Regent Cinemas Albury manager Kelly Davis says movie experiences are different these days with a higher level of service and improvements such as luxury lounge-style chairs and food and drinks brought to your seats. Photo: Vanessa Hayden.
“There’s nothing better than a whole cinema erupting with cheers when something significant happens on screen,” says Regent Cinemas Albury general manager Kelly Davis.
Kelly has been with the business for 18 years and says cinema is coming back stronger than ever after the devastation of COVID and the Hollywood writers’ strike, and there’s a whiff of excitement in the air.
The iconic cinema complex will soon be moving into its 100th year and she says after several shaky years things are starting to look bright.
But it’s a slightly different experience you can expect these days, according to the movie buff, who fell in love with the industry when she first watched Crocodile Dundee in Albury in 1986, and there’s more to do to keep people coming back.
“Going to the movies and how you go to the movies has definitely changed,” she said.
“There’s personalised service, luxury seating, food brought to your table and beverages available. It’s a better experience than just sitting in a cinema and watching a movie now.”
Like many theatres in the country, Albury struggled during COVID and the writers’ strike that followed immediately after.
Kelly said 42 cinemas were forced to close.
First there were no people, then there were lulls in distribution and production as the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild negotiated for better deals over pay and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry.
“There was such a difference once negotiations were successful, a flow of movies came. The calendar years for 2025 and 2026 are looking really solid and it’s very exciting.
“We are still finding our feet again, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now which is really promising.”
In 2024 the season finished on a high with films such as Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked, Gladiator and Moana 2 drawing crowds. In recent times the juggernaut that was Barbie brought people back to the cinema in droves. On record as one of the biggest movies of all time is Avatar which came out in 2009.
“Barbie was the phenomenon that we needed to remind everyone about cinema,” said Kelly.
As one of the bigger complexes, Albury’s Regent, with nine screens and a seating capacity of 390 people in Cinema 1 alone, has had to be clever in how it attracts customers through the doors.
A rewards program, a dedicated children’s cinema, screenings of retro movies at retro prices and other initiatives keep the cogs turning.
“These days cinema is really seen as a social activity. People like having that joint experience of seeing a movie with friends, and also with strangers; there’s nothing better than a whole cinema erupting with cheers when something significant happens on screen.
“I think that’s why cinema is still front and centre, because of that social aspect.
“As people also focus on their costs of living, instead of going away for a weekend a family might look to a movie outing as their big experience.
“It’s not cheap to come to the movies but it’s cheaper than a weekend away. A group of four might spend $200 or more if they are going Gold Class but that’s a whole lot less than a $2000 trip when you have to factor in fuel, accommodation and eating out several times.”
Kelly says on the horizon are movies such as Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Karate Kid: The Legends, Wicked Part 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
She said the rise of streaming services had some effect on how they did business and had driven them to think more creatively.
“Streaming services were so important during COVID when you couldn’t escape but now that we have good content they are used more as a catch-up tool.
“I remember, growing up, when you missed something at the cinema you had to wait a year for it to come out on video or DVD.
“During COVID we actually brought back a lot of retro screenings and they were so popular that we’ve continued to do that; people love it.
“I still love it when we have a movie that is so popular we are still screening it even though it’s on streaming, because there are still households that don’t have the benefit of having multiple streaming services, so having it at the cinema is fantastic.”
Regent Cinemas Albury is considered one of the best regional cinemas in the Riverina and its employment record is a testament to its business ethics. Many of its senior employees have been on the books for two decades or more, with projectionist Rodney Farmer holding the record of 40 years in service.
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