A Crystal Ball

If I had a crystal ball, I would look into it and ask myself this question; In ten years what does a movie theater look like? I imagine the answer could change daily. I do not think movie theaters in urban centers are going to look anything like they do today.? I think that technology is reshaping them rapidly and most of us are truly fully aware of the impact of this technological paradigm shift that is constantly taking place.

I can conjecture that this is going to happen, but the probability is that I am most likely going to be wrong.

?Display technology and its rapid advancement is going to really advance the concept of a “holodeck” like environment for theaters. Large screens are primarily made up of one foot by one-foot panels. They can cover the front of the theater, the side of the theater, the floor and the ceiling. This will rapidly change the environment for screenings and will inevitably change the nature of the programming offered. An audience can find itself traveling in space or on a boat drifting down the Amazon. It will provide educational market opportunities and as well might reignite the glory days of the travelog. This technology can place you in the middle of Taylor Swift’s concert, in the front row of a Broadway performance, or at the bottom of the ocean.

?The concept of a movie theater being solely focused on linear two-dimensional entertainment is coming to an end. For me, making a statement like that is painful. I am aware of and am heavily invested in the idea of storytelling via movies. If I am to be honest, and I must be pragmatic, the business of a movie theater must evolve if it is to survive. There are just too many forces impacting the theater of today. This is far greater than the arrival of Todd AO, Cinerama, Dolby or THX. Those technologies still advance liner storytelling.

?Theaters, if they are to endure, will have to be interactive portals for the delivery of all forms of media. Now you can scoff at me, but I have seen plans for such a thing. There is also a simple fact that you can buy a 98-inch screen 4K resolution for $2,999 smackers. That is an eight-foot screen folks. As with all technology it will get cheaper as unit sales increase. So feasibly if current trends stay the course, you will be able to buy a 98-inch screen for $1000 bucks.

?In ten years in your new house one wall of your family room is one big screen. The average family room is 12 feet to 16 feet wide. You walk downstairs, a lovely bowl of chips in hand, the family dog follows you expectantly in tow. On the screen is a live screen with what today looks like on a beach in one of my favorite destinations, the Dominican Republic. You get comfy cozy in your recliner, the Turbo Tush 2000 and the dog paws your leg waiting for his share of the chips.

?You ask the TV “Alexa, play Sound of Music”, suddenly your family room is filled with images of Julie Andrews twirling in the Austrian Alps, playing at 12K.? Your bathroom is close and the fridge with assortments of cheeses and cold cuts is ten seconds away. The dog is thrilled because he knows that you and self-control are a bit distant.

?For a movie theater this is your true competition, a physical environment that can rival or surpass what is offered in todays’ theater. This is most likely the shape of things to come and in order to be fair to both yourself, the company you work for, and your audience you have to put this in your mind in order to start planning for the future.

?While streaming produces challenges for exhibition, it is not the 800-pound gorilla. Streaming is a medium, a method of delivery, it is not an experience, and it does not even come close to exhibition. Streaming has realized that maybe it’s not as clever as it once thought it was. It does some things very well and other things horribly. It is a medium of convenience and of expediency.? It is impossible I think to have an event within streaming. There is no razzle dazzle, its ones and zeroes coming into your home and re-assembling themselves. It is very much like the Star Trek transporter in many ways.

?Experience must become the focus; no stupid overstuffed chairs,? or bland chicken tenders (I saw a documentary about how those things are made…never again). Experience is what will put theaters back in a position within our cultural imagination that is pretty close to the top. I walk into any major circuit and for some bizarre reason they pride themselves on conformity. Same lobby, same boring concessions (how about a falafel for the love of Mike), same bathroom. I can go to Poughkeepsie, Peoria and Petaluma and it's all the same.

?The premise is devoid of the one thing that can give moviegoing a leg up ... .showmanship. You have to decide what’s best for your community. It’s that one thing that is going to give your theater that cutting edge. If you do not decide that this is you, you are going to be going toe to toe with family rooms across America.