Scotland’s arthouse cinemas prevail in an age of declining chains

The current trajectory of Scotland’s cinemas can be traced back to the pandemic. Cinemas were particularly hard done by lockdown restrictions, being large, high-rent buildings that communally congregate groups of people. Measures such as socially distanced seating were introduced, but profit margins evaporated from the reduced capacity.

There was also a lack of new films to pique the general public’s curiosity and fill seats, with studios waiting for a significant enough audience return to release anything major in their pipelines. Chains, so reliant on the sure-thing nature of Hollywood blockbusters, floundered at the lack of offerings.

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According to data from Screen Scotland, box office recovery in Scotland has actually outpaced the rest of the UK, climbing back to roughly 80% of its pre-pandemic high. So why has this not trickled down to the benefit of the multiplexes? The answer lies in their unenviable position of high fixed overheads and acclimating to the sudden shifts in consumer habits.

Studios have adapted to increased home-viewing that has remained steady since the pandemic, despite the return to business as usual, by focusing on streaming films and to-rent event films. This provides the studios with presence and revenue, but it leaves them with much less need for external exhibitors. It’s no surprise that the more successful chains, like Vue and Everyman Cinemas, have attempted to recreate the luxurious comforts of the home.

Everyman Cinemas promises the comfort and luxury of the home (Image: Connor Mollison)

Even existing as a fundamental landmark of the city fabric isn’t enough now to help stabilise a chain’s fortunes. Cineworld’s Renfrew Street location in Glasgow closed its doors last year after being acquired by a new operator, with plans to reopen at some point this year.

Standing at 12 storeys with 18 screens, the venue had been crowned by the Guinness Book of Records as the "world's tallest cinema" since it opened in 2001. But the sheer scale of the building and the operating costs that go with it have turned it into a game of operator hot potato. The cinema will reopen this year under the Omniplex chain, hoping to revive the hollowed footsteps left by Cineworld.

The big success story of the chains is the expansion of Vue Cinemas into Scotland’s cities. The multinational now owns six locations, with two in the capital and two in the biggest city of Glasgow. Due to cheaper ticket prices relative to its competitors and the allure of leather recliners and other "VIP"-branded amenities, it has become the standard du jour of the chains in recent years. Yet, reliance on undercutting admission price and the push for domestic familiarity has given Vue and other chain cinemas a hell of an identity crisis, where the actual films being paid for seem to be the only thing that ends up left out of the sell.

While commercial entities wrestle with landlords and struggle with the fluctuating interest in must-see Hollywood studio fare, the independent arthouse scene has fought its way into an extraordinary, community-driven comeback. A few years ago, independent exhibition in Scotland seemed entirely doomed. Yet, the sheer willpower of the public, combined with targeted government interventions, has rewritten that.

Following a gruelling three-year campaign and a comprehensive £2 million refurbishment, the Edinburgh Filmhouse reopened its doors on Lothian Road, backed by a mix of public donations, Screen Scotland funding, and £1.54 million from the UK Government. It has expanded its footprint, welcoming over 120,000 filmgoers within its first year back, proving that the appetite for a more curated and thoughtful experience has remained.

Similarly, Aberdeen's Belmont Cinema secured a vital development lifeline of up to £1.5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, charting a slow course toward a projected reopening for next year.  

Glasgow Film Theatre, the "crown jewel" of Scotland’s independent cinemas, is as resilient as ever, changing long-term management while retaining the theatre’s mission and ethos. The theatre is also flanked by the burgeoning Glasgow Film Festival, which this year saw record-breaking audience numbers. The festival has become a major stepping stone in the festival circuit, turned to increasingly in the wake of the diminished relevance of the "big 3" of Venice, Cannes, and Berlin.

Read more from Derek McArthur:

• Cannes came and went. Is cinema in danger of becoming a niche hobby?
• Letting Glasgow Film Theatre rot is sheer cultural vandalism
• Margaret Tait and a reckoning with Scottish film culture
• Interview: Retiring Glasgow Film CEO is not interested in any corporate speak

These victories, however, like anything won from the passion of its advocates, are fragile. Independent cinemas cannot survive on market forces alone. Venues like the Glasgow Film Theatre require constant institutional and public financial support to remain viable. Without state intervention and philanthropic lifelines, these cultural hubs can quickly collapse into administration. The rescue packages to continue operating are always welcome, but they are loose fixes in such a harsh macroeconomic climate that churns outwith cinema’s control.

Scottish cinemas have survived the hurdles of slow pandemic return and changing consumer tastes, but the old baseline is gone forever. The future of film in Scotland might very well belong to the independent arthouses if the moment is seized accordingly, and the meaning and consideration towards cinema and what attracts people to it remains intact.

Chain cinemas live or die depending on what is offered by the studio system that captures the general public’s imagination. But independent cinemas are not so volatile in the face of Hollywood blunders or changing cultural trends. Venues like Glasgow Film Theatre and Edinburgh Filmhouse serve a dedicated group, and most importantly, have a philosophy. While the multiplex treats film as a commodity, a backdrop to the real business of overpriced confectionery and upsold add-ons, the arthouse treats it as a civic necessity.

Derek McArthur is an artist and arts writer specialising in cinema and culture. He writes a weekly arts column for The Herald.