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Every few decades, movie theaters are forced to justify their existence. The advent of television, home video, and streaming each introduced new concerns about whether people would still want to gather in a dark room together beyond the confines of their own home. Time and again, movie theaters have persevered — in large part thanks to the relationships they have maintained on the local level. Independent art houses have contributed to the vitality of moviegoing across the world with audiences that view them as critical to their communities. In other words, the Southampton Playhouse is not alone. 

For nearly 20 years, the non-profit entity known as Art House Convergence (AHC) has brought together independent theater owners and programmers from across the country to discuss the state of the industry. Originally held in Park City, Utah days before the Sundance Film Festival, the gathering was recently moved to the summer, transplanted to Chicago, and renamed the Independent Film Exhibition Conference (IND/EX). 

For four days, exhibitors gather for a series of panels and networking events co-hosted by AHC and the Film Festival Alliance. The group also issues a survey of audiences from independent theaters across the country. The latest edition, released at the start of the conference this week, offers a lot of encouraging news: A survey of over 27,000 moviegoers from 50 theaters shows that 88 percent of them consider their local independent theater as their community’s “cultural hub,” with 70 percent deeming them “very valuable” lifestyle destinations. The same theaters have seen a box office increase of 8.8% from last year. View the full results here.

While I was unable to attend IND/EX this year due to obligations at the Playhouse, I called up Art House Convergence’s interim executive director Lela Meadow-Conner, who picked up the phone in between conference events to talk through the survey’s bigger picture. Our edited conversation is below.

How do these results compare with previous reports?

One thing this survey has always shown is how loyal people are to their art houses. They’re such a vital part of the community. People think of them as more than movie theaters. They think of them as gathering spaces where they can see curated films, whether that’s foreign films or other independent titles. That hasn’t changed, but what was really great to see this year was the increase in the box office that we’re seeing come back from the pandemic. 

The top 10 box office list is notable because it includes a mix of bigger studio movies alongside international and foreign films. Project Hail Mary is at the top. What do you make of that mix?

Theaters are curating to the tastes of their communities, which means going beyond showing smaller titles. Audiences are choosing to see these titles at independent theaters. It’s important to have that mix. No matter their size, movies are a critical part of the zeitgeist. It’s really cool to see a mix of titles because you won’t find that mix at the multiplex. 

What could the big theater chains learn from that?

I think they’re trying to do rep and some of the other things that have always worked in our space, but because so many art houses are non-profits and community gathering spaces, I don’t know if those things will necessarily work at the bigger theaters. While a lot of them are booking anniversary screenings, it goes beyond that. It is exciting for the industry at large, though — it’s always exciting when anyone goes to the movies anymore. Whether you’re seeing Project Hail Mary at your local art house or a multiplex, it’s just so great to know that people are leaving their homes to go see movies again. 

The report states the average age of newer art house audiences is 40. Millennials. These are people who have attended an art house for the first time in the past three years. At the same time, we’re seeing an overall increase in Gen Z moviegoers driving the box office behind recent successes like Obsession. 

Independent theaters are cool, like record stores, and physical media coming back as a whole. Young people are especially tired of being on their screens all the time. Getting immersed in your phone and scrolling through 30-second videos is exhausting for people. They want to get lost in the movies again. My kids are teenagers. When I see movies with them and my phone buzzes, sometimes I’ll put it out, and they’ll see “Mom, put away your phone! Pay attention!” People want to live in these worlds again rather than being tethered to the small devices in their pockets. 

The top-grossing repertory films include several that screened at our theater over the past year, from It’s a Wonderful Life to Vertigo. I was also heartened to see several international titles, including Four Nights of a Dreamer and Yi Yi. What can we glean from this blend?

It’s really about discovery and that’s there’s an actual person choosing that title, making a deliberate choice that their community needs to see this film. People trust the curators in their communities. They aren’t relying on the algorithm anymore. 

The report strikes a very positive tone, but where do you see more work to be done?

At our gathering, we focus on all the things that make independent exhibition so special, but the work that needs to be done — because so many are non-profits — revolves around how we sustain the work. How do we cultivate membership and donors? How do we support the people making it all happen? To me, that’s the biggest takeaway: As we’re seeing all these people who love movies come together, we have to make sure they can continue to do this. 

If movie theaters continue to expand their communal roles and diversify their offerings, how vital is it for movies themselves to remain the core part of the program?

It’s really cool to see some of the experimentation happening, whether it’s a feature-length movie, a short, or people using cinemas for gaming. It’s this idea of being a gathering spot where people can come together around an art form or storytelling element to have an experience together. 

The conversation around the existential threat to theaters often centers on streaming. How has that narrative shifted in recent times?

I don’t think it’s any less of a conversation, but moviegoing remains one of the more affordable art forms to enjoy outside of the house. It’s part of our connective tissue as people. The more we can foreground that, the less that streaming is part of the conversation. Of course, there are conversations around mergers and media consolidation now. Like those, streaming isn’t going away, but neither are movie theaters. We have to keep marketing to younger audiences — which literally just means taking them to movies. That’s the most important thing we can do.