The pickleball court should be a part of every movie theater.
The largest theater chains in the United States and Canada are currently undergoing significant renovations at their theaters in the hopes of encouraging more people to see films in public theaters rather than at home. According to Variety, they intend to invest $2.2 billion over the next three years to upgrade 21,000 screens. This includes the addition of activities that fans can participate in, such as pickleball and ziplining. In an interview with the journal, Michael O’Leary, the president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), stated that the industry believes it has “turned a corner” and that “audiences are coming back to the theaters.” However, they need to take further steps in order to make the experience of going to the movies together more joyful.
Considering that people have become accustomed to waiting for films to be released on streaming services over the course of the previous few years, it is not surprising that they are not going out to see movies that they do not feel forced to watch as soon as they are released. For example, the overall domestic revenue for the summer box office in the United States of America this year is nearly ten percent lower than the revenue from the previous year. It has been reported by Variety that AMC, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, Cineplex, Marcus Theatres, B&B Theatres, Harkins Theatres, and Santikos Entertainment have all informed NATO that they are planning to invest money in order to improve their facilities.
There is an expectation that the corporations will allocate their financial resources to the improvement of their laser projectors and sound systems, as well as the installation of more comfortable seating, improved air conditioning, lighting, and carpeting. Additionally, it is true that they are introducing new attractions such as pickleball courts, arcades, ziplines, and bowling lanes, which may alter the experience of going to the movies. An image of a pickleball court located within a B&B Theatre theater may be seen above. “This investment of resources is the next step in our industry’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that going to the theater remains a unique and special experience for generations to come,” O’Leary explained to reporters. It is not yet known whether the approach will be successful or not; nevertheless, the fact that these businesses are willing to invest a total of $2.2 billion on renovations indicates that they are at least in a better position than they were in when the epidemic was at its peak.