A , mini cineplex (), or microcinema is a type of independent

movie theater A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

that is not under the direct influence of any major film companies. Mini theaters are characterized by their relatively smaller size and seating capacity compared to larger, non-independent movie theaters, as well as their programming, which typically includes

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

or arthouse films. Mini theaters can be found worldwide, and are particularly known in Japan, where they have existed since the 1970s.

History

In Japan

Origins and rise in popularity

In 1974, a film distribution project known as Equipe de Cinema was instituted at , a venue constructed by Iwanami Shoten, in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. Iwanami Hall, which was originally used as a multipurpose hall, became one of the first mini theaters, able to seat 220 people. The project was headed by Etsuko Tanakno, general manager of Iwanami Hall, and film producer

Kashiko Kawakita was a Japanese film producer and film curator, and the wife of Nagamasa Kawakita. As vice president of Tōwa Trading, together with her husband and daughter Kazuko Kawakita she was influential in the development of the post-war Japanese film indu ...

, who sought to screen films deemed inappropriate for wide distribution. Mini theaters were popularized throughout Japan in the 1980s. During that decade, mini theaters often screened European independent and arthouse films, such as films produced during the

French New Wave The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French European art cinema, art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentat ...

, as well as films originating from Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria. Mini theaters also screened independent films produced in Japan by relatively unknown Japanese filmmakers. The popularity of mini theaters continued into the 1990s, and some mini-theater operators, such as Theatre Shinjuku and Eurospace, began investing in film production.

In the 21st century

Several mini theaters in the Tokyo metropolitan area were closed during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Mini theater Cine Vivant ceased operations in 1999, and Cine Saison and Ginza Theatre Cinema closed in 2011 and 2013, respectively. On April 7, 2020, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

prompted the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures, resulting in the closure of movie theaters nationwide. Consequently, mini theaters have suffered significant drops in revenue. In response to the negative financial impact of the pandemic on mini theaters, Japanese filmmakers organized movements to help support them. Directors Kōji Fukada and Ryūsuke Hamaguchi launched a

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

campaign to assist mini theaters; the campaign amassed over 100 million yen in donations in three days.

In Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, there are several mini theaters and micro theaters. The first mini single screen movie theater is ''Momo Inn Cinema'', which is situated in Momo Inn Hotel and Resort, Nawdapara, Bogura. It was established in 2018 as a part of the resort. This theater has only 54 seats. The first mini cineplex of the country was established in July, 2018 in Nasirabad,

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

, named ''Silver Screen''. This mini multiplex has 95 seat capacity combining two screens, Platinum, a mini theater and Titanium, a micro theater. The first micro single screen movie theater is '' CineScope'', which was established in September 20, 2019, in

Narayanganj Narayanganj () is a city in central Bangladesh in the Greater Dhaka area. It is in the Narayanganj District, about southeast of the capital city of Dhaka. With a population of almost 1 million, it is the 6th largest city in Bangladesh. It is als ...

. This government-sponsored micro cinema has only 35 seats. Another micro cinema is Roots Cineclub, situated in Sirajganj, opened on October 22, 2021. This is also a single screen micro theater, which has only 22 seats. The

Chittagong City Corporation Chattogram City Corporation (; abbreviated as CCC) is a local government, local governing body that administered all civic services in the Chattogram, the second largest city of Bangladesh. The CCC government is elected by popular vote every fi ...

authority announced to establish another micro cinema in

on December 5, 2020.

In the Philippines

In June 2021, a microcinema and café known as the Cinema '76 Café opened in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

In the United Kingdom

In September 2020, the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Oppo Mobile opened a pop-up microcinema in the

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial area on the south bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Lambeth, central London, England. The South Bank is not formally defined, but is generally understood to be situated betwe ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England.

In the United States

The term "microcinema" was coined in 1994 by Rebecca Barten and David Sherman, operators of the Total Mobile Home MicroCINEMA in San Francisco, and was subsequently used to describe a global movement of new, DIY-style small cinemas. Notable American microcinemas include Spectacle Theater,

Light Industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...

, UnionDocs, and the Luminal Theater in New York as well as Other Cinema and the Acropolis Cinema in California. In

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, the video rental store VisArt Video has a microcinema that can be rented for private screenings. In October 2022, the 38-seat Screen Door Microcinema opened in

Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mai ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, as the first official microcinema in Tampa. In March 2022, Tallgrass Film Association launched their microcinema in downtown Wichita, Kansas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mini theater Cinemas and movie theaters Cinemas in Japan Theatres