5 Reasons Why ‘Arthouse’ Movie Theatres Are Dying In 2024
In recent decades, arthouse theatres were safe while mainstream cinema’s struggled because they historically catered to a different breed of filmgoers. However, developments over the last few months have created several existential threats to these smaller arthouse chains.
1. Their competition has upped their game.
In 2020, there exists a multitude of streaming services that stock arthouse films. From Kanopy, Mubi and the Criterion Channel, these networks curate classic, foreign and indie cinema, at exceedingly affordable rates. Meanwhile, mainstream theatres, in an effort to differentiate, have begun to host ‘arthouse festivals’. They play the same films you can find at smaller predominantly arthouse chains, on bigger screens for half the price.
2. They have lost their identity.
Perhaps to counteract those above threats, arthouse cinemas have inexplicably begun to stock more mainstream films. At least, one-third of a screening roster at your local arthouse cinema is full of the same blockbusters that populate bigger chains. Which begs the question: Why pay more to watch these films on a smaller screen?
3. They are (relatively) expensive.
An adult ticket at an arthouse cinema, like the Cinema Nova in Carlton, costs $20.50 AUD, and when you factor in a drink and popcorn, one movie can cost upwards of $30 AUD per person. On the other hand, A lifetime subscription to a platform like Mubi, where you can enjoy hundreds of curated arthouse films, is a one-time payment of $9.99 AUD.
4. They are too disruptive.
Sartre famously wrote that “Hell is other people”, but you don’t need to be an existential philosopher to realize that fact if you’ve been to the cinema lately. From the outside chance of someone’s phone going off, to the very real threat of having a movie spoiled by an inconsiderate fellow patron, today’s cinema-going experience cannot compete with streaming a film in the comfort of your own home.
5. The public’s attention spans are narrowing.
On a fundamental level, people today don’t have time for long-form narratives. It’s hard enough for modern audiences to focus on an explosion riddled blockbuster. Let alone something longer, slower and more likely to play in a foreign language. Arthouse films require a greater investment from cinemagoers — which may be hard to ask of them… especially when you consider that most people today will only read an online article if it is short, sensational and in the form of a listicle.
