An initiative launched in the Netherlands at the end of 2022, Nu:Reality brings virtual reality content again into cinemas. With dedicated programs and screenings, the ambition is to simplify the process for audiences – but also for marketing and technical resources. After a year (and 2 programs) based around 3 cinemas, Nu:Reality has been rolling out to 7 cinemas since early 2024, with a new “Naturally Immersive” line-up. Is this the first step towards a more European presence?
- LUX Nijmegen
- Schuur Haarlem
- LantarenVenster Rotterdam
- Filmhuis Den Haag
- Eye Filmmuseum
- Concordia
- Slachtstraat Filmtheater
Part 1 : “There is no competition between feature films and virtual reality content” – Babette Wijntjes, Camille Lopato (Nu:Reality) (2023, May 1)
Cover: Arman Ramozi @ Schuur Haarlem
Nu:Reality, Year 2
Camille Lopato (Diversion cinema) – The first two Nu:Reality programs (Inner Journey, Journeys Beyond Belief) were pilots for us. We had to equip the 3 theatres, and test the programming over a short timescale (3 months each). Today, we’ve been in phase 2 since March 2024, for six months and 7 theatres. And an evolving program, with content that will change regularly over these six months. It’s a lesson we learned last year: audiences demand regular changes in content.
Babette Wijntjes (Cassette) – It’s a real year 2 for Nu:Reality, with a better-understood program. And adequate funding! What’s more, having programs that change more regularly means we can work on more regular communication and marketing campaigns. We can follow up with the press every time there’s a change, with more content to discuss and present.
B. W. – And for a project launched in the Netherlands, we offer 2 Dutch VR experiences. It’s also a criterion that enables us to interest the media or partners. It’s a real job to reach out to the press, who had no reference to immersive exploitation before our pilot programs. Since then, it’s been easier, even for the national media! Our base of 7 cinemas gives us more global coverage. We’re seeing the benefits of our test phase.
B. W. – “Naturally Immersive” has been running since the beginning of March, and almost all sessions are full. It’s a very good start. And we’re already talking very actively about integrating other theatres into Nu:Reality – especially in Belgium. However, the aim is to do this with intelligence, for our next phase, to find the right partners. The second program for this year, “Final Frontier”, has just been announced and will take visitors on a cosmic journey, starting May 16.
Experience the wonders of nature in VR – Put on VR glasses and step into a world of wonder where you see nature as you’ve never seen it before. Listen to the song of a now-extinct bird on a beautiful Hawaiian island, walk through the world’s oldest rainforest changing before your eyes and travel with Sir David Attenborough 3,5 billion years back in time to come face to face with the first animals to inhabit the earth. In Nu:Reality’s enchanting Virtual Reality program “Nature Immersion,” the boundaries of time and space, reality and imagination disappear and you experience the beauty and power of nature like never before. This diverse program with a mix of 360° VR films and interactive installations stimulates the senses and brings you a deeper connection to nature. Feel like exploring? Experience it for yourself at seven participating movie theatres.
(NATURALLY IMMERSIVE)
B. W. – We keep things simple: one or two interactive kiosks in the cinema lobby, and 30-minute screenings of non-interactive 360 content in the screening room – using the cinema’s sound system. We often show 3 films, or 2 depending on length, on specific themes (and with headliners like David Attenborough). For projects like GONDWANA, we offer a glimpse of the overall experience, in the hope that this will motivate audiences to return.
Joining the Nu:Reality network
B. W. – When a new cinema joins the Nu:Reality network, it has to integrate a whole range of information. Diversion Cinéma provides training on equipment and how to welcome the public into the theatre. In phase 1, a large majority of our spectators had never seen a film in virtual reality. It’s very important that everything goes smoothly when we accompany them in this discovery. We provide a lot of documentation to cinemas. Then we work together on editorial programming and project selection. They need to have confidence in our proposals. We guarantee their quality. Lastly, there’s the marketing side of screenings, exchanges with communication relays and so on. All this takes time, including for the marketing teams.
C. L. – For the future, we’re aiming for Belgium and France, probably by 2025. But that’s going to take time, because we need to find the funding to roll out, and venues that understand the system. Nu:Reality is a platform that must remain coherent, and must be able to be managed at a European level (particularly for programming). We really hope that this will accelerate the acceptance of VR among the general public. That’s why we need time at every stage to learn from previous phases, train teams and discuss with partners. We remain very demanding when it comes to the quality of the service we offer.
B. W. – There is interest from several countries (Belgium, Austria, Germany…), and several cinema networks. We’re entering a real distribution phase, where interest is growing – including with traditional cinema professionals. We’re also having much better discussions with institutions and funders, which could enable us to better structure our approach.
C. L. – And other venues and institutions are also interested. It’s up to us to configure Nu:Reality according to what we want to do with it; but it’s a platform that can go beyond cinemas. And the more we can grow, the more our costs can be diluted across the network. So it’s a win-win for everyone – especially considering that producers and creators are integrated into revenue distribution.
B. W. – And we remain open to a wide range of proposals: shorter programming cycles, hosting previews or collaborating with local festivals. Nu:Reality instals equipment in cinemas: it would be a shame not to use it alongside our main programming! We try to motivate initiatives around each venue, even if it’s up to us to manage these helmet parks.
C. L. – … and for Diversion cinema it’s a real added value to moderate content and materials with each cinema. In 2023, we have completely reorganised ourselves internally to integrate these new needs. And to anticipate the evolution of the network, because our phone can ring very regularly! Nu:Reality can be, and must be, an international platform for the distribution of VR content.
NATURALLY IMMERSIVE line-up:
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