I think there is something much more significant to this story in the FT than reasonable concern for those who might lose their jobs as a result:
Cineworld, the world's second biggest cinema operator, is preparing to close all its screens in the US and UK after further delays to the new James Bond film pushed its struggling business to the brink.
The indefinite closure of 90 per cent of Cineworld's screens, which is expected as soon as this week, raises fundamental questions over the viability of the company and a cinema sector devastated by the pandemic.
What the story makes clear is that the new normal will be nothing like the old normal. Cinemas have been a normal part of my life. My nearest, a Cineworld, was a reasonably regular venue for me before lockdown, and now it isn't. Nor does it look likely that it will be. And that has consequences.
One consequence is, of course, for those who work at Cineworld.
Another is for the whole film industry. There are large parts of this to which, I admit, I am pretty indifferent, but that is my choice. I am very well aware of the significance of the sector, and of the influence that it has, and that it is both a force for good whilst also being, quite frankly, the producer of some pretty rubbish material.
And there is also the whole knock-on sector that surrounds this. Hospitality will suffer badly without the cinema.
Let me be clear, I am not suggesting for one moment that film will cease to exist: I presume that online consumption is already far in excess of that in cinema locations. So, I am not mourning the whole loss of an arts outlet. But there is, nonetheless, something deeply significant about this.
I cannot remember the last time I watched a film at home. That simply does not work for me. Cinema is a deliberately totally immersive experience, as far as I am concerned. Sitting in front of the television is not. So even though film will not disappear, it might for me. And I cannot be alone. So too will the way that very large numbers of people consume film change, and that means that film will change too.
But, most of all, film will cease to be an event. And it will cease to be a shared experience. As with almost any arts event, for me the discussion on the way home has very often been the most important part of an evening out at the cinema as different reactions to what has been seen are worked out and shared. That dimension to film will be lost if cinemas close. As are so many things in life, cinema will become a more solitary event.
This, I think does matter. It's not just jobs and bad popcorn that will suffer for this change. So too will we as we then know less about each other and how we frame our view of the world.
Much of what is called the leisure and hospitality sector might be dismissed as pure frippery. And some of it, of course, is. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that either: sometimes we all need a dose of frippery. There is, however, something much more deeply significant to it than that. I have no great reason to love Cineworld, and I strongly suspect that it is heavily over-geared with debt, which almost certainly is not helping its survival chances. And yet, its loss will be significant.
Might I also add that it is also totally avoidable? I have little doubt that, debt or not, Cineworld could survive if the rents it pays were to be reduced. But, once more, I suspect that landlord inflexibility will not be available in this case. It is the rentier who is destroying our economy and much of our way of life in the post-Covid world. And it is the landlord, with the banker, who will be destroying jobs. We need to remember that.
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I too enjoy the cinema…but “I cannot remember the last time I watched a film at home”.. shows you are in a tiny minority
Wake up to Netflix, amazon prime and sky movies, the rest of the world has..
I have tried
But it does not work
‘But it does not work’
There are lots of small traders who would welcome the work if you need help to get it working.
I can’t help thinking it’s such a less ecologically damaging way of consuming content than having to travel to and from the cinema, purchase unnecessary, nutrition free snacks, wasting paper On tickets and such. You need to get up to speed Richard
I cycle
cycling doesn’t let you off the hook. Everyone knows that a burst of exercise seems to coincide with an escape of methane.
just sayin..
Come on…..
🙂
actually I am with you on cinema – I find it a treat in a way that watching our TV isn’t. Netflix only exists to cause arguments with me and my good lady.
it certainly brings into question the rentier model we have imposed upon most businesses as lacking viability in a post-covid-19 world. This will apply equally to many large and small outlets, high street outlets etc.
Although off-topic this surely applies to our distorted housing market and the reality that with declining wages and reliance on furlough/benefits we are just delaying an inevitable crisis that will no doubt be a boon to those investors waiting to buy up bankruptcy properties at a fraction of the market value as people go under.
Sad times await.
I too enjoyed the cinema “theatre” experience but sadly, it all lost my support about 15 years ago. I found that not even using earplugs (and I really did) could sufficiently reduce the decibel level — and Cineworld was the worst offender.
‘I too enjoyed the cinema “theatre” experience but sadly, it all lost my support about 15 years ago. I found that not even using earplugs (and I really did) could sufficiently reduce the decibel level — and Cineworld was the worst offender.’
Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Would you mind repeating it?
Ok, it doesn’t work when written. I’ll get my coat. 🙂
Having worked in the film/ set building industry, the waste is unbelievable.
Most interior shots aren’t done on location. They are built in a studio and then chucked in a skip.
It’s like building a house and then throwing it away.
It is not a “green” industry.
There was an American writer who talked about ‘Cultural Literacy’ and how we understand each other through shared experiences and culture.
Cinemas, are important in this in a way I cant see Netflix/Whatever managing it.
And of course there are things that just dont work on a TV
The point about a shared social experience is a good one.
However with technology it is now possible to have an immersive film experience at home. Watch a 3D movie with a virtual reality headset in a virtual cinema. Get a projector and watch a film on a 100 inch screen with 7.1 surround sound. If a film is watched as part of an online group you can enjoy a social experience and a large scale film experience. It is a change but it is not quite as jarring as it might appear.
I don’t want a cinema in my home
Or to own that equipment for a few hours experience a year
It’s not green
Re: shared social experience – that does seem to be happening more recently with various shows on streaming platforms. There are some that seem to collectively trend, becoming hot topics for a few weeks at a time. Not quite the same as the cinema, but it’s interesting to see it happen.
I think that, over the last century (or so), one of the great social changes has been from ‘public’ to ‘private’ living: not only in entertainment, where the current shift from ‘public’ cinema to ‘home cinema’ is just the latest phase in a long journey from music & concert hall, theatre and sport stadium to various forms of home entertainment (gramophone, radio, tv, …), but also in drinking (I’ve never been sufficiently motivated to try and find stats on ‘on’ versus ‘off’ sales over the long term), transport, and doubtless other fields…