The real question is whether the infrastructure for theatrical exhibition can survive on that smaller base. IMAX expansion suggests there is still appetite for certain kinds of immersive experience but the default mode for most viewers will be home viewing. That shift reframes the entire economic model but it does not necessarily mean the art form is in decline creatively. It simply changes the stage on which its future will be played.
The real question is whether the infrastructure for theatrical exhibition can survive on that smaller base. IMAX expansion suggests there is still appetite for certain kinds of immersive experience but the default mode for most viewers will be home viewing. That shift reframes the entire economic model but it does not necessarily mean the art form is in decline creatively. It simply changes the stage on which its future will be played.