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Will there be a new boom for the cinema after the Corona crisis? At least that’s what the board of the German Film Funding Agency (FFA) prophesies.
In the comments you repeatedly express yourself skeptical about the future of cinema. Mostly technical arguments are used. Current 4K TVs, especially OLEDs, offer an excellent HDR experience. This is simply not possible in cinemas with projectors due to the technical limitations of the projector technology. A Dolby Atmos system for 3D surround sound can also be put together at home for a manageable budget. The cinema has lost its technical lead.
But the cinema can still enjoy an event character, serve as a meeting place and maintain its social component. Thing then also argues with it. The FFA board of directors is of the opinion that people are now fed up with sitting alone in the living room. He therefore even anticipates a boom for the cinema industry as soon as the halls are allowed to reopen: “We will experience a cinema boom after the end of the pandemic.”
One obstacle: Studios like Warner are increasingly enjoying their own streaming services, where they can bypass cinema operators as middlemen and grab all the income themselves. There are still temporary solutions, but Disney and Warner, for example, are pushing more and more films directly to their streaming offers. Warner even goes so far as to let all the movies start simultaneously on HBO Max in 2021 – much to the annoyance of creatives like Christopher Nolan.
Streaming and Cinema: Peaceful Coexistence?
According to Dinges, before the Corona crisis, in 2019, the cinema industry had implemented more than ever before: 42.2 billion US dollars. There are no reasons why this should not continue after the pandemic. In addition, some operators would show the courage to use the compulsory break to renovate or modernize their halls. So he’s optimistic about a great future for cinema.
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