Cinema isn't dead – there's no business like show business

When news broke that Ster-Kinekor was closing its Cavendish Square cinema in Cape Town, it felt like another nail in the coffin for movie theatres in South Africa. This cinephile, however, knows the makings of a comeback story when she sees one.
I may not be old, but I'm old enough to remember when showing up at Cavendish on a Friday night without a pre-booked movie ticket was asking for disappointment.
Unless you and your date were satisfied with sitting in opposite corners of the cinema, separated by seven rows of moviegoers, you booked your seats the day before. Anything else was considered a rookie move.
I couldn't help but think of those once-packed cinemas when I first read the news about Cavendish closing. Where had the audience gone? What were people now doing on Friday nights?
For more than 30 years, Cavendish had played host to first dates, school holidays, Marvel marathons and rainy-day escapes. The popcorn counter, the sticky floors, the 'Silence Your Phone' ads – they were all just set dressing for the real show: the memories. I've visited plenty of cinemas over the years, but this curtain call hits differently. There's something unusually poignant about losing this screen.
But here's the twist (doesn't every good story have one?). While the Cavendish closure reads like a sobering sign of decline, the bigger picture is – surprisingly – more hopeful.
The end of the beginning
In early 2024, Ster-Kinekor announced it was preparing to retrench nearly a third of its workforce. Nine cinema closures were on the cards. On paper, it looked like another textbook example of disruption, a legacy business buckling under the weight of streaming, economic pressure and post-Covid consumer shifts.
But as we find ourselves entering the second half of 2025, only two sites – Greenstone Mall and Boardwalk in Richards Bay – have shut their doors. And only 52 staff were ultimately laid off, not 236. That's still painful, of course, but also evidence of something rare in a corporate survival story: restraint, negotiation and a willingness to adapt.
Ster-Kinekor, fresh out of business rescue since 2022, hasn't collapsed. Instead, it appears to be recalibrating.
That doesn't mean that the outlook is all roses. There's no denying the very real pressure, not just on Ster-Kinekor, but on cinemas everywhere. Globally, the rise of on-demand streaming has reshaped audience behaviour. Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ offer thousands of hours of content, including Oscar-winning films and star-studded series, available at home, on demand, and often at a lower cost than a single cinema ticket. Many of these releases hit streaming on the same day as the cinema, if not sooner.
Then there's the hardware factor. Large-screen TVs have become cheaper and more accessible. A 65-inch UHD TV no longer costs three months' salary, and when paired with decent sound, the 'home theatre' now rivals what used to be a luxury cinema experience.
Add inflation, rising fuel costs and stretched entertainment budgets, and it's clear that Ster-Kinekor isn't just competing with other theatres. It's competing with couches.
A company in motion
And yet, the numbers reveal that people are still going to the movies.
Admissions are up 20% year on year between November and April, according to Ster-Kinekor CEO Mark Sardi. It's not a fluke – it's the result of a business trying new things. Ticket sales are up, and not just for the usual Marvel blockbusters.
'We've seen material increases in footfall,' Sardi told The Money Show. 'Our biggest challenge now is staying nimble.'
Staying nimble means offering more than just a movie. It means curating an experience, at a price people are willing to pay. Ster-Kinekor's R50 Throwback Cinema experiment is a perfect case study. One week, one classic, one cheap ticket. The first rotation of titles included Notting Hill, Back to the Future, Chicago, and Meet Joe Black – films that practically beg for the collective gasp and chuckle of a live audience.
The idea started as a test in 2024, with only a handful of Ster-Kinekor cinemas offering Throwback titles. In 2025, the experiment has not only been proven to be a success, but has subsequently been rolled out to more Ster-Kinekor cinemas across the country.
Read any article about the state of the cinema business, and you're sure to be met by an avalanche of commenters complaining about the cost of going to the movies. These people have a valid point.
If I were to take myself, my partner and two children to see the live-action remake of Disney's Lilo & Stitch on the big screen today, the total cost of four tickets plus snacks would come to just over R1,000. By comparison, my Disney+ subscription costs R1,590 for 12 months of limitless streaming, and they'll probably start streaming that same movie in August.
Fortunately, Ster-Kinekor appears to be listening. The price quoted above is for four full-price movie tickets. However, if I were an Edgars Club member, I could have saved up to 40% on tickets and 50% on selected snack combos. With a Discovery Vitality membership, I would have paid 50% less for the adult tickets and the kids would have watched, free. I could have used my Smart Shopper points (thanks, Pick n Pay) to buy tickets, or I could have paid 50% less on a Tuesday, if I were a Ster-Kinekor Club member.
And then there's the weekday 'Epic Deal': popcorn, Coke, and a movie ticket for R149, even for those of us who don't carry any of the aforementioned cards. That kind of value – often brought to the table through strategic partnerships – helps ease the affordability issue that's long plagued Ster-Kinekor's mainstream business.
Doing what the couch can't
On the opposite end of the affordability spectrum, Ster-Kinekor is also doubling down on premium experiences, because some people want to pay for a night away from the couch. To meet this audience, Ster-Kinekor is expanding its Cine Prestige offering, which features luxury recliners, boutique service and fewer children in the cinema. Kids' Cinemas, which are reimagined with child-friendly layouts and programming, are also in development.
Though Ster-Kinekor has only a handful of IMAX screens, they punch well above their weight when it comes to filling seats. When a film is released in this format, bookings surge. Audiences want to see Dune, Oppenheimer, or Avatar on the biggest, loudest, most immersive screen possible, and they're willing to pay for that experience.
The 2025 box office will feature at least 14 IMAX films, double the number released in any previous year in the 'filmed for IMAX' slate. This isn't a Ster-Kinekor decision – IMAX films are made in a specific format, so it's up to the whims of Hollywood how many are released in a year. This just happens to be a bumper year for IMAX, and Ster-Kinekor stands ready to reap those rewards.
All this careful positioning is a sign that Ster-Kinekor is thinking in segments, not averages. It's building experiences for specific audiences, not trying to serve everyone the same way. Cinema isn't dead, it just needs to pitch itself as something worth leaving the house for.
Writing the next act
The easy comparison is Blockbuster – a symbol of an old industry that failed to see the future in time to pivot. But Ster-Kinekor is doing something different. It's listening. It's experimenting. It's taking the nostalgia people feel for cinema and packaging it into formats that work in 2025.
Most tellingly, the company isn't just closing doors, it's preparing to open new ones. In the same Money Show episode, Sardi said Ster-Kinekor was in the advanced stages of launching cinemas at four new 'commercially attractive' sites. Not just replacements, but opportunities to start afresh, using the lessons of the past few years.
They're betting that there's still a role for the big screen in a small-screen world. But only if they get the experience, the pricing, and the product right. The curtain hasn't fallen yet. And for now, at least, the projector is still rolling. DM

