Movie Theaters
Companies in this industry exhibit motion pictures at indoor movie theaters, film festivals, and drive-in theaters. Major US companies include AMC Entertainment and Cinemark; leading companies based outside the US include Canada's Cineplex, the UK's Cineworld, and China's Wanda Cinemas.
The global box office market was over $21 billion in 2021, up 81% compared to 2020, due to theater re-openings following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, but remained well below pre-pandemic levels, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. The US and Canada together are the largest market, followed by China, Japan, the UK, and South Korea, according to IHS Markit.
The US movie theater industry includes about 5,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $16 billion.
Competitive Landscape
Personal income and leisure time drive demand. The profitability of individual companies depends on securing access to popular movies and sales of high-margin food and beverages. Large companies have advantages of scale in negotiating with movie distributors, marketing, and purchasing. Small companies can compete effectively by specializing in movie type or audience, or by providing better service and amenities. The US industry is highly concentrated: the top 50 companies account for more than 80% of revenue.
Movie theaters compete with other forms of entertainment and leisure activity, including sports, hobbies, concerts, and amusement parks. Further competition comes from other forms of movie exhibition, including DVD, TV, video on-demand, and internet streaming. With recent advances in home theater technology, including 4K Ultra HD TVs and Hi-Res audio, consumers are able to create high-quality viewing experiences in their living rooms that rival those available at the local multiplex.
Products, Operations & Technology
Ticket sales account for more than 60% of US industry revenue; food and beverage sales for more than 30%. Other sources of revenue include on-screen advertisements,
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