Cinema craving: Nostalgia for the magic of the movie theatre
Does cinema still have a place in society today?
The cinema was a place Australians wished to enter again as soon as we had left it. But the movie theatre is no longer what it was in the past, which raises questions about its future.
The cinema’s survival has been challenged in recent years due to rising ticket prices and the accessibility of streaming services.
According to Screen Australia's study of attendance rates, the mass popularity of the cinema has decreased over the past two decades.
Since 2000, an average of 66 per cent of Australians have attended the cinema at least once per year.
In 2024, Creative Victoria’s report found 85 per cent of Victorians in the culture market have seen at least one film at a cinema in the past three years. Evidently, Australians are still engaging with film, but not on a frequent basis.
Though the cinema lights have dimmed according to these numbers, Monash University lecturer Dr Elliott Logan has hope in the cinema’s ability to evolve.
“Cinema has had various kinds of novelty introduced into it over its history,” he said.
On cinema’s emergence in the early 20th century, the film theatre became an innovative experience for the public.
“The cinema was new, and it was a real icon of modernity,” Logan said.
Yet today, the cinema and how we experience it is evolving. One of the key changes stems from the declining engagement with the cinema space, but not necessarily cinema culture.
The convenience of streaming services has been a great influence on this shift.
According to the 2024-25 Australian Communications and Media Authority report on media usage, 68 per cent of Australians use online subscription streaming services.
Some 91 per cent of Australian adults watch online content in a given week, with Youtube being the most popular platform, followed by Netflix, the report found.
Despite the accessibility of streaming services contributing to declining attendance rates at theatres, people still feel a desire for the cinema experience.
As it’s become a less frequent experience, it has stirred the nostalgia of seeing a film in theatres.
Expressing his own nostalgia, Logan shared his first memories of going to the cinema.
“Going to the movies for me is deeply associated with my childhood. I think that's true for a lot of people. I wonder if it's going to be true in the future,” he said.
“[The cinema is] associated with a whole range of smells and experiences, and often with childhood, because that’s when we first experience cinema.”
He recounted seeing The Little Mermaid when he was young and the scale of the cinema space, not only of the auditorium but of the foyer, the people and the posters.
“I don’t think [the cinema] will ever decline really … until it's nothing and non-existent.”
This sentiment takes material form with Lido Cinemas on Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn.
Built in 1912, the theatre has become an iconic place of cinema survival.
Over the decades, it underwent a series of transformations. It became a dance hall, a mini golf complex, and a place for music performances and cabaret.
From its original name as the Glenferrie Theatre, it became the Glen Palais de Dance, then the New Glen Picture Theatre, to finally settle on Lido.
Having sat abandoned after decades of use, Lido was bought by Eddie and Lindy Tamir in 2013, and renovated to the artistic cinema space it is now, still holding its character and history.
Supervisor at Lido Cerys Howard shares the joy of working at such a historical cinematic space.
“For me, the cinema is very special,” they said.
Cerys recounted their best memory of cinema being Lido’s preview screening for Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022).
“It was such an amazing atmosphere, I hadn’t seen such a bustling cinema in my life.”
Though they share similar concerns with cinema ticket prices and attendance rates, they spoke on the importance of cinema’s role in society.
“We learn more about the art of cinema through each other.”
The cinema not only serves as a leisure activity, but has also preserved its power to build a community.
