Jason Hellerman of No Film School alerts us to a radical design for new cinemas.

Designed by Artichect Pierre Chican in Paris, the ŌMA “concept of movie theater creates a cinematographic experience at the same time intimate, spectacular and immersive, where every seat in the house is the best seat in the house.” His credentials:

“Specialized in the realization of cultural arenas and more particularly of cinemas for more than 20 years now, Pierre Chican designed two of the most successful cinema theaters in Europe : UGC Les Halles (3.1 million tickets sold in 2019) & UGC Bercy (1.9 million tickets sold in 2019) in Paris and many others projects in France (Pathé La Valette with the first IMAX laser cinema in France) and abroad.”

Star Wars fans have pointed out this design looks very similar to the Galactic Senate Chamber.

My take: I’ve often wondered if going to the movies is destined to become an exclusive activity, like opera is today. This cinema concept is exclusively a collection of opera boxes. I notice each pod in this concept seats 15 people. If it’s just me and my wife I wonder how it will feel to join a pod with a bunch of folks there already. But of course, it will be by reservation only. If you go with your own posse of film viewers, will you still resist the temptation to not stay silent?