Designing the Future of Moviegoing

Cinema chains countered new competition by going bigger. One dared to do the opposite.

The two-story poster wall at ArcLight Cinema Chicago.

Over the past decade, as home entertainment technology advanced and streaming video exploded, movie theaters needed a strategy to survive. Their gambit: go big, so audiences wouldn’t stay home. Screens grew to IMAX proportions, speakers were tuned to bone-rattling volume, and 3D glasses were resurrected.

Soon this maximalist approach went too far, giving moviegoers more of what we didn’t want. Once a commercial-free haven, the experience became larded with tacky pre-show ads and interminable trailers. The popcorn and soda portions grew morbidly obese. While theaters were selling concessions, audiences were forced to make them.

But one startup cinema brand saw what its rivals had overlooked. Even when you don’t control the product — the film itself — you can design a better experience around it. Following extensive research about what movie lovers truly want from a theater, ArcLight Cinemas was born. Their success offers an important lesson for any industry: even in the face of existential threat, thoughtful service design can save the day.

Unlike its supersized competitors, ArcLight demonstrates that less is more. They may offer fewer screens than the roadside…