Final Curtain Call for Movie Theatres

The movie theatre industry in Kenya has recently been dealt a cruel blow; it seems to be breathing its last, desperately clinging onto the life support machine. The recent closure of the Silverbird movie theatres is the latest casualty and Kenyans have finally realized what a dire situation this industry is in.

Who would have ever thought that the swanky, world class entertainment spots with their state-of the- art screens and tasteful interiors were in trouble? It came as a shock to many, regardless of the fact that a large majority of Kenyans have given the cinema experience a wide berth over the last few years.

In the late 90s, before the advent of mobile phones, email and DVD players, movie theatres epitomized the dating experience. Dates were an exciting affair planned weeks in advance through landline telephones and on the fated day, the boy and girl would meet outside the theatre hall where there would undoubtedly be a number of other young couples waiting on the object of their fancy.

A young man looking to impress his lady took her out to the movie theatre to watch a new blockbuster. This generation will always nostalgically reminisce on the innocence of dating in this era, stealing their first kiss and holding hands as the movie rolled on. The dating scene in the 90s fuelled the growth and success of the movie theatres in Kenya; however, things have drastically changed and dating is not centered around movie dates anymore.

When Fox Theatres shut its Kenya Cinema and Fox Kisumu branches in October 2010, attention was raised as to the flagging nature of this industry. However, not enough was done as come April 2011, Silverbird Cinemas which were touted as providing ‘the cinema experience of a lifetime’ called it quits.

Mismanagement, dwindling patronage and rising costs were some of the reasons given for the closure that left hundreds unemployed and the businesses up for auction. Currently, only a handful of theatres remain operational, the most prominent ones being the Fox Theatres; Sarit Centre, Capital centre and Nyali Cineplex in Mombasa.

Technological advances have directly affected the movie theatre industry; introduction of fibre optic cables have increased bandwidth and capacity resulting in faster and cheaper downloads thereby allowing Kenyans to download and share movies at minimal cost.

The rising cost of living has seen ‘going to the movies’ placed squarely under the luxuries category by a majority of Kenyans. A date at the movies will now leave an individual’s wallet at least Ksh. 2000 lighter as compared to ten years ago where the tickets and snacks would only have cost a quarter of this.

Many Kenyans can no longer afford to go out to the movie theatres as much as they would like, therefore relegating this experience to one only enjoyed by the more affluent. The proliferation of Ksh 50 DVDs which are available in every corner of Nairobi was the last nail on the coffin of the dying movie theatres.

Majority of Kenyans nowadays own a television set and DVD player rendering a trip to the movie theatres to watch a certain flick an option rather than necessity. Home theatres and HD televisions only add to the fray as an individual has the convenience of watching movies at their own time, at their own pace with the ability to rewind, pause or leave it for later all while in the comfort of their own homes.

This has created a paradigm shift for the dating experience as most Kenyans profess that this environment creates a more intimate atmosphere, not to mention the many pennies saved as compared to what they would have had to spend at a movie theatre.

Whether this is the final curtain call for movie theatres in Kenya remains to be seen.

But what is certain however, is that a lot needs to be done in order to revive the industry and return it to its former glory.

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