评论
打印
Go big or go home
要么做大，要么回家
Cinemas may be dying. But the high end is thriving.
电影院或许正在消亡。但高端影院正在蓬勃发展。
The box office has a bad case of long covid. Worldwide takings last year were a quarter below their pre-pandemic peak. Americans, who went to the cinema more than five times each in 2000, last year went fewer than three times.
电影票房染上了久病不愈的新冠肺炎。去年，全球票房收入比疫情前的峰值低了四分之一。2000年，美国每人去电影院的次数超过五次，而去年只有不到三次。
As streaming services keep audiences glued to the small screen, theatre chains including Cineworld, the world’s second-largest, have entered administration. Yet the biggest of the big screens are thriving.
随着流媒体服务让小屏幕牢牢吸引住了观众，包括全球第二大影院“电影世界”在内的连锁影院已进入破产行政接管程序。然而，最大的大银幕影院正在蓬勃发展。
IMAX, whose screens are as large as 38 metres (125 feet) wide with denture-rattling sound systems, had worldwide box-office takings of $1.1bn last year and its biggest-ever haul in America and Canada.
IMAX的银幕宽达38米(125英尺)，配有震得你牙齿打架的音响系统，去年全球票房收入为11亿美元，在美国和加拿大达到了有史以来最高的票房。
On February 27th IMAX reported that its annual revenue was up by a quarter, and it expects to install up to 150 new screens in 2024. IMAX’s improbable success exemplifies a trend: as cinema-going changes from a regular habit into an occasional treat, the fanciest theatres are prospering.
2月27日，IMAX报告称，其年收入增长了四分之一，预计2024年将安装多达150块新银幕。IMAX看似不可能的成功体现了一种趋势：随着去电影院看电影从经常性的习惯转变为偶尔的享受，最豪华的影院正在蓬勃发展。
Features such as heated, reclining seats and waiter service pushed the average price of admission in America above $10.50 last year, from around $9 before the pandemic.
加热躺椅和服务员服务等特色将美国的平均电影票价格从疫情前的约9美元推高至去年的10.50美元以上。
Cinema chains have tried to tempt audiences out of the house with outdoor, moonlit screenings (blankets and cocktails are sold separately) and speed-dating events in the lobby.
连锁影院试图通过露天、月光下的放映活动(毯子和鸡尾酒单独出售)和大堂里的快速相亲活动来吸引观众走出家门。
The luxury-cinema trend is not limited to America. IMAX’s share of the international box office (excluding China) rose from 1.7% in 2019 to 2.1% last year. CGV, a South Korean chain with branches across Asia, has rebranded its multiplexes as “cultureplexes”, offering music, gaming and dining alongside films.
豪华影院的风潮并不局限于美国。IMAX在国际票房中的份额(不包括中国)从2019年的1.7%上升到去年的2.1%。在亚洲各地设有分店的韩国连锁影城CGV已将其多厅影院改名为“多文化影院”，除了电影还提供音乐、游戏和餐饮服务。
Auditoriums feature wind, rain and scents, as well as “sweetbox” seats for young couples, who want privacy from parents that living-room couches do not offer. Vox Cinemas, an Emirati chain, has a VIP menu featuring wagyu beef wrapped in gold leaf, for $119.
放映厅里有风、有雨和气味体验，还有专为年轻情侣准备的“甜蜜包厢”座椅，这些情侣希望有一点隐私，不被父母打扰，这是客厅沙发无法提供的。阿联酋的连锁影院Vox影院有一个贵宾菜单，里面有金箔包裹的和牛牛肉，售价119美元。
Theatre operators must hope audiences are hungry for these add-ons; this year’s movie menu is limited. Strikes last year in Hollywood have delayed titles, including “Mission: Impossible” and “Avatar” sequels, to 2025.
影院运营商肯定希望观众是渴望得到这些附加服务的，因为今年上映的电影很有限。好莱坞去年的罢工已经将《碟中谍》和《阿凡达》续集在内的许多电影推迟到了2025年上映。
Successful cinemas will treat a trip to the movies as the rare luxury it is fast becoming.
成功的电影院将把去电影院看电影视作一种少有的奢侈享受，去电影院正在快速地奢侈化。
