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2019 | Book

Introduction Read chapter Read first chapter

Screening the World

Global Development of the Multiplex Cinema

Author: Dr. Stuart Hanson

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" , Springer Professional "Technik"

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About this book

This book charts the development of the multiplex cinema as the pre-eminent form of film exhibition across the world. Going from its origins in the USA in the 1960s to its expansion overseas from the mid-1980s across Europe, Australia and other parts of Asia-Pacific, the book considers the emergence of a series of initially regional, then national and then international exhibition circuits. However, more than a consideration of US overseas expansion on the part of companies, this book examines the hegemony of the multiplex as a cultural and business form, arguing for its significance as a phenomenon that has transcended national and global boundaries and which has become the predominant venue for film viewing. Implicit in this analysis is a recognition of the domination of US media multi-nationals and Hollywood cinema, and the development of the multiplex cinema as symbolic of the extension and maintenance of the USA’s cultural and economic power. With case studies ranging from European countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands, to Pacific-Asian countries such as Australia, China, Japan and South Korea, this book is the first to explore the development of multiplexes on a global scale.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introduction
Abstract
Drawing on a wide range of source material and evidence, Hanson sets out to examine the development of the multiplex cinema from its beginnings in the USA in the early 1960s to its expansion overseas from the mid-1980s across Europe and into parts of Asia-Pacific, including Australia. As well as a consideration of US overseas expansion on the part of exhibitors, Hanson considers the hegemony of the multiplex as a cultural and business form, arguing for the significance of the multiplex cinema as a phenomenon that has transcended national boundaries, and which has become the predominant venue for film viewing globally. Finally, he argues that in many countries, indigenous exhibition companies have adopted the multiplex template and adapted them to their own domestic markets.
Stuart Hanson

The Multiplex Cinema in the USA

Frontmatter
Chapter 2. The Origins of the Multiplex in the USA
Abstract
Hanson examines the origins of the multiplex in the USA and considers the importance of the shopping mall, and the suburb as the focus for this new kind of cinema, purpose built and multiscreen. Taking as its starting point the aftermath of the Paramount Decrees in 1948 and the relinquishing by the major studios of their cinemas, Chap. 2 charts the development of a new group of pan-regional exhibition companies such as American Multi-Cinema (AMC), General Cinema Corporation, and National Amusements, which were instrumental in the development of the multiplex cinema throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Finally, Hanson considers the antecedents of the multiplex in terms of building design and the ways in which cinemas were recast with new forms of marketing, consumerism, leisure, and business management.
Stuart Hanson
Chapter 3. The Emergence of the Multiplex in the USA
Abstract
Hanson charts the emergence from the 1970s onwards of the multiplex, with 8, 10, and 12 screens or more, along with the changes in their design and location. Though initially sited within the shopping mall what emerges are the larger freestanding complexes, built across the country, with the number of screens at the end of the 1980s greater than at any time in history. Hanson examines the diffusion of the multiplex across the USA as the major exhibitors begin to look further afield, utilising market research in evolving suburbs and forging alliances with large developers. The result is the creation and growth of several national chains—Showcase, United Artists Theatres, Loews, Cineplex Odeon, AMC (American Multi-Cinema), Carmike Cinemas, and General Cinema—by the 1980s.
Stuart Hanson
Chapter 4. From Multiplex to Megaplex
Abstract
Hanson examines the development of the megaplex—giant multiscreen cinemas with 16–30 screens—in the context of the hegemony of the multiplex as the de facto norm for cinemas in the USA by the 1990s. The chapter also considers the impact of the megaplex on film distribution patterns, especially with the development of the Hollywood blockbuster, and the emergence of American Multi-Cinema (AMC), Regal Entertainment, and Cinemark as the dominant forces in exhibition. Hanson sets these developments firstly in the context of the rise in the number of cinema admissions throughout the 1990s to peak in 2002; and secondly in the context of a decline from then on as steaming services such as Netflix and the decline in the shopping mall challenge the place of cinema.
Stuart Hanson

