Cushy reclining seats are among the innovations theaters have made in recent years to attract audiences.
in some of the company’s theaters, along with a new technology called ScreenX, which has been implemented in three of its theaters already. ScreenX is an immersive experience that expands the action beyond the main screen and onto the theater walls, providing a 270-degree panoramic experience. “We’re also adding motion seats––we see that as an ongoing feature that our industry and our company need to move forward with.” Cinema West, Corkill explains, is in a slow-growth pattern— but it is in a growth mode. “As with any business, it’s important to look for growth opportunities. This business has changed to the point that we have to stay one step ahead of home entertainment, and that means the theaters we operate need to produce the cash flow to make that happen.” Robust release calendar In 2025 so far, the movie theater industry is up 21% overall ahead of last year, according to Comscore, a global media company that measures, among other things, box office performance worldwide. “The big new movie releases this year start in April and May,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for the company. “The release calendar [for theatrical movies] had fallen off some last year, but it’s coming back much more robust for 2025. We might surpass the $9 billion in revenues we saw in 2024, and 2026 looks even stronger.” Business was very good in theaters last fall, he says, “We were hearing that venues were running out of popcorn. The best news for theater owners is the number of wide-release films that opened in 2024 was way up, and there were a bunch of hit movies toward the end of last year, such as Wicked , and then the Christmas Day openers A Complete Unknown and Nosferatu . And for the first time in years, PG- rated movies have surpassed PG-13 movies. They are a hot ticket right now.” The theater business can be a roller coaster ride, he adds, because you can suddenly go from bust to boom. “This is a
more efficient and leaner business now. To me it’s all about the customer service experience—anything that makes that experience more comfortable, such as premium seating and other amenities.” Theater owners have mixed opinions on the practice of replacing standard theater seating with recliners, which began several years ago and has gained in popularity. “This is an ongoing debate within the industry,” says Boyd. “You take out regular seats and cut capacity with giant recliner seats. While a lot of people like it, in my experience I’ve never found one where I was comfortable to watch a movie. A recliner makes each person an island, isolated, and that destroys the communal aspect of going to the movies.” He adds that cutting seating capacity also means you sell out more showings but with fewer seats. “So every seat is used more, and that increases the wear and tear on them. Some of the plushy fabrics don’t hold up well. They may be all nice and fresh when they are new, but look at them again in four years––they show a lot of wear.” Gary Meyer, former co-owner of Landmark Cinemas, which was founded decades ago in the Bay Area and later expanded nationwide, has his own tale about recliner seating. “In 2013, the film 12 Years a Slave was released, and I knew a man who went to see it when it opened in a theater with new recliners. He reported back to me later that many people had fallen asleep in their chairs before the film was over.” Interactive seating Meyer believes a lot of theaters will continue to close because the big chains have so many screens. “If you’re Regal or AMC, you not only have competition from other chains, but your own theaters are competing with each other if they are in the same market. [Regal has 5,720 screens in 420 theaters in the U.S.; AMC operates 10,059 screens in 898 theaters.] We’ll also see an increase in selling not only beer and wine in theaters but also hard liquor and more enhanced food service.” Amid predictions of more closures, at least one new movie
34 NorthBaybiz
April 2025
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