The Return of Cinemas – What Needs to be Shown – Part 1
Harry Penwell
Lockdown restrictions are being lifted across much of the globe, and my home country of England is opening cinemas from July 4th. But with most of the blockbuster slate pushed back until late summer, early autumn, I started wondering what cinemas could use to plug the gap, while also reigniting interest in this fantastic platform.
UK cinemas are being given access to 450 films from the archives to bulk up their schedules until the normal release slate returns. This collection, titled Relaunching Cinema: Content for Recovery has been organised into 25 separate categories to help with navigation and selection. It includes groups such as All-Time Classics, Big Screen Spectacle and Women in Film. Therefore, I have come up with my own categories, with some examples, and reasons why I think these films will have the best chance of restarting cinemas in the right way.
Big Blockbusters:
Arguably the safest way to bring in audiences is to reshape films they’ve already enjoyed in their millions, and don’t seem to mind rewatching over and over again.
Avengers: Endgame/Avengers: Infinity War
I will always remember my midnight screening of Endgame, and particularly the moment of hushed silence at the climax of the film (other people experienced screams and woops, as I did during my viewing the following day, which was slightly more annoying but just as exhilarating). I think that cinema could do with reminding us why watching films with other people can be more enjoyable than watching them alone. And why not combine it with Infinity War and have 5 hours and 42 minutes of superhero escapism?
Avatar
The second highest grossing film which also offers a high level of escapism, this time to an entirely different world. And it’s set almost entirely outside - good to escape that cabin fever! Furthermore, with a sequel finally due out next year, this might be the time to revisit the world of Pandora. It could also do battle with Endgame once again, to prove once and for all which is the true highest-grossing film (not adjusted for inflation).
Titanic
The third highest grossing film, and one that succeeded primarily due to word of mouth, ‘Leo-mania’ and its, then ground-breaking, special effects. And it’s a film, much like with Endgame, which benefited from the experience of sharing.
As director James Cameron says ‘when people have an experience that’s very powerful in the movie theatre, they want to go share it… They want to be the person to bring them [other people] the news that this is something worth having in their life’.
I wonder if it could repeat its success in our modern times of CGI blockbusters and viral marketing campaigns, or if it would, forgive me, capsize in the more complicated waters of modern cinema. And, in order to float back to the top of the box office, it would likely need something more, which I will explain further in the next section. It would certainly be interesting to find out if it would sink or swim (okay, I’m done now).
Old Blockbusters:
Another way to reignite cinema would be to bring in the old blockbusters, the classics that defined the term, even if they don’t stack up to the newer films thanks to inflation. But they will need some bonus features such as behind-the-scenes clips or deleted scenes to make it worth buying a ticket, especially as many of us already have the capabilities to watch them at home and have done so for a few decades.
Saying that, I would argue that it would be enough of an event to just watch these films again in the way they were intended. On the big screen.
Jaws
The original summer blockbuster. As symbols of the return of cinema go, I don’t think there are many more powerful.
The Sound of Music
One of the highest grossing films when adjusted for inflation. A classic movie musical. And a great family film. Let’s make the cinemas alive with the sound of music once more.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
As cinema experiences go, this is one that I wish I’d been able to experience. Alas, I was born about a couple of decades too late, so another chance to watch this cinematic zeitgeist would be fantastic. And it would allow old fans to bring new ones to watch their own childhood back on screen, while also reigniting debates as to whether the originals really are the best. Just keep it a bit more civil than with the debates that rage around whenever a sequel is released, okay?
Disney have already said they will rerelease Empire Strikes Back, at least in the UK, (confirmed in Vue and Cineworld. And will be in 4K, so there’s definitely a good reason to return to a galaxy far far away. Why not add New Hope and make it a double feature? Or do a movie marathon, as I explore in the next category?
Marathons:
Besides getting viewers in, movie theatres will also face the problem of having to be deep cleaned every time their patrons leave the screen. So why not keep them there for longer? Perhaps with a movie marathon? Or even bringing back double features? And a captive audience is more likely to buy the oh-so-crucial concessions that keep cinemas profitable (maybe reduce the price and sell them inside the screening itself though).
The Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions
The classic. And clocking in at just over 11 hours, you’d be able to keep a screen busy for most of a day. And that’s nearly a day of pure, unadulterated fantasy escapism with one of the greatest film series ever.
MCU Marathon
Now this one will keep you occupied. At 23 movies and about 49 hours 56 minutes in length, the Infinity Saga almost lives up to its name. But while this marathon would be hard to coordinate without a long bank holiday weekend, cinemas could quite easily split it into parts. You could watch them in phases with Phase 1 being about 12 hours and 24 minutes long, Phase 2 being about 12 hours and 36 minutes long, and Phase 3 being about 24 hours and 56 minutes long.
Or you could watch all of The Avengers films (10 hours, 14 minutes). Or just the films with Hawkeye in (Thor, Age of Ultron, Civil War, Endgame – 12 hours and 18 minutes). Or in any way you fancy, really. You could even watch a presentation looking at all the different combinations (a few hours at least)!
TV
I know that the whole point of this article was to suggest things that could only be experienced in the cinema, and so reignite interest in the platform. However, I also think that cinema could adapt and learn from TV viewing, especially in the Netflix/binge-watch era. Also, I really, really want to watch Breaking Bad, Stranger Things and The Mandalorian on the big screen.
TV is all for bringing the event of the cinema to the home, with productions like the aforementioned The Mandalorian, but maybe it’s time for cinema to bring TV to the big screen. And it’s been done before, with Friends being shown in cinemas for its 25th anniversary, where three episodes were shown back to back. I’m thinking that sort of format, but for much longer and with more episodes.
Old Classics:
Maybe some critically acclaimed classics should also be given a rerelease. After three months without cinema, maybe this will be the push people will need to finally give them a chance. The three films I’ve chosen are all epics with long runtimes. This is due to the points made in the previous section, and because, when I finally get to return to the cinema, I will be much more willing to spend longer in front of the big screen, as I haven’t been in so long. Hence, it’s a perfect time to break out these longer classics.
The Godfather/The Godfather Part II
‘I’ll make [you] an offer [you] can’t refuse’. Come and watch two of the greatest films ever made, you won’t regret it.
Citizen Kane
I think it’s finally time for us all to be able to say we’ve seen it. And to be able to say you saw it in the cinema? Well, that’s just another level.
Lawrence of Arabia
I’m going to be honest; I’m mainly suggesting this for the iconic long shots and gorgeous vistas. Furthermore, I’ll admit that I need an event, such as a rerelease in the cinema, to finally encourage me to buckle down and watch it.
That’s it for part one. Come back soon to see which films I’d suggest should be given a second chance, and which films you can use to broaden your horizons, comfort you or show you the true cinematic experience.