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

IOL News

13 hours ago

• IOL News

Lizzo opens up about body positivity, weight loss and the stigma surrounding medication

Breaking the stigma: Lizzo discusses weight loss, Ozempic, and body positivity. Image: Instagram / lizzobeeating Let's face it, conversations about weight loss are rarely simple. They're wrapped in layers of judgement, societal expectations, and let's not forget, shame. In a world where appearance often feels like currency, being open about weight loss, especially as a celebrity, is no small feat. The Grammy-winning artist and outspoken advocate for body positivity has always done things her way, unapologetically. But when she recently opened up about trying Ozempic, a medication often used for weight loss, her honesty sparked a bigger conversation, one about self-care, stigma and the many paths we take toward health. After months of public speculation and online trolling about her weight loss, Lizzo finally addressed the chatter head-on and revealed that yes, she did try Ozempic at the start of her journey. During a recent appearance on Trisha Paytas' Just Trish podcast, Lizzo revealed that she had tried Ozempic early in her weight loss journey in 2023 but quickly realised it wasn't for her in the long term. 'I tried everything,' she explained. 'Ozempic works because you eat less food, yeah? So if you eat right, it makes you feel full. But if you can just do that on your own and get mind over matter, it's the same thing.' Fake food While Ozempic didn't turn out to be the solution for Lizzo, she credited a major shift in her diet as the true catalyst for her transformation. For years, Lizzo followed a plant-based diet, consuming vegan foods exclusively from 2020 to 2023. However, she quickly realised that not all vegan options are created equal. 'When I was vegan, I was consuming a lot of fake meats, bread and rice,' Lizzo said. 'I had to eat a lot of it to stay full, but I was consuming 3,000 to 5,000 calories a day.' The turning point came when she transitioned to eating whole, natural foods like chicken, fish and beef. This change not only left her feeling fuller for longer but also helped her avoid the hidden calories and 'fake sugars' often found in processed vegan products. 'Some foods, even if they're small, are packed with fake sugar that leaves you still feeling hungry,' she explained. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Lizzo opens up about her weight loss journey and the truth behind Ozempic. Image: Instagram 'When I started eating real foods, it was different. I wasn't expanding my stomach with things that weren't actually filling me up.' Body shaming Addressing the stigma around weight loss medications, one of the most powerful moments in the podcast came when Lizzo addressed the judgement that often comes with taking weight loss medication: 'It's not easy. It's a drug to help somebody with something they're struggling with,' she explained. 'I think people ... it's their way of being fatphobic when you're telling someone they're cheating.' That hits hard. For many people, especially women living in larger bodies, the pressure to justify every step of their health journey is intense. Whether you're gaining or losing, you're judged. Whether you go natural or get help, you're judged. And that judgement often has nothing to do with health and everything to do with deep-rooted societal biases. Lizzo has always been vocal about her commitment to body positivity, even as she worked toward her weight loss goals. Reflecting on her journey, she admitted, 'I feel like I worked really, really hard, and it was intentional with what I did with my body.' When she receives compliments on her transformation, she doesn't shy away from them. Harmful narratives 'I really receive it because I need to receive that,' she said. 'I don't take it in any weird way because I tried to do this.' The shame and judgement surrounding weight loss choices, especially for women, needs to stop. These harmful narratives only reinforce unrealistic expectations and discourage people from seeking the help they need. The Grammy-winning artist and outspoken advocate for body positivity has always done things her way, unapologetically Image: Instagram As Lizzo herself said, "It's about helping yourself with something you're struggling with.' And that's nothing to feel guilty about. Her experience reminds us to be honest with ourselves, whether it's about diet, exercise routine or what's not working, honesty is the first step toward meaningful change. Try what works for you: From medication to lifestyle shifts, your journey doesn't need to look like anyone else's. Ditch the shame and let go of the fear of judgement.

