we will be pretty much ready to go'. The recliner seats were installed last week, with Lambert now waiting on projectors and kitchen equipment. The building will house three 48-seater luxury cinemas and a bar. 'It'll be unrecognisable when customers walk inside, I think everybody will be pleased with the results,' he said. It was formerly home to Hollywood Cinemas, the oldest movie theatre in Christchurch, owned by cinema pioneer Lang Masters for more than six decades. Masters died, aged 92, in August 2023. To pay homage, the new cinema will be renamed Silky Otter Hollywood. 'It's an institution in so we kind of wanted to keep it that way,' Lambert said. The cinema will not host any major events for the opening, rather Lambert prioritised getting doors open as soon as possible. 'They (cinemas) are almost looked upon as community centres, strangely enough, so for me, the joy of opening cinemas is to really just get the public in.' Sumner will be Silky Otter's eighth cinema in New Zealand. The first was built in Auckland in 2019 as a way to re-imagine the cinematic experience. 'A lot of the older picture houses were kind of falling away and not really keeping up with the times. 'It's a hospitality experience in a night out, that's what we're bringing to Sumner and it fits well into the community,' Lambert said.
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
French Film Fest beckons
PHOTO: ARCHIVE This year's French Film Festival Aotearoa could provide a taste of things to come at Queenstown's new high-end cinema complex Silky Otter. Now in its fourth year, festival director Fergus Grady says the month-long festival, which started yesterday, is the biggest in the country. "When we started, the festival wasn't in a great place, averaging 30,000 to 35,000 tickets sales a year. Now we are up to 100,000 ticket sales. "That makes it the most successful in terms of sale and scope in regional areas, and we plan to keep it that way." Highlights include My Brother's Band, a hit at the French box office, and The Divine Sarah Bernhardt, a biopic from director Guillaume Nicloux set in the dizzying theatrical world of opulent wealth and delicious scandals. There are also plenty of comedies, such as How to Make a Killing, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life and Love Boat, along with Beating Heart, ''a big sweeping romance with a fair amount of crime". Being held for the first time at the new Remarkables Park cinema, Grady says if it goes well there, they'll offer Silky the British/Irish festival in October. For more info, see
