by Elisabetta Brunella

Clare Binns - Managing Director, Picturehouse, UK

The Picturehouse cinema circuit, a British company also active in the fields of distribution and home entertainment, consists of twenty-eight neighbourhood movie theatres.

Which are the keywords for relaunching cinemagoing post-Covid? For Claire Binns, Managing Director of Picturehouse, it is important for movie theatres to find a specific space where they can make themselves heard amongst the multitude of messages targeting movie fans. Potential spectators must realize that getting back to the big screen - after all the upset in habits caused by the pandemic - is what is really needed to truly appreciate a movie.

“This is why we encourage young people in particular to return to the movie theatres, offering film weeks and events with directors and authors. We also offer membership which entitles a member to free screenings accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee. And since we want our customers to feel that they really are important to us, we not only choose our refreshment suppliers and products with great care, but we also train our staff to be ready to chat with spectators about cinema.

Lastly one of our initiatives places the accent on sustainability: in the context of “Green Screen”, in collaboration with local associations, we screen documentaries on the environment followed by debates. The success we have had up to now leads us to affirm that ecology is an issue movie theatres looking to the future have to place their bets on”.

Christian Grass - CEO, Metrograph, US

Started in 2016, following the intuition of fashion designer Alexander Olch, the New York City Metrograph quickly earned itself the fame of being the Big Apple’s "coolest movie theater".

According to Metrograph’s CEO, Christian Grass, in his talk at Cinemavision 2030, there are three main pillars of success to it: a programme that is well developed enough to distinguish it from all NYC’s other movie theatres; the ability to create and keep alive a community that unites filmmakers and spectators; a context in which cinema cultures from different geographical areas are interwoven with different historical moments and addresses an audience marked by their openness to multicultural experiences.

Whilst the style of the building hosting it - characterised by the traditional marquee - gives a nod to the glorious past of the sumptuous "Hollywood style” cinemas, the Metrograph’s programming - mainly based on “cult” movies and repertory, often screened in 35 mm - is directed at a prevalently young, educated, tech-savvy audience.On re-opening after Covid, this small two-screen complex (seating 200 and 46 respectively) and equipped with a specialised bookshop, has launched a customer loyalty scheme offering both theatrical screenings and a catalogue of films on demand to be watched at home.

Counted amongst NYC’s “boutique cinemas”, the Metrograph has not, however, embraced the trend in the luxury sector to offer meals during screenings, but offers customers a bar and a proper restaurant with an international menu favouring typically Italian products and recipes, from burrata to bresaola, spaghetti to tiramisù.

This formula, which concentrates on quality programming and the quality of the restaurant, but without the two offers overlapping, seems to have been the winning move for post-Covid recovery.

And if its programme of movies makes the Metrograph the right venue for a wide range of international cinema, its roots in the territory are certainly not neglected at this Ludlow Street movie theatre that makes the local context one of its strong points. Starting from the special programme conceived to share the New Year’s celebrations with the neighbouring community in New York’s Chinatown.