TimesLIVE

17 hours ago

• TimesLIVE

'Between the Sea and the Land' by Sean Baumann

ABOUT THE BOOK: 'Is suffering inevitable? Are our lives really meaningless? Is God dead and, if so, how should we live?' This is just one of the chapter headings in Between the Sea and the Land. The book is an extended conversation about philosophy between Tomas and Sara, who are confined to an isolated coastal peninsula during the long days of the Covid pandemic. They discuss in an inquisitive and sometimes playful way the difficulties of understanding the nature of the crisis in which they find themselves, the fallibilities of language and science, what can be known and not known, and how to find a balance between individual needs and public safety. They consider the anxieties provoked by intolerance and political strife, and how to cope with the unpredictability and precariousness of life. The book encompasses a broad history of philosophical ideas from the pre-Socratics to the present day, and the search for answers in shifting contexts of fear and wonder, from the mysteries of the beginnings of consciousness to quantum physics and the accelerating developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence. In discursive and meandering conversations that reflect the coastal paths in the beautiful wilderness between the sea and the land, Tomas and Sara tackle fundamental philosophical problems that culminate in the overarching question: How does one live with uncertainty? EXTRACT All that we know of Socrates comes through the writing of others, Tomas started. Plato was the first of the philosophers that we know of who recorded his thoughts in writing, and as a student, and clearly an admirer of Socrates, much of his earlier writing was in tribute to Socrates. This was also an act of defiance, as Socrates' teachings had been officially condemned by the authorities. Plato is perhaps most remembered for his later writing, which is broader in its scope, in that he addressed issues other than the moral and political ideas that seemed to be of most interest to Socrates. So we are all prisoners, stuck in a cave. It does not feel much like that to me, today, walking along the sea shore, under a deep blue sky, Sara mused. Yes, we return to the cave, but this is a different sort of cave. It is an intriguing and much debated thought experiment. I don't think the details are important. It is quite an elaborate analogy. Essentially the prisoners are trapped in a cave with their backs to the entrance. A fire casts shadows onto a back wall, and because their backs are to the light, and because they know no other reality, the prisoners mistake these shadows for reality. Their reality is an illusion. In this respect Plato is arguing, as you indicate, that we are all prisoners. We were imagining that philosophy might be liberating, and anyway I am not sure about all this. It seems both poignant and oppressive. Why are we all prisoners? I don't think we have to be. We need to go back briefly to Socrates. When he was questioning what we meant by concepts such as freedom or justice, or other such abstractions, he was doing more than just seeking definitions. The implication was that there was something called justice, that was beyond its various instances, in some other realm. It was imagined as some sort of ideal. Plato took this further, and elaborated a theory of Forms or Ideals. We've lost the prisoners. Don't be impatient. I am trying to get there. Plato is arguing that there are two realms, one of transience and decay, the other permanent, stable and perfect. He was a fervent advocate of mathematics, and he believed that the cosmos in its entirety was ordered and expressible in mathematical equations. This principle applied to all things. There is a chaotic turbulent surface bound in time and space, and beyond that there is a realm that is ordered and forever. The world available to our senses is inherently unstable and unsatisfactory. He claimed that everything is becoming, nothing is. This world is a shadow of reality. What we experience as reality is an illusion. It is in our minds. We cannot escape from our minds and experience reality directly. So we are the prisoners. With regard to our concern about how we might live with uncertainties, there are certainties, but they are elsewhere. They had just started walking. The path turned away from the sea and towards the mountains, which in the early autumnal morning seemed to be floating in a haze of silvery blue mist. The notion that they were in reality trapped in a cave seemed bizarre, if not preposterous. Sara thought so. Why? Why can't we accept the evidence of this beautiful world that at this moment surrounds us? So what if it changes or ends? That is not evidence that it is not real. Our deaths represent a radical change, a clear measure of the passage of time, and the end of our days on earth. That is the reality: the transience of life does not make it less real. I am sorry about the entrapment of these wretched prisoners in the cave, but I think we should