Cinema City Case Study Info

Who are Cinema City?• Independent cinema (make their own decisions

about what to screen)• Dedicated to specialist films (arthouse, foreign

language and indie films)• Niche audiences• Norwich city centreSince 2008• Part of the PictureHouse chain (who were bought

in 2012 by Cineworld)

Cinema City – Some History• 1925 Suckling House given

to the City of Norwich for “the advancement of education in its widest and most comprehensive sense”

• April 1978 – – Cinema City opens– single screen cinema,

showing arthouse, foreign language and indie films (specialist/ specialised content)

Cinema City in 2004• Single screen• 230 seats• Independent (no parent

company)• Not-for-profit• Industry increasingly

dominated by multiplexes and conglomerates

Cinema City 2004 – decide to adapt by …

AUDIENCE•Change content/ programming

– Show blockbusters/ mainstream films ‘with a twist’ (e.g. SATC2 cocktail night)

– Use revenue from blockbusters to support exhibition of niche films (e.g. East Anglian Film Archive)

•Widen audience– Cater for niche groups

•Retain: specialist films; education and niche groups; Premium ‘audience experience’

OWNERSHIP•Change focus (profit and sustainability)•Change ownership to support the work

– Become part of PictureHouse

TECHNOLOGY•Refurbish and modernise

– 3 screens– Digital– (Later) 3D

Audience• Main audience:

– Middle class; Specialist films; arthouse; foreign language; cultured and highly educated

• Niche groups:– Big Scream (parents with babies)– Silver Screen (older audience)– Autistic screenings (quieter sound/ soft lighting)– Out at the Cinema (films about gay issues)

• Educational events and courses

Technology• Digital Screens (see Digital Screen Network)• 3D screens

– Exhibit 3D films to get bigger audiences and use revenue to subsidise films with smaller audiences

Digital Screen Network• Cinema City bought their digital projectors with help from

the Digital Screen Network• Government initiative to try to protect the independent UK

film industry (cinemas, but also to help UK distributors and producers so they can be shown in more cinemas)

• Funded by the National Lottery, run by UK Film Council• Total fund = £12m. Paid for 240 digital projectors in 210

cinemas– A digital projector costs between £50,000-60,000

• Cinema City installed the Digital Screen Network projector in December 2009, meaning that all 3 screens at the cinema have digital projectors.

Digital Screen Network• To receive the funding for

the projectors, cinemas have to show a quota of ‘specialised films’:– Foreign language with

subtitles– Documentaries– Archive/classic films– A film which is of a difficult-

to-categorise genre, or has a complex hook or USP

– An innovative film (has an innovative cinematic style)

• 2009 63% of films released in the UK were ‘specialised films’, and they took only 15% of the box office takings

• DSN expected to increase the number of screenings of specialised films by 165,000 more screenings per year, reaching 30 million people

What does Cinema City reveal about the film industry?

• Institutions are adapting to cater for changes in audience behaviour

• Institutions often target very specific audiences• The film industry is not just the international/

Hollywood industry: there is a small alternative• Independents have to change to survive• Digital technology is being used to save independent

companies (cinemas and production companies)• Consolidation/ takeovers (smaller companies being

bought up by bigger companies)

Ownership and Cinema City

Cinema City, Norwich

PictureHouse Cinemas

City Screen Virtual (Provides films and programming to 37

other cinemas)

CityScreen

Services for other independent cinemas

Picturehouse bookings

Design and Consultancy

Owns total of 20 cinemas

Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

Abbeygate Picturehouse, Bury St Edmunds ‘Back of house’

services

• Owned by CityScreen• Leading independent cinema operator in UK

• 18 cinemas in 2004 (20 in 2012)• City centre locations; mainly university towns

• Diverse programming tailored to local audience• Blend of arthouse and mainstream films• Encourage kids clubs/ education/ seasons etc• Provide independent cinemas with services such as:

– Bookings/ ticketing– Design and Marketing– Purchasing films from distributors

Who are PictureHouse Cinemas?

Our philosophy includes:• Building architecturally interesting

cinemas in city centre locations.• Screening a wide range of features

spanning art-house, independent, classic, documentary and world cinema films as well as Hollywood blockbusters. Programming is tailored to each cinema individually.

• Hosting filmmaker Q&As, film festivals, themed seasons and specialised strands.

• Embracing digital projection and satellite technology to pioneer alternative content programming, such as the live broadcast of productions from the New York Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and the National Theatre, as well as the live transmission of film-related Q&As.

