Culture | Go big or go home

Cinemas may be dying. But IMAX and the high end are thriving

IMAX’s success points to a growing niche in a shrinking industry

Cinema-goers watch a movie whilst seated on red recliner chairs.
Photograph: Getty Images

The box office has a bad case of long covid. Worldwide takings last year were a quarter below their pre-pandemic peak. Americans, who went to the cinema more than five times each in 2000, last year went fewer than three times. As streaming services keep audiences glued to the small screen, theatre chains including Cineworld, the world’s second-largest, have entered administration.

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Go big or go home”

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