put their predicament aside. They are not us. I am not a prisoner, or that is what I choose to think. I don't want to make you more cross, but he elaborated these ideas on a political level, Tomas said. I don't see how that is possible, if all this earthly stuff is unreal. There are three aspects to us, or maybe levels. These are the passions, the intellect and the will. The passions are perhaps the default position. It seems that the masses, whatever that might mean, constitute humanity at the level of the passions. The intellect should govern the passions through the exercise of will. I must please remind you, again and again, that I am not a philosopher and I might have misread this, but it does seem incredibly condescending, and ruthlessly hierarchical. According to this Platonic system a police class should keep the masses in control, under the guidance of the philosophically informed governing class. The masses lack virtue and knowledge, and anarchy would ensue if they were allowed to govern. This should be the responsibility of wise philosopher kings. How this elite was to be selected is, of course, problematic, but as I am sure you can imagine, these ideas have had a great influence on political thinking over the centuries, including the totalitarian systems on both the left and the right in our lifetimes. It seems strange, if not incredible, that the ideas of a philosopher in Ancient Greece should have such an influence in modern times, and to my mind, to be held to justify injustices. As an artist you are not going to like his ideas about the arts either, Tomas replied. Well, I don't know what a man who believes we are all stuck in a cave can say usefully about the arts. He believed that the arts were inherently representational, and as such appealed to the senses, distracting us from the important need to look beyond the surfaces of the world to the eternal and perfect realm beyond the senses. The arts are seductive, engaging us in a world that is illusory and deceptive, and should therefore be discouraged, if not suppressed. He proposes a very bleak world, Sara said. If we are not trapped in a cave, we are exhorted to contemplate the featureless order of forms. I don't care whether or not it can be expressed in mathematical terms. There is no poetry in mathematics. Not for me, but I am not a mathematician. Perfection, maybe, but not poetry. No music, no dance, no fine art, no celebration of the beauty of transience: it seems to me that there is little humanity in this. I am sorry to disappoint you and it is certainly possible that I have misrepresented his ideas, but I do think it is important that we recognise the many ways in which Platonic thinking has shaped our world. How? So far you have described influences that I personally regard, for the most part anyway, as negative. Yes, but influential nevertheless, and I think, in an indirect way, these ideas have shaped our religious ways of thinking, perhaps especially in the Judeo-Christian tradition. In what way? This cave metaphor is still with me and I struggle to imagine the divine in association with entrapment. The cave is our physical confinement in time and space, our being limited by our only being able to know the world through our senses, and of course by our mortality, Tomas argued. I know you are not a religious person, but surely this notion of another realm that is perfect and harmonious and everlasting conjures up an image of heaven? Yes, I understand heaven as a reward for good behaviour, but this other realm you have described seems more of a metaphysical concept, if I may use that word. We should try to understand the influence of Plato perhaps more in the work of Plotinus, who is described as a neo-Platonist, and was writing in the third century, at a time when Christian ideas were beginning to emerge in the ancient Graeco-Roman world. Plotinus was not a Christian but he had an important influence on Christian thought for the next thousand years. In a rather mystical way, he believed that reality ultimately consists of Platonic Forms. What exists is mental or of the soul, and so what is created has to be thought into being. There are three ascending levels of being, the lowest, I am afraid, being ourselves, or our souls, the next the intellect, making possible the apprehension of Ideal Forms, and the next and highest level is the good, which I suppose is God. The world is created in the mind of God and we seek to transcend ourselves into a state of oneness with God. I am still not sure about all this. I have a sense that Plato was saying that life, or reality, is elsewhere, and if so then what are we to make of our brief lives here on earth? Then maybe we need to turn to Aristotle, Tomas replied. He did not believe in an abstract reality. He did not believe we are prisoners. But before we leave Plato, and perhaps to make you feel a little more sympathetic towards him, and something for us to keep in mind when philosophy might seem rather abstract or dry, he memorably declared that philosophy begins with wonder.