The Multiplex Cinema in Britain

Frontmatter
Chapter 5. Exporting the Multiplex to Britain
Abstract
Hanson considers the decision by a series of US exhibitors to enter the British market, with particular attention to Britain’s first multiplex, The Point, in Milton Keynes, opened by American Multi-Cinema (AMC) in 1985 and the first US multiplex opened in a foreign country. As one of the first countries to import the multiplex from the USA, Britain can be considered a kind of ‘test bed’ for the concept. Hanson outlines the context for the development of the multiplex and considers the exhibition landscape in the period prior to 1985, especially as 1984 is the nadir of cinema attendance in Britain, with annual admissions of only 54 million.
Stuart Hanson
Chapter 6. The Multiplex is Consolidated in Britain
Abstract
As the number of sites increase year on year after 1985, Hanson explores the growth of the multiplex and the megaplex cinema in Britain, accounting for a reversal in the downward spiral of cinema attendance as a result of their introduction. In doing so, Chap.​ 6 considers the complex patterns of ownership and volatile nurture of the British market, as the existing exhibition duopoly of Cannon and Odeon is first challenged by US operators such as American Multi-Cinema (AMC), Warner Bros., and National Amusements before this initial wave of US companies either leave the British market or are bought out by domestic and European exhibitors such as United Cinemas International (UCI), Virgin, and Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC). Finally, Hanson comes up to date by outlining the current domination of the market by three exhibitors: Odeon, Cineworld, and Vue.
Stuart Hanson
Chapter 7. Multiplexes Move Out of Town and Back Again
Abstract
Hanson considers the location, design, and operation of the multiplex cinema, situating the analysis in the context of urban planning and in particular the easing of planning restrictions in the 1980s and early 1990s, and the development of large out-of-town shopping centres. The emergence of a new kind of out-of-town leisure and shopping culture in the 1980s and 1990s is considered in the context of both economic and political changes, and indicative of a new set of aesthetics around shopping and consumerism. Chapter 7 also contrasts these earlier developments with changes to planning laws and a greater stress on town and city centre regeneration since the late 1990s, which have seen the relocation of the multiplex from the periphery of Britain’s towns and cities back to the centre.
Stuart Hanson

The Multiplex Cinema in Europe

Frontmatter
Chapter 8. The Multiplex in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia
Abstract
Hanson examines the development of the multiplex in several European territories through both the expansion of US multiplex operators from the 1990s, in the wake of the penetration and popularity of Hollywood films, and its adoption by indigenous cinema exhibitors. Chapter 8 considers a series of case studies of territories in which US companies such as Warner Bros. Accessed markets more readily—the Netherlands and Denmark—and markets where the penetration of US exhibitors was marginal or non-existent—Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. Hanson also details the emergence of a series of domestic multiplex exhibitors such as Kinepolis, Pathé, Sandrews, Metronome, Svensk Filmindustri, Nordisk Film, and the Nordic Cinema Group.
Stuart Hanson
Chapter 9. The Multiplex in Germany and France
Abstract
Hanson examines the development of the multiplex in two major territories in Europe through both the expansion of US multiplex operators from the 1990s, in the wake of the penetration and popularity of Hollywood films, and its adoption by indigenous cinema exhibitors. Chapter 9 considers two major national case studies: firstly, Germany, in which US companies such as Warner Bros. and United Cinemas International (UCI) accessed markets more readily; and secondly, France, in which the penetration of US exhibitors was, with the exception of one site, non-existent. Chapter 9 also considers the exhibition landscape historically in these two countries, both of which were some way behind countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Britain in their adoption of the multiplex.
Stuart Hanson

The Multiplex Cinema in Asia-Pacific

Frontmatter
Chapter 10. The Multiplex in Australia
Abstract
Hanson considers the development of the multiplex in Australia, as an example of a mature multiplex market, second only to the USA—in which domestic exhibitors dominate, having benefitted from greatly increased cinema attendance. Australia makes a fascinating case study of the development and diffusion of the multiplex cinema, not least because companies like Hoyts, Village Roadshow, and Greater Union have utilised their established market dominance in Australia to export the multiplex and influence developments across the world, via aggressive and extensive expansion into Europe, the USA, and Asia-Pacific.
Stuart Hanson
Chapter 11. The Multiplex in Japan, South Korea, and China
Abstract
Hanson examines multiplex developments in three national markets: Japan, South Korea, and China, all of which are expanding rapidly, but which have particular domestic conditions that contrast sharply with each other. South Korea has the world’s most enthusiastic cinemagoers per capita, with the multiplex the wholly dominant cinema form and based entirely on domestic operators. Japan is a multiplex market grown initially largely by US and British entrants, though all have exited the market subsequently, leaving it to domestic exhibitors. Finally, China is both the fastest growing film market in the world and one of the most complex to do business in and with.
Stuart Hanson
Chapter 12. Conclusion: The Multiplex as a Global Form
Abstract
Hanson concludes his examination of the multiplex cinema by highlighting two stages of consolidation: regional and global. Exhibitors are expanding into regional markets via a process of merger and acquisition, along with a standardised model of a multiplex, in terms of design, operation, and film programming. A series of transnational exhibitors are emerging, buying up regional companies to form global companies, such as Dalian Wanda. Chapter 12 examines these developments in the context of the hegemony of the multiplex as the dominant form of industrial organisation, allied to its symbiotic relationship to new kinds of retailing and leisure, centred on the shopping mall. Finally, Hanson argues that whilst challenged by new streaming services, the multiplex offers the possibility of the resilience of cinema as an important form of film consumption.
Stuart Hanson
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
Screening the World
Author
Dr. Stuart Hanson
Copyright Year
2019
Electronic ISBN
978-3-030-18995-2
Print ISBN
978-3-030-18994-5
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18995-2