The changing landscape of cinemas

Cinema infrastructure has changed significantly over the last 45 years. The number of theatres has fallen by 36 per cent, while the number of screens has almost tripled. In 1980, the average number of screens per theatre was 1.2, but as the industry transitioned from single screens to multiplexes, that has now increased more than fourfold to 4.9 screens per theatre. 

The introduction of premium seating has seen a gradual decline in the number of seats per screen. In 1980, the average number of seats per screen was 456. In 2024, the average had dropped to 162.

While there are fewer theatres than in the 1980s, the significant rise in the number of screens per theatre, and the transition to digital projection, gives exhibitors greater flexibility in the number and diversity of titles they can screen and the scheduling of those titles.

The table below displays the total amount of screens, seats and theatres in Australia over the period 1980-2024.