WHEN IS A CINEMA MORE THAN ‘JUST’ A CINEMA?

WHEN IS A CINEMA MORE

By Nicolas Chican - Founder, Ōma Cinema*

You might not expect Lancashire to be the seat of a new innovation in cinema, but it is.

Currently in development, the MMC complex in Blackpool is set to grace the town with an all-new, IMAX-ready, 9-screen cinema – but there’s more. It will also be an esports café. An incubator space for digital media businesses. A conference facility as well as an entertainment destination and innovation hub.

Cinema has had a particularly difficult time over the last 18 months. While many different industries have suffered due to lockdown, not many have had long term changes to their business models occur alongside the pandemic. Not only have cinemas not been able to open their doors to audiences, but the film industry has also seen the rules change when it comes to agreements over streaming windows. Even when the nation’s big screens could reopen for short windows of time, schedules were subject to reduced capacities and choosing from a suite of ‘classic’ films rather than the latest blockbusters which could pull audiences back in again. Those in the industry could be forgiven for asking where the sector goes next.

The MMC development offers one avenue for Blackpool, Lancashire – rather than a multiplex development as we have come to know them, it is a multi-functional space which is conceptualised as a community hub as much as it is a place to watch the latest releases. We would argue that it is just this kind of rethinking of what cinema spaces can and should be which points the way to a brighter future post-pandemic for cinema operators, and cinema lovers.

After all, stop and think about what a cinema is. It is a place where people come together to share an experience, to be immersed in an experience together, focused on the entertainment. It’s not just about experiencing a new must-see film, although the recent success of Black Widow, long delayed by Covid, has shown that people still want to be wowed by new releases on the big screen – even if they are released on the same day as streaming.

Speaking of streaming, the impact of home releases has been one of the two biggest concerns for the cinema industry, at least prepandemic, along with connecting with younger audiences. Many have been concerned that the interest of younger audiences in cinema on a global level was decreasing. They are also a key demographic for the success of cinema – making up a large proportion of the cinema audience overall (28%, for the 15-24 age group which makes up 12% of the UK population overall). Clearly, getting these cinemagoers back through the cinema doors is a major focus.

For all age groups, it’s the shared experience which sets cinema apart. But in the face of other options, and

THAN ‘JUST’ A CINEMA?

the ease of just watching a film on your sofa even if the sound and picture won’t be such high quality, what’s required is also providing a reason to make that trip from living room to auditorium. It’s the shared element of the latter which stands out – but what if you were making that trip to a standout location too? If the auditorium itself was a source of wonder and intrigue? It works for the notable drive-in cinemas, with beloved favourites screening in front of dramatic castles and backdrops. But if big screen traditional cinemas can tap into this uniqueness too, then they can reconnect with audiences who want to experience something which is impossible to recreate in their homes.

This is why it’s the interior of the cinemas which needs rethinking. The MMC is one approach, creating a multifunctional space. Another is the interior of the cinemas themselves. The physical inside layout of modern cinemas hasn’t seen much change over the last few decades. Plus, sitting next to strangers in rows won’t help audiences who are cautious postpandemic. But remodelling interiors to move away from rowed seating, to create an environment which combines that feeling of safety and uniqueness as well as a memorable film experience? That’s something people will leave their sofas for.

Our idea is just one way to rethink cinema interiors. The Ōma cinema design uses the full height of a cinema space to place cinemagoers on separate balconies, rather than in rows. Each platform can have a different configuration of seats, from armchairs, and sofas to something closer to smaller sets of rows, depending on the designs of the operator. Instead of entering the auditorium together, there is a separate rear access for each ‘pod’ of seats.

Audiences on the balconies are also located much closer to the screen, meaning they can really immerse themselves in the film, without any potential distractions from other people sitting right in front of them. Flexible enough to also work for theatre venues as well as cinemas, this design keeps the ‘event’ nature of going to the cinema, a musical or a play in a unique environment, and makes the most of a big screen’s benefits – impact, size, quality, and sharing that experience with others simultaneously.

Cinema has a special place in people’s hearts, and often that space is associated with nostalgia. Typically, people become fans of the big screen experience at a young age and keep coming back to it to find that sense of wonder and spectacle that they had when they were young. However, cinema can and does engage modern audiences in its own right. By rethinking how the space itself is used, we can give modern audiences new reasons to experience the wonders of the movies, and keep people coming back to be entertained again and again.

*Ōma is an intimate, vibrant and unforgettable cinematic experience: https://omacinema.com/