UK/Australian event cinema producer/distributor CinemaLive has smashed a UK box-office record with André Rieu’s 2013 Maastricht Concert.
Beamed via satellite to 257 cinemas in the UK and Ireland last weekend from the violinist/composer’s home town of Maastricht in The Netherlands, the concert raked in more than £450,000 ($742,000). That’s the highest opening weekend gross for an artist’s musical concert in UK cinemas.
The show screened in Australian cinemas last Sunday. CinemaLive Director Janelle Mason told IF she doesn’t have final figures yet for the Australian takings but her preliminary estimate is $380,000.
Last year’s concert in Australia grossed $406,000 plus $75,000 in encore screenings. “”We are confident we will get to last year’s figure but won't have that until the end of this week,” she said.
The satellite broadcast of the 2013 concert was shown in 77 sites across Europe and will later screen in a further 400 cinemas internationally including Canada, the US, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and France.
Peter Skillman, Director and CEO of CinemaLive said, “This proves that cinema is a viable revenue stream for artists, artist management and record companies. It’s no secret that the music industry is facing an uphill struggle as traditional modes of revenue all but disappear, but by embracing cinema, a new platform can be integrated into the artist’s overall offering.”
The Shooting Star Picture Company launched CinemaLive in 2008 to deliver music, cultural and family entertainment events via satellite and hard drive to more than 70 countries.