UGC gives unlimited access
After France in 2000, French exhibition giant, UGC presented a new annual subscription card on 28 November in Belgium. The card gives its holder unlimited access to all UGC theatres in Belgium.
For a monthly fee of just Euros 14.90, the “unlimited” card allows filmgoers to see as many films as they desire of the 300 daily screenings on the French group’s 56 Belgian screens. UGC theatres are situated in Brussels, Louvain-la-Neuve and Antwerp. André Harvie, the head of UGC Belgium said that the card will be operational as of 1 February 2003 and all subscribers will be asked to pay an one-time fee of Euros 30.
In France, rival exhibitors Gaumont and MK2 immediately came out with their own versions of the UGC card, a move that resulted in a mini-uprising by independent exhibitors who accused these huge conglomerates of unfair commercial practices. A survey carried out at the end of 2001 showed that these cards were not as popular as people thought they would be. Late in October 2002, the French minister for culture and communications, Jean-Jacques Aillagon drafted a new bill to bring order to this specific area of theatrical exhibition.
The extension of the UGC card to Belgium surprised industry operators. Independent theatres asked the governement for “support to help auteur-driven cinema in the face of competition from large groups that dominate the Belgian film sector.” The Belgian finance minister, Charles Piqué said he was surprised that this particular form of subscription had been put on the market without prior discussion and announced he would investigate the legality of the operation with respect to Belgium’s trading laws, and also to protect small theatrical exhibitors and distributors.
(Translated from French)
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