IOL News

a day ago

• IOL News

WATCH: Doja Cat speaks out after fan reportedly ‘manhandled' her

Doja Cat has expressed discomfort over a fan grabbing and hugging her, but he says she started it by saying she liked his shirt which he gave to the South African-born star. Image: Doja Cat Instagram Doja Cat has found herself at the centre of controversy after a fan reportedly touched her without consent. Fans eagerly awaiting new music from the Grammy-winning artist are now grappling with the complexities of boundary respect in their interactions with her. The incident became the talk of social media after a TikTok video featuring the rapper and a fan named Pablo Tamayo began circulating. In the clip, Tamayo enthusiastically took off his shirt and offered it to Cat, who appeared visibly pleased. 'When Doja Cat likes your shirt, you give her your shirt,' he captioned the video, capturing a moment that many would consider light-hearted enthusiasm. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading However, the mood shifted when Cat took to X to express her discomfort about the situation. In a series of since-deleted posts, she bluntly called out the fan for what she termed "manhandling', asserting that his actions crossed a line. 'Bottom line is I'll smile at you but it doesn't mean I f#ck with you and don't touch me and manhandle me when you don't even f#cken know me. iykyk,' she stated. Cat elaborated on her feelings, explaining, 'I honestly think I need to stand up for myself at the moment sometimes,' further noting that Tamayo had invaded her personal space without knowing her name, a move she described as 'crazy.' Despite her discomfort, she acknowledged his pleasant scent but reiterated her unease regarding his proximity and contact. 'I threw that musty ass shirt away btw,' she added. Doja cat posted and deleted this and I'm gagging so bad like what 😭 — NATE (@NATERERUN) June 14, 2025 The fallout from the incident prompted Tamayo to clarify his intentions in a follow-up. Speaking out from his perspective, he expressed regret if his actions made Cat uncomfortable and reassured fans of his admiration for her. 'I just wanna clear this up because it hurts,' he began. 'I love her… she's the one at this event that's being so nice. She pointed out my shirt and said, 'I like that.'' He admitted he should have been more cautious: 'I understand, guys if I was being too nice or whatever. I will take full accountability. I'm gay! I would never want to make her feel uncomfortable.' Born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, Cat's career skyrocketed in 2018 with her viral hit "Mooo!" Since then, she has enjoyed a tumultuous yet successful journey in the music industry, marked by both accolades and controversies. Known for her candid nature, Cat has often embraced an assertive online presence, at times courting criticism for her remarks and associations.