Are cinemas dying – or will tech save the day?

Netflix may have killed off the video store, but are streaming platforms set to do the same to cinemas, too?

Going to the movies is something that’s pretty much ingrained in our psyche here in Australia, as well as in many countries around the world.

There’s something romantic and nostalgic about watching a movie on a big screen (until the annoying brat behind you starts kicking your seat, and the hungry fella in front munches chips and unwraps lollies from start to finish, but that’s another story).

But, for all of the innovation that’s gone on around us over the past century and more, the experience of going to the movies isn’t that different since people sat down to watch the world’s first feature film, back on Boxing Day 1906 at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne.

The Story of the Kelly Gang was the first multi-reel, feature-length movie produced in the world, and while in the almost 120 years that have followed, there has been some innovation – colour picture and sound to name a couple – the essence of the experience is pretty similar.

Of course, back then, you didn’t have a TV at home. Black and white TVs became commonplace in the 60s, while colour TVs came into people’s homes in the mid-late 70s.

Video recorders – Betamax or VHS, you choose – became prevalent in the 1980s, with DVD players, surround sound, widescreen TVs and streaming all making watching movies from the comfort of your own home all the more appealing.

So, are Netflix, Stan, Binge, Apple TV, Paramount Plus, BritBox, Foxtel and the plethora of other streaming services going to kill off cinemas for good?

The figures say not just yet – and there are some pretty cool tech innovations coming to movie theatres around the world that may just breathe some new life into cinemas sooner rather than later.

The cinema numbers are stacking up
Quick question: how are cinemas going in terms of attendance in comparison to, say, the 1970s and 1980s? The natural inclination would be to say attendance at cinemas has fallen through the floor. But is that really the case?

Turns out, it’s maybe not quite as bad as you think. However, the number of us going to the cinema, and – perhaps more importantly – our average visits, are falling.

Figures from Screen Australia show that in the mid 70s, around 64% of the population went to the movies an average of 10.5 times a year, while in 2023, 59% of us went to the movies an average of 4.8 times.

Of course, you need to factor in population growth here. In 1974, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed 13.7 million people living in Australia, while in 2023 it was almost 27 million, meaning while percentages of people going to the movies have fallen, the actual numbers have, in fact, risen.

The answer lies in tech.

Upping the cinema ante with technology
For big cinema chains, they’ve got a distinct advantage in that they can invest in and experiment with new technologies before it becomes mainstream – or affordable to the average person.

And, through the years – while the crux of the experience hasn’t changed, elements have. Surround sound, for example. We’ve had 3D glasses, wider, comfier seats and waiter service.

For example, 4DX and MX4D formats (similar ideas, just from different companies) blast all of your senses, not just sight and sound. These augmented reality movies use high-tech moving seats and special effects including wind, fog, water and scents that synchronise perfectly with the action on screen to fully immerse you in the movie.

Laser projection is increasingly used for crystal clear movie projection, while ScreenX – a 270-degree cinema in Leicester Square, London – wraps the movie all around you.

Creating that multisensory experience – one that’s free from other distractions and fully immersive – is surely the future of movie watching.

And, when those experiences become the rule, rather than the exception, those visitor numbers will surely keep climbing.