Back to the movies
As the lights go down and the music swells, there’s no feeling quite like the excitement of anticipation of going to the movies. With summer approaching and a hot new slate of films set to be released it’s no wonder cinema attendances are surging.
The history of cinema – and cinema-going – in Australia stretches all the way back to 1896 when the very first paying audience filed into what was then known as Harry Rickard’s Melbourne Opera House in Bourke Street to watch a short film as part of a variety show. The experience was no doubt a far cry from the visually astounding blockbusters of today, nonetheless it marked the beginning of a love affair with ‘going to the movies.’
And like all great loves, there’s been some ups and downs…
The high point would come a century later in 1996, according to data compiled by Screen Australia. In that year, more than 70% of Australians reported that they visited the cinema, with the average frequency of cinema-going a staggering 11 times a year. But much like video killed the radio star, the growth in sophistication of home theatre systems and blockbuster television, followed by the birth of internet-connected devices and streaming platforms, capped off with a world-wide pandemic that kept people at home for a few years, has seen cinema take its fair share of body blows.
But don’t count it out just yet.
Cinema attendances have soared in 2022 off the back of blockbuster releases including Top Gun Maverick (the highest grossing film of the year), Jurassic World: Dominion, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the Oscar-buzzworthy Elvis biopic by Australian director, Baz Luhrmann.
While this slate of hotly anticipated films combining big movie star names and spectacular special effects are one part of the story, they aren’t the whole picture. In fact, movie attendances started their precipitous climb well before this suite of blockbusters were released.
According to Felicity Armstrong, General Manager Retail Investments who oversees a retail portfolio that includes two Frasers Property retail centres with cinemas – Ed.Square in Sydney’s south west and Burwood Brickworks in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs – people are flocking back to the movies because they miss the big screen theatrical experience.
“After a couple of years of being stuck at home, people are exercising their freedom again,” says Felicity. “They want to go out. They want to meet friends and go to the movies together. They want that shared experience again. I think cinema has that pull because it’s such an immersive sensory experience, you don’t just see it or hear it, you feel it. Even with the best home theatre system, that’s not something you can replicate at home.”
Bigger. Better. Brighter.
That immersive experience has improved rapidly in recent years. From bigger screens to plusher seats to Gold Class experiences and in-cinema dining, it’s never been more enjoyable to go to the movies. And it’s not just the physical venues themselves. Thanks to advances in digital technology and crystal-clear surround sound, the auditory experience is next level. Recent films like Denis Villeneuve’s Dune have such meticulously crafted sound effects designed specifically for the big cinema experience that the director is on record as saying that sound is “one of the tools that still makes the theatrical experience worth going for.”
Judging by the numbers, audiences agree. Attendances have never been stronger at the Reading Cinemas at Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre and are practically booming at Ed.Square Town Centre’s Event Cinemas.
“Burwood is a really well-established suburb and the cinema at Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre has quickly become a favourite among locals, seeing a 40% increase in visitation in June alone,” says Felicity. “At Ed.Square, we’re seeing a slightly different story, which is people coming in from a much wider catchment area, to spend time at Ed.’s Town Centre, which includes our Eat Street dining precinct, shopping, and entertainment zones. June was a particularly strong month primarily supported by the ‘“NSW Dine & Discover’ vouchers with cinema sales doubling form the previous month and dining retailers reporting an increase of 40% in visitation. I think it’s a real testament to the fact that people are craving high quality experiences in places where they can meet up with friends and family. Going to the movies together is a big part of that.”
With a massive slate of summer movies on the way, including Marvel movies, Black Adam and Wakanda Forever, as well as James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, and Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, it looks like the lure of the silver screen is set to continue to shine brightly.
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