Like many people I tend to spend my evenings listening to the radio, which of course means listening to radio news every hour which I tend not to pay too much attention to. However that was set to change when I was caught completely off guard one Friday evening by the news that Cineworld, which is the second largest cinema chain in the world, was preparing to file for bankruptcy. Even within a few minutes of hearing this news I was surprised at how shocked I was feeling by the news and soon I was taking an in-depth look to see what was being said about it and it was all true. Cineworld really are in that much trouble, as it seems that business lost during the pandemic is unfortunately starting to catch up with them.
It goes without saying that with my being a lifelong film fan, Cineworld has been a big part of my life. The noted Cineworld in Renfrew Street, Glasgow (still apparently the tallest cinema in the world) was where I had my first cinemagoing experience seeing Charlie and The Chocolate Factory as a five-year-old. Ever since then I was very much in love with going to the cinema and Cineworld had an undeniable hand in that.
While I was shocked at the news the one thing that I really should have seen coming, but didn’t, were the comments left by people who had read the news before me. Most of them seemed way too focused on criticising Cineworld with comments on their prices, their business model and the supposed changing landscape of the film industry which cinema chains like Cineworld possibly can’t compete with. They were very disheartening to read. I disagree completely with most of what was being said but that didn’t stop me from being able to see where and why some people had come to such conclusions.
I’m well aware that as I write this the UK is in the middle of a ‘cost of living crisis’, so no doubt some people more than others are being vigilant about how they spend their money and unfortunately I guess that the cinema isn’t seen as a huge priority at the moment. For a majority of the public going to the cinema is probably something they only do once in a while and don’t think too much about. There’s nothing wrong with that but it does make it easier to forget about other people, myself included, for whom going to the cinema is more a hobby or possibly a way of life
I won’t ignore the fact that the handling of the pandemic caused serious damage to a great many businesses but film as a whole, not just cinema, really felt the impact. Over the time that countries were in lockdown many people had to put up with streaming services and I can see why this would look more appealing than going to the cinema – you don’t have to drive anywhere or be wary of what time you have to be there, snacks are easy to come by and any noise that you may hear during the film can all be kept under a greater sense of control than it would be in a cinema. But I would like to consider again the small anecdote that I began this article with. Going to the cinema was what I think really got me into films and while I do know that TV screens are a lot bigger now they simply don’t compare with the experience of the big cinema screen. Yes, when I was younger I did have some VHS tapes but I do think when introducing young and impressionable minds to film, letting them play on the TV is good for a start but it feels more like background noise compared to what the cinema can provide. A person’s love of film, especially that of a child, shouldn’t begin on a TV, computer, tablet or smartphone regardless of size, and it most certainly does not deserve to begin on an airline TV. It should rightfully begin in the cinema.
It may seem peculiar to some but I feel like there is indeed a method to the cinema experience. Many times growing up I can recall going about my day in perfectly normal fashion, while in the back of my mind feelings of anticipation were running through me about going to see such films as Astro Boy, Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3, Now You See Me, Spectre and Halloween (2018) along with countless more; and where did I happen to see all of the above-mentioned films? That’s right, Cineworld. Such feelings may get a bit tedious when the film is hours away but it’s all you can think about, and you do whatever you can to make the hours tick by. It’s part of the cinema experience and while DVDs and streaming services may try to bring about such feelings, much like the differences between something on a big cinema screen and at home, the one simply pales in comparison with the other. Besides, the anticipation tends to come full circle once the cinema itself is in your sights. I’d like to think there isn’t much to compare to walking or driving in Glasgow and seeing that tall tower-shaped roof in Renfrew Street or the pyramid-shaped roof of The Forge.
Bringing this back around to the subject of Cineworld I know I come across as something of a regular customer. Well that is true, but there was a time where I don’t think that would have been the case. I have been in my fair share of Vues, Odeons and other cinema chains through the years but when it comes to loyalty Cineworld acquired mine years ago and have never lost it since. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the Baskin Robbins ice cream available there!
I spent most of the summer of 2017 going to the cinema since I had more free time during the school holidays than I had before. It was also around this time I sampled the Superscreen when I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming. I think I was somewhat impressed by the seats and bigger screen thanks to it having two projectors, even if the novelty did wear off after a while. Then when I was doing much more of the same in the summer of the following year I got my own Unlimited card and Cineworld became a place where I spent much of my 2018 summer.
Cineworld remained a favourite haunt of mine right into 2019 where most of the films I saw there I would later review for my website. This continued right into 2020 when the pandemic hit, but of course once the major restrictions were lifted and cinemas were allowed to reopen I went straight back to Cineworld. I know it didn’t last for a while but then they reopened last year and everything seemed to be back to some sort of normality.
Then this crisis hit and I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out. For a while it did seem like Top Gun: Maverick was doing a good job of picking up the slack, but it didn’t seem to be doing a good enough job, which is disappointing to say the least. I know the situation appears bleak and desperate but there is hope. I know it sounds crazy but there’s hope. Looking at the release schedule, films like Avatar: The Way of Water and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One are both on the horizon as well as re-screenings that I see coming up with films like Jackie Brown. I know a lot of recent films have been accused of being more obsessed with politics and preaching rather than telling a story, but there is a sense those days are perhaps coming to an end.
I know the last two years hasn’t been very kind to the film industry and 2022 has shown itself time and time again to be no friend of Cineworld, what with the controversy surrounding their banning of a controversial film. I would like to think I’ve never actively turned my back on them and if by some miracle they make it through this I still wouldn’t.
For as long as I can, I will try to support Cineworld in any way possible and I hope other people who cherish the cinema-going experience will do the same. I know the cost-of-living crisis is still a big problem but it shouldn’t get in the way of potentially enjoying some escape from the world which I think some people would like very much at the moment. It’s not that I can’t see a point where Cineworld doesn’t exist anymore, I just don’t want to.