• Providing cafe-bars as an integral part of the cinema-going experience.

• Employing staff who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about film.

• Providing printed programmes and online communications which inform, educate and encourage planned entertainment.

• Running a cinema membership scheme and diverse clubs involving groups such as children, new parents and the elderly.

• Generating and partnering on educational work and courses which develop appreciation and understanding of film.

• Central to the Company philosophy is maintaining the individuality of each cinema.

How does the Picturehouse arrangement benefit Cinema City?

• PictureHouse work with distributors to:– Negotiate terms/ get a better deal– Negotiate runs/ schedules– Co-operative buying = stronger bargaining

• Offer support and consultancy with promotions/ programming/ funding/ legal

• Special events across the network (e.g. Q&A with directors)

• Cinema City remains independent (makes its own decisions)

Cinema City, Norwich

PictureHouse Cinemas

City Screen Virtual (Provides films and programming to 37

other cinemas)

CityScreen PictureHouse Entertainment

Services for other independent cinemas

Picturehouse bookings

Design and Consultancy

Owns total of 20 cinemas

Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

Abbeygate Picturehouse, Bury St Edmunds ‘Back of house’

services

How have CityScreen developed and adapted?

Why did CityScreen set up Picturehouse Entertainment?

Picturehouse Entertainment

• Distribution arm of CityScreen

• Specialise in ‘Alternative Content’ and specialist films

• Buy films from Sundance film festival (US indie film festival) for UK distribution

Launched in 2010, Picturehouse Entertainment is the distribution arm of City Screen, the owner and operator of 20 Picturehouse Cinemas. Its theatrical releases to date include: My Afternoons with Margueritte; Cave of Forgotten Dreams; The Future; Romantics Anonymous; The Source; Electrick Children; The Bird; The Imposter and Liberal Arts. Picturehouse Entertainment also distributes a wide variety of non-film content to cinemas around the UK. This includes live satellite transmissions of seasons from world-class arts organisations, such as the Bolshoi Ballet, Glyndebourne and the National Theatre. It has also distributed special one-off events, such as Stephen Fry’s talk, The Fry Chronicles, Jamie Cullum live at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and Leonardo Live, which brought a preview of the National Gallery's blockbuster exhibition to the big screen. Following its first live transmission to cinema screens, Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball in 2006, City Screen harnessed developments in digital projection and satellite technology to pioneer the broadcast of alternative content in cinemas. It was the first to screen New York Metropolitan Opera productions in the UK, a programming strand that has proved extremely popular with audiences and is continuing to go strong in its sixth year.

Cinema City, Norwich

PictureHouse Cinemas

City Screen Virtual (Provides films and programming to 37

other cinemas)

CityScreen PictureHouse Entertainment

Services for other independent cinemas

Picturehouse bookings

Design and Consultancy

Owns total of 20 cinemas

Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge

Abbeygate Picturehouse, Bury St Edmunds ‘Back of house’

services

Cineworld

Own 80 cinemas (mainstream)

About Cineworld• Multiplex cinemas• Mainstream films (not specialist films)• UK-owned (not part of Big 6)• Second biggest cinema chain in UK

– 80 cinemas– Competition:

• Vue 69 cinemas. UK-owned• Odeon 111 cinemas. Part of Odeon-UCI – biggest European

cinema chain; biggest outside of America

• Actively buying up competition: In 2004 bought a smaller cinema company (UGC)

Why would Picturehouse want to be part of Cineworld?

• Financial security• Investment (10 new cinemas planned)• Guaranteed autonomy – no changes to how

Picturehouse operate

What does this tell us about ownership and the film industry?

• Trend towards consolidation– Indies get bought up by majors

• Survival through joining together• Diversification

– Cineworld now own two very different types of cinema chains– Picturehouse/ Cinema City are diversifying their content to show more

alternative content– CityScreen are exploring alternative content as a vital revenue stream,

signing distribution deals through Picturehouse Entertainment• Horizontal integration (Cineworld own different types of

cinemas)• Vertical integration (CityScreen own exhibition and

distribution)

Are Cinema City an independent cinema?

How has their ‘independence’ changed over time?

How does Cinema City adapt its practices to cater for specific audiences?ProgrammingCinema “Experience”Niche groupsOutreach/ beyond filmInstitutional structure and ownership (Picturehouse> CityScreen> Cineworld)