AustLit

'Although box office receipts for the theatrical release of movies have remained consistently high over the past decade, this tends to mask a slow erosion in the frequency of movie-going among the Australia population. Australians, it appears, are gradually losing the habit of going to the movies. This decline sits in marked contrast to increasing numbers of audiences preferring to engage with cinematic content through VOD and other digital platforms. Our engagement with industry stakeholders highlights the concerns of the Australian distribution and exhibition sectors of the industry about competition from a range of competing leisure and entertainment opportunities for Australian consumers. In this paper we argue that it is vital for the local industry to revise its current model of movie-going audiences, in order to better understand what consumers think about the ‘cinematic experience’ and how they value this experience in relation to the variety of competition from other leisure and entertainment experiences. We outline the opportunities to draw from insights across multiple disciplinary fields, in particular to explore the implications of applying ‘the customer journey’ to understanding the variety of social and material factors which may be in play in informing the decision-making of movie-going audiences.' (Publication abstract)

'Welcome to this special issue of Studies in Australasian Cinema, focusing on business aspects of the cinema industry. The five articles included in this special issue were developed in response to a call for papers for the 2020 Conference of the Australian Screen Production, Education and Research Association (ASPERA) which was to be held in Newcastle, NSW in June. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event - like many others - was significantly reorganised, with only a single day of on-line sessions in place of the traditional three days of live presentations and screenings. Fortunately, many of the ASPERA researchers who had intended to come to the conference decided to complete their written contributions, and it’s their work we present here.' (Editorial introduction)

'Steffie Waters has lived her whole life in a small and strangely musical country town, brought up by her grandmother Maria. Steffie would love to get to the big city but is held back by her loyalty to her boyfriend Mike and best friend Allie. But when Sebastian Johnson and Kev Plummer, two ageing judges from a struggling reality TV show, Band in Australia, arrive in town to run a music competition, Steffie has to make some tough decisions about her future. As the week in the small country town unfolds, Sebastian - who is Maria's old flame - is confronted with the consequences of his past, and he and Steffie must both work out what is truly important in life.' (Production summary)