第1597期:The future of cinema

Are you a movie­goer? If, like me, you’re a fan of film, then there’s no better place to watch something than on the big screen at the cinema. You enter the dark auditorium and take your seat, ready to be entertained. But while you engross yourself in some movie magic, many others are now getting their film fix at home.

你是影迷吗？如果像我一样，您是电影迷，那么没有比在电影院的大屏幕上观看电影更好的地方了。您进入黑暗的礼堂并坐下，准备好接受娱乐。但是，当您全神贯注于一些电影魔术时，许多其他人现在正在家里修复他们的电影。

Over the last few years, cinemas have seen a resurgence. Customers have been enticed by comfortable seats, and lots of choice of things to watch. Multiplexes in particular can screen up to twenty films at the same time, catering for all different tastes. In addition, 3D and even 4D movies can give the audience an extra immersive experience. So, what’s not to like about a trip to the cinema?

在过去的几年里，电影院出现了复苏。舒适的座椅和丰富的观看选择吸引了顾客。特别是多厅可以同时放映多达 20 部电影，满足所有不同的口味。此外，3D甚至4D电影都能给观众带来额外的身临其境的体验。那么，去电影院有什么不喜欢的呢？

One answer to that question is convenience. Rather than going out, it’s so much easier to stay in and watch a romcom or action movie on a high-definition TV screen via a streaming service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime. There’s plenty of choice, and it’s relatively cheap as well. But, personally, I find there are too many distractions, and watching at home is not such an event. I miss the trailers too!

这个问题的一个答案是方便。比起出去，呆在家里通过 Netflix 或 Amazon Prime 等流媒体服务在高清电视屏幕上观看浪漫喜剧或动作电影要容易得多。有很多选择，而且相对便宜。但是，就我个人而言，我发现有太多的干扰，在家观看并不是这样的事情。我也想念预告片！

But the coronavirus pandemic has put the future of cinemas under the spotlight. Some have had to close because of reduced ticket sales.  And in the UK, it’s brought about a surge in TV watching and online streaming, according to media watchdog, Ofcom. It also found that half of UK adults will keep and continue using their new streaming subscriptions.

但是冠状病毒大流行使电影院的未来成为人们关注的焦点。由于门票销售减少，一些不得不关闭。据媒体监管机构 Ofcom 称，在英国，它带来了电视观看和在线流媒体的激增。它还发现，一半的英国成年人将继续使用他们新的流媒体订阅。

This isn’t great news for cinemas. They rely on the release of a big blockbuster to bring the crowds back, but the launch of new films, such as James Bond: No Time To Die, are being delayed. And Disney has released its $200m blockbuster, Mulan, online instead of in movie theatres. But John Fithian, from the National Association of Theatre Owners, told Variety magazine: “This idea of waiting out the pandemic to make your movies more profitable doesn’t make sense to me. There won’t be as much of an industry left to play your movies in if you do that.”

这对电影院来说不是什么好消息。他们依靠一部大片的上映来吸引观众，但新电影的上映，例如詹姆斯邦德：没时间死，却被推迟了。迪士尼已经在网上而不是电影院上映了其价值 2 亿美元的大片《花木兰》。但来自全国影院所有者协会的约翰·菲斯安告诉《综艺》杂志：“这种等待大流行让你的电影更有利可图的想法对我来说没有意义。如果你这样做，将不会有那么多的行业可以播放你的电影。”

词汇表

moviegoer 常去电影院看电影的人
the big screen 大银幕
cinema 电影院
auditorium 影厅，礼堂
engross 使…全神贯注
film fix 需要看电影的渴望
multiplexes 多放映厅电影院
screen 放映，播出
audience 观众
immersive experience 沉浸式体验
romcom 浪漫喜剧
action movie 动作片
high-definition 高分辨率的，高清的
streaming service 在线收看服务
trailer 电影预告片
online streaming 在线播放
subscription 付费订阅服务
release 发行，上映
blockbuster 大片
movie theatre 电影院