Patrick von Sychowski on LinkedIn: De break-up club (2024) (2024)

Goodbye to the great stage and screen actor James Earl Jones. Most people will remember him from the sci fi saga and the Disney cartoon, but to me he will always be Lt. Lothar Zogg in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964), which I watched over and over on VHS.

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UK Cinemas Embrace the Night: A New Era of Programming FlexibilityThis Everyman and Vue news got me thinking about how the post-Covid cinema market is evolving. More than just pushing the boundaries of traditional operating hours, this signals a significant shift in the UK exhibition landscape. The trend, exemplified by Everyman's plans for its new Norwich location and 's recent refurbishment in Castle Quarter, is part of a bigger trend to reshape the cinema-going experience and present both opportunities and challenges for operators. Let's break it down: The 24-Hour Cinema: More Than Just Late-Night Screenings1. EXPANDED PROGRAMMING OPTIONS: With hours stretching from 9am to 2am (Everyman) and potentially 24/7 (Vue), cinemas can now offer a more diverse array of content. This could include:- Late-night cult movie screenings and 'Throwback'- Early morning business presentations- Midnight premieres without worrying about closing times- Extended runs for popular blockbusters2. CATERING TO SHIFT WORKERS: A often-overlooked demographic, those working non-standard hours will now have more options for entertainment during their off-hours (something Tim Richards has discussed).3. MAXIMISING SCREEN UTILISATION: Longer hours mean more screenings per day (Vue AI programming), increasing revenue without the need for additional screens.Operational Considerations1. STAFFING CHALLENGES: Extended hours require careful scheduling and potentially increased labor costs (or more automation?).2. SECURITY: Late-night and early-morning operations may necessitate additional security measures.3. MAINTENANCE WINDOW: Finding time for cleaning and technical maintenance could become more challenging.Broader Impact1. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: Cinemas offering extended hours may gain an edge over those with traditional schedules.2. REDEFINING THE "Cinema Experience": Late-night screenings could become social events, potentially attracting younger audiences.3. PRESSURE ON SMALLER OPERATORS: Independent cinemas may feel compelled to extend hours to compete, straining resources.Looking AheadAs Everyman and Vue lead this charge, we can expect other chains to follow suit. The success of these extended hours will likely depend on:1. Thoughtful and AI programming that takes advantage of the unique time slots2. Marketing efforts to build awareness and create new cinema-going habits3. Operational efficiency to manage costsWhile not without its challenges, this move towards "always open" cinemas represents a bold step in the evolution of exhibition. It's a clear sign that UK operators are willing to innovate to capture audience attention in an increasingly competitive entertainment landscape.The industry will be watching closely to see if this gambit pays off, potentially ushering in a new era of round-the-clock cinema culture in the UK.https://lnkd.in/ef2QZdF7

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The summer box office may have started soft but finished strong in North America and Europe, but is down more precipitously 40% year-on-year in China: "According to data from Lighthouse Professional Edition, the total box office of the just-concluded 2024 summer season (June 1 to August 31) was 11.643 billion yuan [$1.63bn] (including service fees, the same below), a significant decline from 20.63 billion yuan [$2.90bn] in 2023. Many industry insiders said in an interview with the Securities Times that the rigid distribution and screening mechanism, the lack of high-quality content supply, and the diversion of short dramas and short videos have jointly led to the relatively cold market situation this year. The serious lack of upstream content investment is more likely to affect the healthy development of the film market in the future."https://lnkd.in/eZ_N5343

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It's too bad that actors like Pitt and Clooney, being young and just starting out in their careers, have no influence over whether the films they sign up for get released in cinemas or not. But their hearts are in the right place, bless 🙏 .https://lnkd.in/eD8EYbrT

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It's not just in the UK and US where cinemas sites are being shuttered; India's largest multiplex operator PVR Cinemas Inox Leisure Limited is looking to close 70 under-performing screens, although it will open 120 new screens during the same time, 40% of them in the south of India. https://lnkd.in/ePrrPsaz

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"Between rent, energy and payroll, the venues [Cineworld Cinemas Ltd] is quitting are dauntingly expensive to run. The circuit’s overall restructuring plan underlines a prevailing sense that the days of the giant multiplex may be coming to an end, and that UK exhibition is in the midst of its most dramatic metamorphosis in a generation."https://lnkd.in/eWW2YZdX

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