I was so sad to wake up to the news that Cineworld is set to close its doors. The cinema means so much to me and in the last decade or so that I’ve had a membership, it’s sometimes been a saving grace. I can’t really imagine life without it, which may seem melodramatic, but it’s about so much more than the films themselves.
When I was younger, the cinema was always the ultimate treat. I always opted for a cinema trip as a birthday treat and in my teenage years, I used to go with my Mum based on the principle that she’d go and see what I wanted on the understanding that I’d go to see things she wanted to see that Dad wasn’t fussed about. We both saw films we wouldn’t otherwise have seen thanks to that deal.
After the general life collapse and return home of my early thirties, I had to start everything again and my Cineworld membership was part of the foundation. I was broke, alone and trying to rekindle old friendships and make new friends. I couldn’t afford big nights out, girls’ weekends and shopping trips then - having a cinema membership was an affordable way to meet up with people and build connections. Also, some weekends when I was on my own the whole time, it was a reason to go out anyway – if it got to Sunday evening and I’d done nothing with my weekend, I’d take myself down to the cinema. Even now when I’m much busier, I still love going to the cinema on my own, it feels like sneaking away from real life for a while.
The membership also ended up functioning something like that early deal with my Mum – I happily tried films I wouldn’t have otherwise seen if someone suggested it, and I usually ended up loving them. When Dad died, it became a very low maintenance way for me to keep in touch with friends while I was coming to terms with it. I distinctly remember watching The Equalizer with a friend not long after Dad died – I didn’t say much and the film mostly washed over me, but it got me out of the house, checking in with people without having to talk about everything and all because of this little card that let me see any film at any time.
Every Boxing Day, I go to the cinema with my Mum and we love our little tradition so much that we start looking out for what film we’ll pick as our “Christmas film” in the summer. I’ve been looking forward to the Bond film for months. I have friends I see costume dramas with, others who are always up for a good horror film, often busy people who appreciate a date in the diary to meet up before life takes over. I’ve seen countless plays I wouldn’t otherwise have seen thanks to the special screenings, attended exclusive early previews and been to see hundreds of films with friends who are also members. Those friendships began in the ease of going to see a film, and now we do so much more and they’re people I couldn’t live without.
I was back in the cinema the first day it re-opened this year and I’ve tried to support as much as I can. I can see how hard Cineworld are working to keep people coming, I’ve been to classic screenings and new films, brought friends along with me, seen things more than once. I can’t understand why film production companies aren’t showing the cinemas more support. I understand that their objective is to make money rather than fulfil all these emotional attachments I have to cinema trips, but if they wait too long, there won’t be any cinemas left – then how will they make money? It seems very short sighted to me. Not to mention, with so many films pushed back to next year, how will anything get any real notice in such a crowded field? Taking a hit on a few films or waiting for the returns on a longer than usual run seems more practical than simply letting cinema die. Perhaps they could release a whole back catalogue of films to cinemas if they really want to hold back their new releases? I saw Goodfellas at the cinema earlier this year, I was too young to go when it came out and even though I’ve seen it plenty of times before, it all felt new and fresh on the big screen. If all the cinemas have to offer for the next few months is more of that, I’ll be there, but I imagine it needs film producers to come to their support. Seasons of major directors, franchises or even particular actors would all be amazing - imagine the response if we all had a chance to watch Chadwick Boseman on the big screen in his many incredible roles, for example, or the opportunity to disappear into the wonderful world of Wes Anderson week after week.
I know what some people think… Everything that’s happened this year and this is what I’m upset about. It’s actually the wider picture of how the arts have been thrown under the bus that upsets me at a time that we need solace and some escape. Given that the cinema is at the most accessible and affordable end of that scale, it’s particularly upsetting. The cinema is my safe, happy place. The lights go down, the film starts and just for a couple of hours, everything else in my life fades away. I need that more than ever for my mental health; that brief respite is what keeps me going in these tough times, what helps me stay strong enough to look after myself, connect with and help others. I really can’t see streaming at home replacing all that.