Research: Movie theaters in the post-Covid era. Development of a digital archive
Movie theaters are undergoing a long process of transformation that began with the massive introduction of televisions in the ʼ60s, continued with the spread of streaming platforms in the ʼ10s, and reached a turning point with the Covid-19 pandemic. All these rapid changes have not yet been analyzed by a systematic study, and due to the great fragmented nature of the industry, to date there is still no database that collects information about the exercise: the number of cinemas opened and closed, their location, the number of theaters and seats present, the number of tickets sold and their cost, and how many and what titles are shown. With the pandemic, it has become urgent to shed light on the status of Italian cinemas in order to preserve their activity as irreplaceable cultural garrisons and important business activities for our film industry.
In this project, a methodology will be tested that combines data collection, from the different bodies and trade associations involved in exhibition, with a qualitative survey, with which direct confrontation will be sought with exhibitors and owners in a representative sample of the Italian reality in order to understand what their experience is, what is the context in which the theater operates, what strategies they have adopted to survive this last great crisis.