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This book charts the development of the multiplex cinema as the pre-eminent form of film exhibition across the world. Going from its origins in the USA in the 1960s to its expansion overseas from the mid-1980s across Europe, Australia and other parts of Asia-Pacific, the book considers the emergence of a series of initially regional, then national and then international exhibition circuits. However, more than a consideration of US overseas expansion on the part of companies, this book examines the hegemony of the multiplex as a cultural and business form, arguing for its significance as a phenomenon that has transcended national and global boundaries and which has become the predominant venue for film viewing. Implicit in this analysis is a recognition of the domination of US media multi-nationals and Hollywood cinema, and the development of the multiplex cinema as symbolic of the extension and maintenance of the USA's cultural and economic power. With case studies ranging from European countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands, to Pacific-Asian countries such as Australia, China, Japan and South Korea, this book is the first to explore the development of multiplexes on a global scale.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- Part One: The Multiplex Cinema in the USA.- 2. The origins of the multiplex in the USA.- 3. The emergence of the multiplex in the USA.- 4. From multiplex to megaplex.- Part Two: The Multiplex Cinema in Britain.- 5. Exporting the multiplex to Britain.- 6. The multiplex is consolidated in Britain.- 7. Multiplexes move out-of-town and back again.- Part Three: The Multiplex Cinema in Europe.- 8. The multiplex in Belgium, Netherlands and Scandinavia.- 9. The multiplex in Germany and France.- Part Four: The Multiplex Cinema in Pacific-Asia.- 10. The multiplex in Australia.- 11. The multiplex in Japan, South Korea and China.- 12. Conclusion: The multiplex as a global form.
About the author
Stuart Hanson is Associate Professor at De Montfort University, UK. He is author of From Silent Screen to Multi-Screen: A History of Cinema Exhibition in Britain Since 1896 (2007) and a range of articles and chapters on the development of the multiplex cinema.
Summary
This book charts the development of the multiplex cinema as the pre-eminent form of film exhibition across the world. Going from its origins in the USA in the 1960s to its expansion overseas from the mid-1980s across Europe, Australia and other parts of Asia-Pacific, the book considers the emergence of a series of initially regional, then national and then international exhibition circuits. However, more than a consideration of US overseas expansion on the part of companies, this book examines the hegemony of the multiplex as a cultural and business form, arguing for its significance as a phenomenon that has transcended national and global boundaries and which has become the predominant venue for film viewing. Implicit in this analysis is a recognition of the domination of US media multi-nationals and Hollywood cinema, and the development of the multiplex cinema as symbolic of the extension and maintenance of the USA’s cultural and economic power. With case studies ranging from European countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands, to Pacific-Asian countries such as Australia, China, Japan and South Korea, this book is the first to explore the development of multiplexes on a global scale.
