Reading Cinemas Australia has announced a record month in December 2024 – pointing to cinema’s good health.
We’ve heard mutterings about the death of cinema since the advent of TV (if not before). Anyone can see recent years have been one hell of a challenge—between competition from streaming, cost of living increases, and (oh yeah) a global pandemic.
Which leaves us feeling all the more optimistic about the state of cinema in Australia with Reading Cinemas’ announcement of record box office takings last December. It’s a sign that we can expect to see some positives in Screen Australia’s upcoming report into cinema industry trends, due next month.
For Reading Cinemas, last month’s record eclipsed the previous record, back in December 2019. And making this an even stronger indicator of cinema’s health, it follows the chain’s November 2024 box office, which itself set a new record in the company’s history.
“What a fantastic way to round out 2024!” said Mark Douglas, Managing Director of Reading Cinemas Australia. “Following on from a remarkably strong November, it is very exciting to see December 2024 outperform all previous years. On the back of Blockbuster titles such as Wicked, Gladiator 2 and Moana 2 in November, we continued to see very solid results from Mufasa: The Lion King, Better Man and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. With Paddington in Peru, Conclave and We Live in Time also now showing and A Complete Unknown opening this Thursday, there truly is something for everyone to see at their local Reading Cinema.”
Having just launched a brand-new Loyalty Program (letting moviegoers earn and redeem points, or opt to upgrade to a tier with discounts, exclusive promotions etc), Reading Cinemas are optimistic about 2025—and like other cinemas, will be welcoming an upcoming release schedule that includes blockbuster titles such as Captain America: Brave New World and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Bring on the rest of 2025!
