Cinema’s Comeback: Why the Best Seat in the House Now Comes with a Champagne Cooler

Cinema is finding its feet again at the box office. As the next Avatar chapter pulls in festive crowds, the UK box office is tipped to break the £1bn barrier in 2025 for the first time since Covid. But this isn’t just about big films returning, it’s about bigger chairs, bolder ideas and a very deliberate shift upmarket.

After a bruising few years and a recovery knocked off course by Hollywood strikes, cinema chains have accepted they can’t compete with your sofa on convenience. So instead, they’re competing on indulgence.

At Vue, the “worst seat in the house” is now a leather recliner. The best? Ultra Lux seats complete with built-in champagne and wine coolers, rolling out across Europe at pace. Prices range from around £10 to £26, with Vue pitching the experience as business-class comfort at prices that don’t feel first-class.

Odeon has been on this journey longer. Its Luxe format, launched back in 2017, now spans 38 venues and has quietly become the benchmark across its estate. More recently, Odeon has turned things up a notch with Luxe Suite Pods, semi-private cocoons ideal for couples or families and VIP Beds that transform the traditionally unwanted front row into prime real estate. Prices run from £7.50 up to £35, depending on just how premium you want your night out to feel.

Then there’s Everyman, the original trailblazer of cinema luxury. Sofas, in-seat dining and a cosy, boutique feel have paid off handsomely post-pandemic, with membership surging and revenues rising as audiences happily spend more on food, drink and the overall experience. All of this is happening against a tougher reality. UK cinema admissions remain well below 2019 levels, and few expect a full return. The cost-of-living squeeze has made audiences more selective, while home entertainment, led by giants like Netflix, continues to flood our evenings with endless choice.

The industry’s bet is a simple one: people may go to the cinema less often, but when they do, they want it to feel like an event. Fewer trips, better seats, something cold in hand and a night that your living room simply can’t compete with.