Cinema industry trends Screens and theatres Total screens, seating capacity and theatres in Australia, 1980–2015 Next update March 2017 The number of cinema screens in Australia has risen more than 150 per cent between 1980 and 2015, from 829 to 2,080. After a decline in the mid-1980s, growth was particularly strong in the three years to 1999, when screen numbers rose by 150 to 175 per year. Following several years of gradual growth, 2007 recorded the first fall in screen numbers since 1987. This was reversed in 2008, with growth continuing since then. However, the screens are increasingly concentrated. 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 Screens 829 842 833 863 822 742 Capacity (‘000 seats) 378 384 381 395 377 324 Theatres 713 723 711 737 702 573 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Screens 676 645 712 772 851 885 Capacity (‘000 seats) 295 303 285 286 295 301 Theatres 509 506 520 501 510 522 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Screens 906 951 1,028 1,137 1,251 1,422 Capacity (‘000 seats) 296 300 312 332 355 387 Theatres 510 518 537 557 551 563 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Screens 1,576 1,748 1,817 1,855 1,872 1,907 Capacity (‘000 seats) 413 446 453 463 464 472 Theatres 567 580 554 547 547 553 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Screens (inc. digital) 1,909 1,943 1,964 1,941 1,980 1,989 Digital screens n.a. n.a. 27 30 54 184 Capacity (‘000 seats) 467 473 467 457 462 463 Theatres 525 519 494 485 493 492 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Screens (inc. digital) 1,994 1,991 1,997 2,057 2,041 2,080 Digital screens 452 704 n.p. 1,168 1,160 1,179 Capacity (‘000 seats) 459 457 452 445 439 443 Theatres 482 475 478 486 489 493 Source: Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA). Notes: Each year is based on annual data accessed the following January/February in the MPDAA theatre report and does not reflect any subsequent updates by the MPDAA. Includes drive-ins, as well as ‘non-commercial’ screens not generally open to the public, such as those at army, naval and airforce bases, mining camps, film societies, colleges and universities. n.a. Not available. n.p. Data is out-of-date and may be incorrect.