The year of the cinemare
2020. It sounds like an epic disaster movie you’d find on DVD in a pound shop. In a year we’ll be glad to see the back of, could it be the one that cinema’s end credits began to roll?
Cinema has always played an important part in my life. It’s the perfect place to escape, hitting pause on everyday life, you can eat and drink what you like (guilt free) and be transported somewhere else… for a few uninterrupted hours at least.
I remember the first cinema I ever went to. It was an old theatre style one in Crawley, complete with sticky red carpets and felt-like flappy seats. It had a separate upper tier too, accessed by some winding stairs. The place eventually closed, when the town opened a shiny new Leisure Park down the road!
My first cinema, apparently before colour cameras were invented!
From that first visit, the movies have since bought some great memories. From my earliest cinema memory, being blown away as an 8 year old, watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to convincing staff our 13 year old mate was old enough to watch Starship Troopers (many celebratory high fives were shared as we all took our seats).
We don’t talk about Lake Placid though… a film so graphic, someone in the crowd threw up over their own shoes! Who knew a giant man-eating crocodile could be so terrifying?! That unfortunate spectator was then carried out the cinema, missing the film’s finale (tip, maybe don’t do drinks before)…!
Films fantastique
Pre-lockdown I was going to the cinema every few weeks, with the cinema pass I’ve had since the previous century. Signing up in 1999, I would have been 18 and studying at sixth form. My french crop with blonde fringe game was strong, as Star Wars: Episode 1 hit the big screens, Keanu Reeves limboed them bullets in The Matrix, and that kid in the Sixth Sense (spoiler alert) saw dead people!
My Cineworld pass (other cinema chains available) cost about a tenner a month back then, and meant I could see as many films as I liked. The price has gone up a bit since, but the pass remains a prime-time slot in my wallet… although the photo hasn’t been updated in 21 years #thefrenchcropliveson
No lights, camera or action
Since Lockdown (unbelievably not a Jason Statham film) debuted back in March, Boris advised us all to stay at home / work from home / everything from home.
The doors of cinemas could be heard SLAMMING shut around the world, with an estimated £1bn to be lost in the UK box office this year, and the fewest number of people through the doors since records began in 1928 - ouch.
Film production ground to a deafening halt too as the Government told anyone in the arts to re-skill (you there, stop being creative). Blockbusters that were due for release were also held back, including James Bond’s, No Time To Die and Ghostbusters: Afterlife both due out in the summer, now moved back to 2021 (I ain’t afraid of no ghost… pandemics on the other hand).
It’s a vicious circle as people stay at home; studios hold back their releases.
Cinemas successfully re-opened in July, granted they were a lot quieter, and the popcorn v facemark was a little challenging, but then the Lockdown sequel happened in November… since then, cinemas have either closed or run on limited services, leaving most seats empty, and the future of cinema in question.
Your move punk
As the world of film stagnated, one of the big studios Warner Brothers controversially announced it would be changing its release model, moving from the traditional Cinema only exclusive, to a shared release on both Cinema and the new streaming platform, HBO Max.
The move will see their entire 2021 release schedule (21 titles in total) premiered on these multiple platforms, including blockbusters:
Dune
The Matrix 4
The Suicide Squad
Tom & Jerry
Godzilla vs Kong.
The move has unsurprisingly ruffled some feathers, including those of brit director Christopher Nolan. The brains behind The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and more recently Tenet, explained the studio hadn’t communicated their plans to anyone:
“It’s very, very, very, very messy … [It’s] not how you treat film-makers and stars and people who … have given a lot for these projects.”
Disney has since followed suit, confirming its latest Pixar offering Soul, will also swerve any cinema screens, heading straight to an exclusive release on its SVOD platform Disney+ this Christmas.
With the climate as it is, I wouldn’t be surprised to see other studios go exclusive online too.
So what next
As an industry that supplies over 20k jobs across the country, and is attributed to over 75 million visits to local shops and restaurants (after screenings), Cinema plays a huge lead part in the UK economy. If they go bust, many of their supporting cast will probably follow, so its great to see the government supporting with the Culture Recovery Fund.
With streaming becoming more prominent, maybe cinema chains will start their own subscription services? Who knows!
For me though, cinema is all about the occasion. It’s booking your tickets, agreeing on snacks, finding your seat and switching off for a few hours. It’s about the build up and trailers, sharing moments, and experiencing something with your fellow audience. All things hard to replicate at home!
With the vaccine now being rolled out, here’s hoping 2021 will see the return of the big screen to its former glory. In the meantime, I’m off to finish Lake Placid!
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