Staying home
Indeed, one person’s crisis is another person’s good fortune. For some industries, the coronavirus has been serendipitous. As lockdown restrictions continue to grip the nation, we’re looking for more ways to entertain ourselves indoors.
In addition, homeowners have spent £55 billion on home renovations since lockdown. In a bid to improve our home environment, we’re willing to pay for technology we may not have previously considered – such as home cinemas.
Affordability
With large screen TVs and speaker systems dropping in price by the day, recreating the home cinema experience at home is getting easier on the wallet. Of course, a ‘budget’ version is not likely to be an exact replica, with immersive sound and hidden speakers, but many people are now converting spaces to ‘media rooms’.
These allow us to make a space more versatile, for example, watching both loud action movies and using them in a more social setting, like watching sports games. Interior designers are getting more creative with their hidden panels, mirrors and adjustable projectors to ensure a room can transform easily – without breaking the bank.
Better streaming content
It’s no secret that online streaming saw an astronomical surge during lockdown. Streaming platform Netflix saw an uptake of 10 million new users in one quarter alone. This has put more pressure on creators to produce better content specifically for streaming sites, and we’re already seeing many capitalising on this.
The long-awaited Borat sequel, for example, was delivered exclusively on Amazon Prime, rather than relying on a traditional cinema release. Coupled with another nationwide closure of cinemas, this proved a fruitful marketing strategy for creator Sacha Baron Cohen. The movie drew in “tens of millions” of viewers during its opening weekend, according to Variety.
