“The UK independent cinema market is flourishing as the three boutique chains, Picturehouse, Everyman and Curzon, engage in a flurry of openings. Screen investigates a booming indie economy. In 1985, the opening of the UK’s first multiplex cinema at The Point in Milton Keynes triggered a transformation of the country’s exhibition sector. Annual cinema admissions — which had been declining inexorably for four decades — staged a remarkable recovery, more than tripling as construction boomed. The pace of change then slowed dramatically not long after the start of the 21st century, and UK cinema admissions have essentially plateaued over the past 15 years. But while the multiplex boom seems to have run its course in the UK, the same cannot be said for the independent sector, and especially for the three boutique chains — Picturehouse, Curzon and Everyman — which are now engaged in a spate of dramatic expansion” says Charles Gant.
Finding ways to strengthen the presence of independent film, arthouse chains in the UK are working within the competitive market of commercial theaters to show non-blockbuster films.