Movie theaters hope adding pickleball courts will save their struggling chains
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- Movie theatre chains are adding pickleball courts and ziplines to their properties.
- The top US chains are investing $2.2 billion to modernize their facilities and add new activities.
- Theaters will also upgrade seats, projection technology, sound quality, and snacks.
The struggling movie theater industry has a buzzy new idea for how to solve its financial woes: pickleball.
Also, ziplining.
The National Association of Theater Owners, a trade organization that represents the eight largest theater chains in the US and Canada, announced in a press release on Thursday that it will invest more than $2.2 billion over the next three years to modernize its properties.
Part of that money will go toward renovations that many movie theaters across the country desperately need, such as more comfortable seats, higher-quality projection technology and sound systems, and better snacks.
The association said other crucial updates will include installing better air conditioning, lighting, carpeting, and signage.
But that's not all. The group said movie theater chains will also invest in adding more family entertainment options, like bowling and arcades, to their facilities.
The group's president and CEO, Michael O'Leary, also told Variety that pickleball courts and ziplines will be coming to some theater complexes.
"Consumers today are very demanding and they want to have a range of things that they can do in any given setting," O'Leary told Variety.
The theatre association represents AMC Entertainment Inc., Regal Cinemas, Cinemark USA, Inc., Cineplex, Marcus Theatres Corp., B&B Theatres, Harkins Theatres, and Santikos Entertainment — which together account for 1,600 locations and make up 67% of the box office, according to the group.
The association did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
By investing in higher-quality facilities and diversifying their entertainment options, the theaters are betting that the updates will help draw more people in after years of sliding attendance and declining sales.
But the theaters may have to grapple with one unique quagmire: how much some people hate pickleball.
The fastest-growing sport in the country has dramatically risen in popularity in recent years, but its "obnoxious" noise has also made a few enemies, particularly among some die-hard tennis fans and in communities that are sick of hearing the constant pop-pop-pop sounds.
Still, the renovations won't be the first time that pickleball joins forces with movie theaters. One B&B Theatres location in Texas — which is part of the National Association of Theater Owners — already has outdoor pickleball courts in its theater complex.