Cinemas still a hit after 115 years

The advent of multiplex cinemas helped to increase movie-going from the 1990s onwards. Photo / Thinkstock

The introduction of 3D screens has done nothing to increase patronage at the flicks - but cinemas say people are still flocking in for a big-screen experience that can't be matched at home.

According to a Statistics NZ report, 15.3 million cinema visits were made last year - more than double the 6.1 million in 1991.

The first commercial screening of a motion picture in New Zealand was in 1896 in Christchurch. By 1950 there were 600 cinemas in New Zealand and more than 36 million admissions - each costing about 2 shillings and 10 pence, roughly $9 in today's terms.

These days an average Saturday-night ticket sets you back nearly $15.50.

According to the report, a record 40.6 million tickets were sold in 1961, but people had started to lose interest in the movies by the late 1980s.

The advent of multiplex cinemas helped to reverse that trend in the early 1990s, and patronage increased steadily to 18.4 million by 2003 - before plateauing at around 15 million.

The introduction of 3D screens in 2008 was not reflected in the statistics - if anything, slightly fewer visits to cinemas have occurred in the past two years.

However, Event Cinemas operations general manager Carmen Switzer said the 2009/10 year saw the best revenue for cinemas, in part because of films such as Boy - the highest-grossing Kiwi movie - and the hugely popular 3D science-fiction flick Avatar.

Ms Switzer said cinemas were conscious of keeping the cost of going to a movie affordable - and offering new experiences to keep patrons interested.

That was the reason for recent innovations like monthly "Chicks at the Flicks" - a night which included a glass of bubbles, a goodie bag and advance screening of a movie.

Event is also screening concerts and sporting events, such as the Rugby World Cup.

Hoyts general manager Brian Eldridge said visiting the movies was an experience that could not be replicated at home, especially since the advent of 3D.