Are movie theatres dying - and is there a way of getting audiences back?

Anybody watching the Oscars would have noticed a common theme...  

It was probably about when host Conan O'Brien mocked streaming culture with a sketch introducing the idea of a 'building for movies' and getting people to 'stream movies in a theatre.'

And it wasn’t the first, or the last, reference to brick-and-mortar cinemas...  

Anora director Sean Baker used his acceptance speech for Best Director as a battle cry for movie theatres – saying they’re under threat.

And it’s not just the US that’s seen less bums in seats at the cinema.

NZ cinema chain Silky Otter said just last year the market was about 25% below what it was in 2019, pre-Covid.

But, is the pandemic the only thing to blame?

Today on The Front Page, Capitol cinema owner, Roger Wyllie is with us to chat about what could be causing the death of cinemas – and what can be done to revive them.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Sound Engineer/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills

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