Over the last couple of decades, cinema attendance has dropped a considerable amount, causing both economic and social problems for the public sphere. The progression of technology and the establishment of online streaming websites can be attributed to  this decline. Audiences are now able to consume the latest film content, whenever they like, due to online streaming and illegal downloading. The portability of devices and the advent of DVD’s, Blu-Ray technology and home projector systems have also halted cinema attendance over the last decade (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012).

According to Screen Australia (2014), a large drop in attendance has occurred since 1974. The average Australian visited the cinema an average of 10.5 times per year in 1974, in contrast to a mere 6.8 times in 2014. The decline has also caused large financial losses for the Australian box office, as Australian cinema revenue fell by 2.3 % between 2010 to 2014, which attributed to a loss of 13.5 million dollars (White 2015).

The increased competition of online streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Video, Stan and services like Google Play provide audiences with a cheaper, convenient experience (Lee 2015). This has forced cinemas to also compete, through their market offering and the experience they deliver to consumers.  The novelty of buying an experience of a “place” continues and thus cinemas must compete with each other and online services to offer a creative novelty that people will return to. This concept of purchasing a “novelty” can be identified in experiences that Gold Class cinemas, The IMAX,  outdoor cinemas and cult cinema events offer.

Originally, Cinema enabled the technologies of private viewing that could not be experienced in the home. However, now the core component, the “content” can be accessed in the comfort of one’s home, in the click of a button.  There are various constraints that also need to be considered when attending the cinema, which have great implications on cinema attendance.

Through the examination of Hagerstrand’s (1970) three constraints model, we can gain a deeper understanding as to why cinema attendance is on the decline.   The model suggests three main constraints of; capability, coupling, and authority.

  •  Capability constraints is a concept which relates to the limitations on human movement due to physical or biological factors (Corbett 2001, p.3). This refers to  notions of access and if a person is physically capable of attending a cinema  with regards to transport and location.
  • Coupling constraints refer to the restrictions that coordinating time with logistics  have on doing certain activities (Corbett 2001, p.3). In relation to cinema attendance, one must coordinate their schedule with the schedule of session times released by the cinema.
  • Authority constraints; the limitations of where activities can take place, or the restrictions on the activities governed by an external party (Corbett 2001, p.4). For example, age restrictions on cinema attendance for films within certain film classifications.

When reflecting on my own experiences of attending the cinema, a quite hilarious experience comes to mind. On a boring day in Busselton, Western Australia, mid-winter, my mother and I decided to attend the cinema. In regards to Hagerstrand’s model, all the constraints were relevant.

Firstly, we had to establish if we were capable of accessing any cinema in the area. As we were tourists, with no access to a car, we decided walking was the best option. Google maps  pinpointed us to a nearby location, only a short walking distance of five minutes.

We deliberated between “Tarzan” and “Finding Dory” and decided  to watch “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”. We needed to couple ourselves to an allocated time that suited our “busy” schedule that day (of nothing). The 4.30 pm session would do just fine.

LargePoster
Mike and Dave need wedding dates poster. Source: Event Cinemas

The movie had a classification rating of MA 15+, meaning only a certain group  had the authority to watch the film. All customers had to have a valid ticket, which was also checked before and during the film.  This experience highlighted the concept of authority, as certain groups of society could not access this public space due to their age or financial status (if they were unable to afford the cost of the ticket).

My visit to the cinema was a stark demonstration of the statistics mentioned above. We were joined by another pair, which totalled to only four people in the cinema.  We felt practically alone, so alone that my mother actually changed tops in the cinema with no stress of anyone seeing her (true story). Tickets were roughly $16.00 each, therefore it’s safe to assume nearly no profit  or little profit was made after costs for the film content, staff, rent and electricity were paid.

This has huge implications for the cinema industry in the long run, as the decline is predicted to continue. In order for cinema to exist, cinemas will need to market and compete based on selling this novelty experience discussed above. It can also be concluded that Netflix and video streaming websites are the biggest competitors for cinemas (Lee 2015).

 

References:

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Cinema Attendance, Australia, March 2011, cat. no. 4172.0.55.001, ABS, Canberra, viewed 1 September 2016, <http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6227.0?OpenDocument&gt;.

Corbett, J 2001, Hagerstrands Time Geography, University of California, viewed on 1 September 2016, <https://moodle.uowplatform.edu.au/pluginfile.php/690394/mod_resource/content/2/Hagerstrands%20time%20geography%20%28Corbett%29.pdf&gt;

Lee, J 2015, Cinema dying movie theatres ensure survival, Makesuseof.com, viewed on 1 September 2016, <http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cinema-dying-movie-theaters-ensure-survival/&gt;.

Screen Australia, Audience patterns in cinema, Screen Australia, viewed on 1 September 2016, <http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/audiences/attendance-patterns&gt;.

White, R 2015, Australian box office drops again, Crave, viewed on 1 September 2016 <http://www.craveonline.com.au/culture/814147-australian-box-office-drops&gt;.