It’s interesting to look at experiences in our life that cause us to think – mmmh lovely but… One of these is flying for instance. It’s lovely to quickly get to where we want to be, but it’s a really an awful experience for the fish and chips brigade in the economy class. Or for instance the experience of going to a movie theatre. It’s great to watch a movie on the big screen, but the seats are so uncomfortable and close together that one walks out of the theatre with cramp, a sore back and legs. Have you ever watched the people coming out of a theatre? A fair number of them are limping, walking crooked and rubbing backs. Never mind what the people look like when they arrive from an overseas flight. Aged by ten years they have, in that moment.

These are instances in our life where we want the experience so much that we are prepared to put up with discomfort, pain or other bad bits. Therefore, if one sees movie theatres complaining about bad attendances, does it ever occur to them that the actual bad physical experience in this instance could mean that people are just prepared to wait for the DVD to come out? It’s not that the consumer doesn’t want to watch the film, he/she just doesn’t want to watch the film that urgently that they are prepared to be uncomfortable doing so.

One would then agree that if somebody came up with a more comfortable way of flying, or with a really comfortable movie theatre experience, they could really have the makings of a great business. Well then consider Living Room theatres.

These enterprising entrepreneurs have started a cinema complex idea that takes the idea of comfortable, relaxed, movie experience, and adds on drinks and snack type food. It’s a simulation of the home movie experience. Each “cinema” space seats between 38 to 64 people. Customers are able to arrive early and order drinks and food, socialise with friends and experience the film in a sociable environment. There is also a casual restaurant and bar that is open for food and drink the whole day with free WiFi. The cinema experience slots into a full day social activity. As if one were at home, with friends dropping in, playing computer games, drinking and eating and watching a movie. And with plush chairs, recliners, loveseats etc, it is designed for comfort.

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