The question is not whether people will return to watching films at the cinema but what films they will go to the cinema to watch. If cinema going stays a risky business in a time of coronavirus then it is worth thinking about what audiences will come out to the cinema to see and what kind of cinemas they would like to see the film in.

Would they for example want to see a film on a large screen inside a big cinema equipped with the latest technology in sound and vision.

What ticket price would people pay to see a film? eight or nine pounds for the standard multiplex experience. Seventeen pounds peak price for a small art house screening? Or twenty pounds for a cinema experience on a grander scale in a big cinema auditorium.

What films would they want to see at the cinema? Maybe, films designed for the big screen experience.

The next era of cinema like much else is a continuation of trends that were already in play before coronavirus. People may come out for fewer films but in bigger numbers to see blockbuster films. The eventual release of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet will give us a sign of what way the wind is blowing. Film watching has always been diverse with choices for viewing that included, television, VHS video, DVDs, Blu-ray but the cinema experience has always been marketed as the highest form of watching films. Just as some will work from home more so too will they watch yet more films at home.

Cinemas have always overcome threats from television, streaming and VCR’s by making the cinema going experience special to lure people from their sofa to the cinema. That tactic will continue, and cinemas will survive but what kind of cinemas will thrive? With my own biases and idealistic vision here is how I see it:

1. Fewer multiplex cinemas. I remember the Streatham Odeon was one big art deco cinema that got sliced and diced into a multiplex with smaller screens. Looking ahead, I would like to see more big cinemas with more seats and more people in them. Multiplex cinemas can be a soulless experience. They have many screens but sadly not a-lot of choice in the films they show with big release films occupying most screens. The quality of the generic cinema going experience leaving aside expensive lux cinemas has been declining. Smaller auditoriums to watch films, no ushers to bring you to your seat, a seeming endless advertising reel before the film starts and a variable pricing method that leaves only a few seats at cheaper prices. On the other side of the balance sheet the seats have got more comfortable and sound quality is better and although the auditorium is small the screens are big. Yet for me there is something missing. Just maybe, I am nostalgic as someone at age where they got to experience the last days of art deco cinemas.

photo Streatham Odeon photo credit: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake\_pugh/]

1. Event cinema. This has been in evidence before coronavirus but could accelerate. If audiences are going to the cinema fewer times throughout the year, then it should be special and memorable. That might mean more 35mm film screenings, older films that were designed for the big screens playing in chains not just repertory cinemas. While these films may only for one or two nights they are popular. I had first hand experience of this when I went to a packed out screening of Monty Pythons Life of Brian.
2. A decline in the number of independent and art house cinemas. The companies behind these cinemas have been preparing for this by investing in their own streaming services. The network of independent art house cinemas is a lifeline for smaller independent films like Bait to get a cinema release. Unfortunately, these types of cinemas also feature higher ticket prices and smaller screen sizes. They drive membership schemes and it will be these schemes will be critical to their survival. They will increasingly offer a hybrid mix of cinema tickets and access to the streaming service. Expect walk up ticket prices to slightly increase for non-members.

The cinema going experience survived the twentieth century seeing off threats to its existence. This current threat from coronavirus is a serious threat as even in the depths of World War Two cinemas remained open in the UK for example. As cinemas reopen they do so into a world were people will still go the cinema but how of they do and for what films is an unknown. Indeed, predicting what films are successful with audiences is a mystery. Take Bait that film did not just find any old audience it found a big one and that was a surprise.