I don't go to the cinema nearly as much as I'd like. I'm a parent, so nights out are few and far between. But more to the point, with Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Sky Q and terrestrial TV at my fingertips, I'm not short of things to watch. And I'd rather take a punt on something I've already paid for than arrange a whole evening, babysitter and all, to go see something that might just be a bit meh.
I'm not the only one. While UK cinema admissions saw a slight rise last year, the figure of 126.5 million is still way down on pre-pandemic levels – from 2001 to 2019, that number was consistently above 150 million, according to the UK Cinema Association.
It's not hard to see why the numbers are so low. The pandemic and rise of the streamers effectively mounted a pincer attack on the multiplex. In 2023, both Empire Cinemas and Cineworld went into administration.
While there have been some chinks of light, like the Prince Charles hopefully opening a second site in Stratford (despite the future of its original Leicester Square venue remaining uncertain), it's a pretty bleak time for fans of the silver screen.
If cinemas want to survive, they're going to have to offer something you can't get at home. Four-storey-high dinosaurs, anyone?
A sight for saur eyes
I'm talking about Lightroom in London's Kings Cross. It's not a cinema in the traditional sense – its past work includes a David Hockney immersive art exhibition and space documentary The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks (its next is a Coldplay multimedia film, but don't let that put you off). But it provides an immersive experience that's a world away from sitting slumped in front of the gogglebox.
By projecting four-storey-high videos onto all four walls (and even the floor), it drops you right into the heart of the action. The audience is encouraged to interact with the images, too. At one point during my recent visit to the screening of Apple TV+'s Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs, various dinosaurs appeared on screen, with audience members encouraged to measure themselves against them. My son loved it.
This level of interaction just isn't possible on a home screen. But neither is the atmosphere of a shared experience. With limited bench seating available, you're encouraged to roam around to explore the content from all angles. With people sitting on the floor, eating and drinking (there's a bar upstairs), it felt closer to a festival vibe. In comparison, cinema seating would feel positively stuffy.
If you've ever tried to keep a six-year-old sitting still in a cinema for two hours, you'll appreciate the appeal.
The screening is also cut into five segments of around 10 minutes each. That's perfect for short attention spans, and because it's shown on loop, you can come and go as you please.
The venue is kitted out with 14 (!) Panasonic PT-RQ22K laser 3-chip DLP 4K projectors. It's also partnered with Berlin-based audio company Holoplot, who has created "a new kind of loudspeaker system dubbed the X1 Matrix Array." This is the company's first permanent speaker installation in the UK.
It creates plenty of bass rumble, which really adds to the feel of being right there, nose to nose with a t-rex. I felt that Damian Lewis' narration could have been clearer, but there are subtitles if you're struggling.
A cinema for the 21st century
Not every film or series would benefit from a four-storey-high immersive version. At £42 for one adult and one child, it's certainly not an every week excursion. And I'm well aware of the irony of a streaming service creating the kind of experiential screening that could save cinemas.
Of course most cinemas don't have these kind of capabilities, nor the kind of clout required to commission this very specific content. But if cinemas want to survive, they need to offer something us viewers can't get at home, be it an iconic fleapit venue like the Prince Charles, community events, a secondhand vinyl shop on site, family-friendly screenings, a banging bar, themed nights, or something else.
Cinema owners, don't let us down!
Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs is made in collaboration with Apple TV+ and BBC Studios Natural History. Book now at www.lightroom.uk
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