Never been busier: How indpendent cinema is surviving in Auckland city

Despite the gloomy narratives surrounding the Auckland CBD, one iconic independent art-house cinema is doing just fine thanks.

General manager of Academy Cinemas Stefan Moon says attendance is “higher than it’s ever been”.

The cinema offers carefully curated screenings of a variety of films.

“You can’t rely on the latest blockbusters anymore,” Moon says.

He says classic film screenings at the Academy make it feel like a special place for people and not just the average cinema.

Moon says it is “really exciting” to see lots of new people coming down its staircase on Lorne Street.

“I think once people find a nice little hidden away nook in the city . . . people are just becoming fans and regular patrons,” he says.

The average yearly gross take across New Zealand's  box offices from 2020 to 2025 was just over $82m, compared to the pre-covid average of $129m from 2014 to 2019.

Moon says despite the box office decrease, Academy Cinemas’ attendance has kept growing.

Auckland student Bella Jervis says she often visits CBD cinemas after class.

She says both Academy Cinemas and Event Cinemas have good food, seats, and sound quality, but do have their differences.

“In Academy [Cinemas] at the time I went . . . it was really busy.

“When I went to watch Weapons [at Event] during the day, it was only me and my friend in there,” she says.

The loss of tenants in Auckland CBD’s Skyworld across Queen St has impacted the remaining businesses, including Event Cinemas, New Zealand’s biggest cinema franchise.

Members of the public last year described SkyWorld to RNZ as, “dirty”, and a “ghost town”.

“[Event] is in such an odd space. It’s in an abandoned mall that’s hard to get to and feels very apocalyptic.

“There is never a line for food, you never have to pre-book your ticket . . . you can just walk in and find a seat right dead centre,” says Jervis.

Event Cinemas parent company EVT Limited reports the average spend per customer is currently between $30.09 to $36.10 NZD, including tickets and concessions.

Meanwhile, Academy Cinemas prioritises affordability and accessibility. “Five-dollar Wednesday is probably the biggest day of the week [for us]. It is always sold-out,” Moon says.

“We just recently had a new release of Marty Supreme . . . probably our biggest film in the last couple years.

“A lot of that was younger people coming to watch it, so I do think it’s a good future ahead,” Moon says.

Films are one of the most important art forms today and it is “really important” for a central city to have a culture where people can watch them, he says.

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Our journalists sometimes use AI tools which are checked by humans for accuracy.  
AI was used to help with research.