New multiscreen megaplex theaters offering a wider selection of films and showtimes, among other diversions, are transforming moviegoers’ behavior. By definition, megaplexes with 14-plus screens are designed as entertainment centers where going to the movies is but one option.
Moviegoers are attracted to megaplexes because their raised stadium-style seating guarantees an unobstructed view of the screen. Megaplexes also boast superior sound systems and new screen technology designed to reduce glare and improve picture quality.
Megaplexes that began opening during the past two years, such as Sony Theatres’ Metreon in San Francisco, include restaurants, coffee bars, video arcades and retail shops, which create a bustle and appearance similar to that of an airport terminal. In addition, the Metreon itself is complemented by a nearby ice skating rink, museums and public gardens.
“Megaplexes are more entertainment oriented for a whole evening experience,” says Suzie Grieco, executive director of marketing for the Kansas City, MO-based National Cinema Network (NCN), a promoter of on-screen theater advertising.
Compared with older multiplex theaters that typically have two to 10 screens, a megaplex is more a travel destination than a film venue. Although megaplexes are boosting overall movie attendance, a portion of the audience is being drawn from older theaters.
Several trends have emerged as a result of some patrons’ preferences for megaplexes. NCN research indicates that people are willing to drive up to 25 miles to see a movie, compared with the five- to 10-mile range commonplace a few years ago.
Moviegoers also are arriving at theaters some 20 minutes before showtimes, about four minutes earlier than the norm a few years ago. One of the main reasons for this is patrons’ growing tendency to delay deciding which film to see until they arrive at the theater complex.
Grieco also says the peak seasons for movie attendance – summer and fall – are being extended as motion picture studios release more films before Memorial Day and later in the fall.
As for films, Grieco says the popularity of movie genres changes constantly, which means the cyclical or temporary dominance of any genre never lasts long enough to truly become a trend. Lately, action/adventure films seem to be taking a back seat to movies about the supernatural and romantic comedies.
The key demographic group targeted by film studios for the past three years has been teenagers.
“I wouldn’t call that a trend. It’s just what’s popular right now,” Grieco says.
– Based on a projected annual growth rate of 4.5%, North Americans will buy 45% of the $20 billion worth of movie tickets sold worldwide in 2003.
– Moviegoers in the United States see an average of 5.5 films a year at 34,184 indoor theaters and 746 drive-ins. The typical number of films attended has increased by one since the beginning of the 1990s.
– Nearly $7 billion was spent on 1.48 billion cinema tickets in 1998, the most seats sold in the United States in 40 years. Ticket sales increased 6.7% while total dollars spent rose by 9%. Nevertheless, the ratio of patron admissions per theater screen has been declining for several years.
– Moviegoers 30 years old and younger account for more than half of all tickets sold. Ticket prices are highest in such major markets as New York; they are lowest in the Midwest. Nationally the average price for a movie ticket was $4.69 in 1998.
– Males are slightly more likely than females to attend films. Adults with teenage children and teenagers themselves go to movies the most. The next most frequent moviegoers are unmarried adults.
– The United States ranks third behind Iceland and Sweden in the number of theater screens per capita. For every 1 million U.S. residents there are 113.5 theater screens.
– Smaller cinema markets outside the United States are growing faster than more mature U.S. markets. Spain accounted for 40% of the new theater screens added in Western Europe during 1998. Cinema admissions are growing fastest in South America.
– The United Kingdom is the only major cinema market in the world in which movie attendance declined in 1998.
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