Transforming the Cinematic Landscape of Dijon: Pathé-Gaumont & Competitors’ Strategic Moves

In less than five years, all the cinemas in the Dijon conurbation have written a new history. Tumultuous. In this scenario, the main actor is called Pathé-Gaumont. As early as 2015 and the announcement of the creation of the Cité de la Gastronomie in Dijon, the mastodon, owned by the Seydoux family, had already shown its interest in opening a multiplex there. At the time, the “Ciné Ducs” project was to accompany the creation of another art house cinema on the site, Supernova. In 2019, Pathé set foot in the agglomeration, by buying the CinéAlpes brand, then owner of the historic Cap Vert complex and its twelve screens, in Quetigny.

Meeting between François Rebsamen and Jérôme Seydoux

In May 2022, it is finally alone that the distributor opens 1,200 seats in 9 rooms at the Cité. Valérie Sutter then took on the position of agglomeration director. With the ambition of “offering spectators a beautiful place that will meet their wishes and where they will have a good time. A place that they will make their own, where they will enjoy coming,” she told us a year ago. A “good time”, priced, all the same 14.50 euros, creating a lively controversy even inviting itself to the municipal council of Dijon. As a reminder, during the municipal council on Monday, December 5, the mayor of Dijon François Rebsamen had announced that he had met the boss of the Pathé establishments (the CEO Jérôme Seydoux, editor’s note) to talk to him about the “defect” of the entry price.

Tariff responses also from competitors

Aware of the problem and faced with the timid start of the site, the establishment had finally offered, at the end of 2022, a “discovery offer” of a few weeks, fixing the price of a place at €9.90. Six months later, this tariff is still maintained and the young cinema score 200,000 entries for its first anniversary.

To keep up with Pathé, there is Sylvie Massu, with her two cinemas in the heart of town, the Olympia which offers 10 screens, and the Darcy Palace which has 6. After rumors of takeover by the Megarama group, the owner of the SAS Darcy Palace will finally choose to pay a real facelift to its two equipment. Painting, total renovation of rooms, changes of armchairs or even technical revision of projection equipment, the independent company wanted to put the forms, and the means, in the face of competition from the Parisian group. At the start of 2023, the Dijon establishments had announced, in turn, capping the prices of the place at €7.20 throughout the month of February, against €9.20 in normal times.