Do cinemas have a future? Definitely yes, says manager Felicitas Zehnder. Because even if streaming services are increasing strongly – they are a supplement to the cinema, not a replacement, as she explains in the interview.
January 15, 2021 12:48 p.m.
Manuela Bruhin
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Felicitas Zehnder: “Streaming is an addition, not a substitute.”
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In 1999 the Stadtsaal and the Cinewil were opened. After all these years, the cinemas are now facing major challenges due to the crisis. How do you deal with that?
We are fortunate that the cinema has existed for 20 years and is well anchored in the population. Thanks to the reserves that we have built up over the last few years and the compensation for the loss of cultural activities from the canton, we will be able to make ends meet by the end of February. The short-time working support naturally also helps. Nevertheless, we had to lay off more than half of the employees. These are all temporary workers with very little work.
Over the years, the pressure of competition has increased and streaming services are catching up. How do you experience the situation? How can Cinewil hold up against it?
Customers who use streaming services, including myself, tend to go to the cinema more often than others. Streaming customers are interested in films and the majority of them enjoy the film many times over with its cinema atmosphere, cinema sound and entertainment before and after the film. Streaming is an addition, not a substitute.
What is important to ensure that people get from the couch at home to the cinema? As the operator, do you have any influence at all?
We need to give customers a different movie and entertainment experience than they have at home. Dolby Atmos surround sound has become well established in our company and is the first and so far only cinema in the canton that we have installed. The café-bar, newly built in autumn 2019, is also an attraction and offers customers a change from “beer at home” before or after the film.
The cinemas are preparing for the future with various effects. Are there any adjustments planned in Cinewil in the foreseeable future, such as those introduced in the Cinedome, for example?
We are and will remain a cinema – and not Disneyland. That is why we attach great importance to an attractive range of films and perfect technology. As already mentioned, cinema culture also includes the café and bar, where you can exchange ideas about films, culture, theater or the latest city happenings.
So do you think cinemas have a future?
And.
How will Cinewil emerge from the crisis?
With new ideas. Let yourself be surprised, our team is particularly creative in lockdown …
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