Movie theatres in the United States are ready for a revolutionary move as they hope to attract larger audiences to cinema halls by providing them with additional entertainment facilities like pickleball courts and zipline.
The movie theatre industry in the USA is struggling and they've come up with a revolutionary new idea to help make profits through the help of pickleball. The National Association of Theater Owners, a trade organization which represents the eight largest theater chains in the United States and Canada announced on Thursday their blockbuster plan to spent $2.2 billion over the next three years.
As part of their lavish spending, the existing facilities will be beefed up and the movie theaters will be renovated with new and more comfortable seats, better quality projection technology and sound systems, as well as better food and snacks.
Apart from the aforementioned facilities, better air conditioning, lighting, carpeting, and other crucial equipment will be added.
The movie theaters group is also planning to invest money in providing audiences with more entertainment options like bowling and arcades, pickleball courts and even zipline.
Michael O'Leary, CEO of the movie theaters association told Variety that pickleball courts and zipline will hopefully help attract larger audiences and give them multiple options to explore under one roof.
"Consumers today are very demanding and they want to have a range of things that they can do in any given setting," he said.
AMC Entertainment Inc., Regal Cinemas, Cinemark USA, Inc., Cineplex, Marcus Theatres Corp., B&B Theatres, Harkins Theatres, and Santikos Entertainment are the top 8 leading cinema chains in the US and Canada and they account for a total of 67% of box office, with more than 1600 theaters in different locations.
Pickleball has been growing at a rapid rate not just in the United States, but in India and all across the world, and the sport is expected to boom further in the upcoming years.