Cinema attendance

Mass entertainment in 20s-40s, including key source of information during World War 2, source of diversion from reality during depression in 30s, etc.
Attendance begins to fall after mid-1940s – television competes for audience, especially after 1955 in Britain (introduction of ITV)
Audience figures slump during 1980s – many town centre cinemas built during boom times close down, home video recorders mean real film choice for audiences
Late 80s/early 90s – the rise of the multiplex. Multi-screen cinema complexes in out-of-town locations, as part of a ‘leisure experience’ with shops, restaurants, etc bring family and younger audiences back to the cinema

Smaller, often independently run cinemas which appeal to niche audiences
Able to offer foreign language, independent or art films which would be overlooked by mainstream cinemas
Usually located in cities with an arty or student population (e.g.. Manchester’s Cornerhouse, Liverpool’s FACT)
Art House offers a different experience – less likely to find popcorn and hotdogs, more likely to find bars, coffee, bookshops, etc.

Cinema was a safe haven for young couples – remember the song ‘Take your girlie to the movies (if you can’t make love at home)’. Practices such as kissing, smoking, etc. could be observed from the films and learned
Cinema also offered images of lifestyles beyond those often enjoyed by audiences – exotic countries and wealthy characters and settings could be seen
Cinema offered a sense of a shared social experience later effectively usurped by television

Avid fans are those who want to do more than watch or discuss films and stars – they will use them in other parts of their lives. Refer to the documentary ‘Star Wars or Bust’, or the fan interviews on ‘The Matrix Revisited’.
Fans may express their relationship with film stars in different ways – examples are to be found in abundance on the Internet

Film stars are different to actors in that they have an identifiable existence beyond the characters they play.
Richard Dyer identifies four aspects of a star’s meaning – the real person, the roles they play, their persona and their image
Stars are a key part of film marketing – their image is a key way of attracting audiences to cinemas
During the studio system, studios would try to control all aspects of a star’s image; star’s agents may try to do the same now, though debate surrounds the degree to which they may be successful – see ‘fan behaviour’

The home viewing environment offers different pleasures to the audience – familiar surroundings, access to facilities, control over the consumption of the text
Home viewing challenges the Marxist theory of the cinema apparatus – our gaze is less controlled, though Home Theatre technologies may be offering more of a replication of this
The DVD offers a different experience of film from the cinema – extra features, director’s commentaries, deleted and alternate scenes, extended cuts, etc.

Thomas Adams AS Film Studies