Cinema Operations Elevated: Embracing Cloud Advantages

“Cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made films were magicians.” Francis Ford Coppola

Coppola was right. Cinema is, at its core, the business of merging technology with entertainment. And the film industry has always been at the forefront when it comes to leveraging the latest technological advancements to bring a unique experience to moviegoers.

First came the advent of moving pictures. Then, color and sound entered the frame to bring viewer immersion to the next level. These days, innovations like IMAX and immersive sound systems continue to bring the moviegoing experience to the next level. 

But this is only the observable side of the business. 

Cinema management is the operational core that brings the magic Coppola talked about closer to the moviegoers — not only at the cinema, but throughout their journey of discovering and experiencing films together.

So what’s the next big technological advantage when it comes to what happens behind the scenes? 

Building in the cloud and for the cloud.

With cloud integration, cinemas can use technology not just to enhance the on-screen experience, but the entire customer experience cinemagoers have when visiting the theater. For example, it helps you avoid issues related to storage and distribution, while also giving guests an enhanced booking experience (think personalization and curation).

Here’s a clear example: in 2020, 400 different cinemas across the US partnered with MetaMedia to bring cloud technology to the forefront of cinema. The main benefit of this partnership is that it provided the cinemas with a secure and near instantaneous avenue for delivering movies, trailers, and digital lobby advertising programs at a low cost. Additionally, the partnership allowed the cinemas to leverage their event-led programming , such as live-streaming concerts and e-sports competitions.

But let’s explore how cloud technology is moving and shaking the cinema industry today and why we, at DX, believe it’s the key solution for the future of cinema operations. And more.

What is Cloud Technology?

The latest disruptor in the cinema world is the advent of the cloud. But how does it work?

You might have heard about the cloud from the tech your mobile devices use or how some internet services work. Well, the same functions and features can work for your cinema. Some of the most notable cloud-based services include:

Storage - Storing data across cloud servers. Cloud storage allows users to store and access data within cloud servers from anywhere, as long as internet access is available. That means less hardware space needed, less time to access that data, and so on.

Communication - Cloud technology enables wireless communication. Data providers use the internet infrastructure to give users access to voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP). Additionally, the communication function of cloud servers allows data to transfer across users in real time. Again, less time, more flexibility for your business.

Data & Analytics - The endgame of cloud computing. Cloud analytics leverages the entire gamut of cloud services to extract data for actionable business insights. 

1. Cloud analytics collects data from the cloud
2. Standardizes the data by using data models
3. Leverages cloud servers to process the data faster 
4. Stores the analyzed data within the cloud for more effortless scalability, storage, and sharing making it easier to access it, dashboard it, and use it

Main benefits of cloud-based solutions:

By using cloud technology, your cinema business operations, and business looks to gain some key advantages:

Increased operational savings - Cloud services reduce operating expenses. The cloud requires less operating resources than traditional software, reducing computing hardware costs. Additionally, it introduces better scalability, giving businesses access to features that would otherwise incur high licensing fees.

Usage flexibility - Many cloud services provide easy integration with different features, making it easy to “upgrade as you go.” Plus, you can scale up or down your cloud software usage depending on what you need. Same for your hardware needs, as building in the cloud opens up on-demand hardware resources, only accessing more processing power when you actually need it.

Frequent and low-cost updates - Cloud software providers roll out free updates on the regular. Conversely, traditional software providers, especially enterprise, will charge a huge premium for the new software version.

More stability for your cinema management - cloud technology supports dealing with higher volumes in your cinema, as building in the cloud means spreading the stress on the system across different services. What that means for you? No single point of failure for your cinema operations.

Cinema operations improvements:

Incorporating cloud tech into your cinema comes with numerous advantages for your business operations and more, as it impacts not only your efficiency, but the efficiency across the exhibition-distribution chain:

• Access from anywhere, at any given time: with a cloud-based solution you don’t have to worry about being away from your cinema to know what’s going on and even course-correct if needed.
• Streamline operations across different branches. If you operate a chain, then you can monitor ticket sales and staff assignments for every cinema site on a single platform. Additionally, it enables you to provide a seamless customer experience by making customer interactions fast and user-friendly, from booking tickets, reserving seats, buying refreshments, etc. — while maintaining the same standards. 
• Security enhancements: Building in the cloud comes with strict, clear security requirements, which means your cinema system is designed to be safe from potential cyber attacks, and your moviegoers can trust you with their data.
• Improved collaboration across the cinema value chain. For instance, sending files via the cloud removes the need to design the logistics for film reels and hard drives. Think about Oppenheimer’s 11-mile long & 600-pound film reel and how physical distribution went. Through cloud-based service providers, efficiency impacts both distribution and exhibition allowing for faster programming and reduced resources.

Also, with our cloud-based solution, we aim to enable you to know your data first-hand in a transparent and secure way. To do so, we have cross-functional teams working together to enable rapid deployment and continuous product optimization.

What that means for your cinema business? Up to date features, including highest security and compliance protocols, easy access to user data, reliability, and increased efficiency so you don’t have to think about the tools that run your cinema operations, but focus on creating a better cinema experience.

On top of that, our cloud services provide broad coverage across every platform. Users can access our systems on all operating systems, including Windows, iOS, and Android. Furthermore, we ensure cross-compatibility between different OS, ensuring you can access our DX solution software and your data between all devices.

If you want to learn more about how DX leverages cloud technology and what it can do for cinemas, check out The Benefits of DX’s Cloud-Based Customer Experience.

Why The Cloud Takes Cinema to the Next Level?

In a nutshell:

• Feature-rich. That’s the entire selling point behind the cloud. Your cinema management solution is constantly evolving and you have unprecedented control over the entire operations—ranging from providing secure and remote storage to an all-in-one management platform. 
• Customer-centric. For one, it brings new avenues for cinemas to attract guests and build communities. A cloud library can bring new opportunities, like marathon events, movie reruns, or other group events that bring a unique customer experience to a day at the theatre. 
• Convenience-focused. Thanks to the cloud, cinemas can present user-friendly services for their customers. For example, booking tickets becomes easy-breezy when using cloud services. Or you could introduce an all-in-one app that customers can use for ordering tickets and pre-ordering food that will get delivered straight to their seats.

These are just a few of the examples of how cloud integration brings a competitive advantage that can attract customers away from other forms of entertainment to your cinema seats.  

In the end, cloud computing has the built-in capacity to keep your cinema one step ahead because it adapts and grows together with your business. And that’s how we’re building our DX solution.

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Bring the cinema experience to the future and sign up with DX. Together we can foster and grow a loyal customer base with the help of our cloud-based cinema management solution.