Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/7-ways-movie-theaters-have-changed-since-the-1990s/
Walk into a multiplex today and the basics look familiar: a lobby, a popcorn machine, a dark room with a big screen. Spend a few minutes there, though, and the differences start to show. They’re in the seats, the menus, the projectors and even how a ticket gets bought.
Some of this change was gradual, and some came in sharp bursts after the pandemic and the rise of streaming. Here are seven of the shifts that matter most, with recent figures from 2024 to 2026 where they exist.
Recliners Replaced the Fold Down Seat
In the 1990s, stadium seating was the big upgrade, and it gave most people a clear view over the heads in front of them. The seat itself was still a modest, fold up cushion. Today, heated recliners are a selling point on their own.
The numbers show how far this has gone. Cinemark says it features luxury lounger recliners in 69% of its total domestic circuit. Marcus Theatres reported all recliner seating in 66 theatres as of the end of 2025, roughly 86% of its company owned theatres. Reading International says 67% of its U.S. screens have luxury recliners.
Film Prints Gave Way to Digital and Laser Projection
Through the 1990s, movies reached theaters as heavy reels of 35mm film. Prints scratched, faded and wore out over a long run. Digital projection has since replaced film in nearly all mainstream cinemas,…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-11-02 12:46:00
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