Cinema’s thrive in Melbourne’s west
By Brooke Lote.
The ongoing rivalry between traditional movie theatres and subscription streaming platforms has been playing out for almost 20 years, since the launch of Netflix in 2007.
Cinema struggles to keep up with the new era of digital streaming media, where movies are no longer only released in theatres, but straight onto streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Fundamentally, keeping people at home.
However, in Melbourne’s West, cinema chains are fighting back.
Readings Cinemas, a well-known international cinema chain, has adjusted its business model to retain audiences. Its site in Millers Junction in Altona North relied on infrastructural upgrades to compete, by converting all six of its standard auditoriums to recliner seating.
"We see a lot of repeat customers. The vast majority are couples and groups of families or young people," said Persia Rigas, a manager at Readings Cinemas Millers Junction.
“More recently, over the school holidays we saw a lot of groups of school kids.”
Rigas agrees that there is a spike in young people going to the cinema. A recent Fandango study supports this, finding that Gen Z went to the movies the most in 2025.
The study highlighted that younger audiences are shifting away from home isolation to treat cinema as a group-driven social experience.
“That’s also why we have student discounts - targeted at high school and university students,” said Rigas.
Ultimately, cinema is growing in the West as cinema chains fight back and appeal to its flourishing audiences.
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