With Premium VOD, digital on-demand, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other platforms, cinemas are feeling the heat more now than ever before. Movie theater attendance took a dramatic plunge in 2014, hitting numbers lower than in 1995 and still recovering. Today, cinemas must take things up a notch and develop a movie world experience by re-branding their business in order to attract consumers.
With the continual media tech movement, companies such as Picturehouse, AMC Theatres and Regal Drives Theatre are committed to renovating existing locations with cutting-edge technology and creativity. The cinema industry must adapt and change to ensure consumers are getting the incredible experience they expect. From the moment they walk through the doors to the minute they leave; theatres need to leave their guests with the ultimate cinema experience.
Investments must be made not only in the layout and design of the cinema, but in top technologies such as rumbling seats, IMAX, ScreenX and 4DX. With all the futuristic movies being developed, theatres need to move themselves out of a motionless disarray. A movie can be shown anywhere, however, people want to be surprised and immersed into an atmosphere that is unique, abstract and artfully tasteful.
The dine-in movie theater is also making a great impact in today’s cinema industry. Consumers want more than a great flick, popcorn and a sugary soda. Customers want amazing food, craft cocktails, vegan platters, healthy options and more. The dine-in movie theaters have raised the bar for what the dinner-and-a-movie experience should be. The Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, NY has a complete dine-in experience with two bars and an atrium overlooking the park. Another luxury movie theatre operation is iPic Theaters. The cinema serves southern-inspired comfort food from James Beard award-winning chef Sherry Yard. It also has a club-like floor called the Tuck Room for guests to hang out before and after the movie.
Movie cinemas around the world are slowly reinventing themselves with a new identity and branding proposal. Overhauling the old and lackluster design plague with fresh new styles and engaging experiential strategies is the key to success. Box office admissions are currently on the downswing and North American ticket sales have dropped from 1.57 billion in 2003 to 1.32 billion in 2015. In order to remain competitive, movie theaters must examine how to adjust their behavior, focus on growth strategy development, improve operations and transaction support, undertake a new design layout and upgrade technology.
