The ACCC has officially authorised Independent Cinemas Australia (ICA) and its members to collectively bargain with distributors on licensing agreements.
Netflix and other streaming services won’t kill the cinema industry and are in fact complementing rather than competing with the theatrical business.
The global rise of streaming services has not directly impacted cinemagoing but it has hurt independent films which traditionally have performed well at indie cinemas.
The Independent Cinemas Association has today called on both federal and state governments to provide independent cinemas tax relief and immediate cashflow injections, as the industry struggles for survival in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Independent Cinemas Australia president Scott Seddon addresses the challenges facing cinemas in negotiating with landlords, cash-flow problems with JobKeeper and the need for a coordinated industry-wide approach when cinemas re-open.
Drive-in cinemas in Adelaide and Heddon Greta near Newcastle resumed trading last Friday, drawing big crowds, as a survey of more than 20,000 Australians showed 98 per cent look forward to cinemas re-opening.
"You know business is in bad shape when the documentary 'David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet' and a 'Star Wars' re-release are your top two films by a wide margin."
While the school holidays are giving ticket sales a modest uplift, the crisis for Australian cinemas shows no signs of abating, at least until Boxing Day.