The future of Film Screenings

I’ve recently taken up a part time position working at a cinema and thought I’d share some insightful knowledge that may help other filmmakers, when considering how to distribute their films.

What not a lot of filmmakers consider is how the film they are creating will be watched.

From my experience the film “Living” by Oliver Hermanus tended to be screened in the smallest theatres at our cinema, now whether this was by choice or not I don’t know, however, by screening the film in a small screen I’d argue it subconsciously effects the way an audience views a film. This story in particular is about human nature and the human experience, therefore if the audience is compacted into a screen, then they will already be primed with the sense that they are about to watch an intimate film.

On the otherhand, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” by Ryan Coogler tended to be shown in the larger theatres, that tells the audience this will be a large, cinematic experience that explores a world and it’s people.

Although this is just me speculating, if you had the choice to screen your horror film in an abandoned theatre, or your rom-com in a cafe themed cinema, would you make that choice. I think it’s something worth considering and could change the way premiers are done in the future.