6a Arthouse
What do you understand by ‘arthouse cinemas’? Do you know what kinds of film they show?
- Different from mainstream cinemas like multiplexes.
- They may show a different range of films.
- These would be a mixture of titles – world cinema, low budget, alternative non-mainstream films alongside more Hollywood style specialised titles.
- Perhaps the appeal may be for a different sort of audience – older 35+, mainly middle-class, educated – although most specialist cinemas aim to show films and run events for families and younger viewers.
- Smaller than multiplexes in terms of screens.
- Less appeal to younger markets in general?
- ‘Arthouse’ is a common name for what is now formally described as a ‘specialist’ cinema – a cinema catering for a variety of specialist audiences (rather than a generalised, mainstream audience).
6b English Language Specialised Titles
Look at this table based on a Sight and Sound article from February 2014 by Charles Gant. He talked about what he called ‘English language specialised titles’. These are films that, although mainstream and very often star-driven, were screened at specialist (arthouse) cinemas. As you may have seen with your research into specialist, arthouse cinemas, these types of film are often prominent in their schedules, although all schedules also feature independent titles as well.
Outline the reasons why specialist, arthouse cinema programmers screen these films. (The gross quoted shows the revenue from multiplex/mainstream cinemas as well as specialist/arthouse cinemas.) You may need to find out about any films you are unfamiliar with.
| Film | Gross (to Feb 2014) |
|---|---|
| Life of Pi | £29,928,205 |
| Gravity | £25,763,353 |
| Captain Phillips | £15,805,169 |
| The Great Gatsby | £15,737,351 |
| Django Unchained | £15,736,884 |
| Philomena | £10,470,225 |
| Lincoln | £8,757,912 |
| Quartet | £7,303,670 |
| Blue Jasmine | £5,120,999 |
- Nearly all of the films are aimed at an older, 35 + demographic.
- Only two films are 3D – Life of Pi and Gravity – but both are more serious films than the average multiplex, high concept film and are thus more likely to attract an ‘arthouse’ audience. Life of Pi was a Booker prize-winning novel rooted in magic realism. Gravity is seen as a more serious take on life and mortality than say Transformers.
- Some are star-led with established but highly regarded actors (Dench, Hanks, Day-Lewis, Blanchett, Seymour-Hoffman) who have won Oscars and have a high status in the industry.
- Directors here also play an important role in attracting the arthouse audience (Lee, Cuaron, Greengrass, Luhrmann, Tarantino, Allen).
- Many of these films have been nominated for and have won major awards which may also be a big draw.
- The profits gained from exhibiting these films can support the exhibition of more independent films, which may not attract such large audiences.
