COMPLEX BUSINESS: Aaron and Christel Milne have been improving Whakatane’s moviegoing experience for more than four years. Photo Louis Klaassen D4250-6
LOOSELY translating to “act to the max”, Whakatane’s five-theatre 3D cinema is living up to its name. Redevelopments and innovation are constantly unfolding under owners Christel and Aaron Milne.
Purchasing the cinema more than four years ago, the couple and their children moved from Tauranga and began the task of rebuilding the rundown business into what Christel says they hoped would be an “asset to the community”.
With Aaron’s background in banking, and Christel’s in early childcare (the couple owned a childcare centre in Tauranga), the couple had been looking to make a move, and when what was then known as Cinema5 came on the market, they saw the opportunity they’d been looking for.
Christening their new business WhakaMax, the cinema has been gaining momentum ever since with its quirky name and a host of new initiatives constantly rolling out. Christel says the cinema was very tired when they took over. “There was no community trust left in it”. The couple’s first and foremost goal was to earn the trust back, and win the loyalty the business would need to succeed.
“We wanted to build the cinema into a complex that everyone could enjoy, we wanted it to be a fun and happy place.”
Ticket sales began to increase soon after the Milne’s took over, and have been steadily increasing since. First among major changes made to the complex was the complete refitting of three of the five theatres, preceded by a “big and much-needed clean up”. The new seats were appreciated Christel says, and the theatres were recarpeted too. The entire projection system was then replaced with a high-quality digital system. And then came the conversion of two of the theatres to encompass 3D projection. “We’d had so many people asking for that,” says Christel, because the closest 3D cinema was Te Puke.
Developments didn’t stop there. Next up were renovations to the foyer, creating a lounge-type atmosphere, and changes to the candy bar, with an ice-creamery established. A liquor licence was obtained, finally enabling patrons to enjoy a glass of wine with their movie. New flooring through the foyer will be next up, along with refits of the two theatres not yet renovated. Proposed new seating options sit in the foyer for customers to trial. “We’ll choose the seat that people want,” says Christel.
Screening the right movies is a critical part of the business, requiring Aaron, who takes charge of this role, to spend almost a day of every week making sure he gets it right. With the cinema now able to screen several movies at once, all on high-quality systems, the Milne’s have access to all top releases at the same time as any cinema in the country. “We have no disadvantages now,” says Christel. “It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point” but now we can get high-demand movies on their first day of release.”
This is a huge bonus for the town’s movie buffs who previously had to wait, in some instances, until the movie was near release on DVD.
The ability to do this is costly though. All movies are acquired through film distribution companies and come with a contract stating the screening requirements. A popular new release may require four screenings a day, and, significantly, up to 55 percent of all ticket sales at the cinema will go straight back to the distributor.
“It’s the nature of the beast,” says Christel. “But we do want to screen the particular movies that people want. Aaron selects them based on what people are enjoying nationally, but also very much on what local people ask for. We encourage people to tell us what they would like. We do listen and try to cater to everyone.”
An example of this is the growing number of arthouse movies, whether that is an opera concert or a series of movies documenting the lives and exhibitions of renowned artists. They’ve become very popular, she says.
Listening to the wishes of customers will remain a priority for the couple. “If people are taking the time to come out to the movies, we want to make sure they enjoy it,” she says. And this philosophy is extended to their WhakaMax staff as well. “They are like family, and that’s how we want the business to run.”
“It’s certainly been hard work and a lot of long hours.” But the couple have no regrets. “We love what we’re doing. The buzz and adrenalin of a busy day, and all the customer interaction makes it worth it,” says Christel. “It really is fun, exhausting at times, but fun.”
Lorraine Wilson