Duckpin Bowling's Big Moment: Impressive Revenue From a Small Footprint
BCM magazine explores the duckpin boom—big revenue from a small footprint—featuring Brunswick's Sync-integrated Duckpin solutions and their strong per-square-foot returns.
Your Competition Just Expanded: How Cinemas Compete on Experience
IBI (International Bowling Industry) magazine examined the rise of hybrid cinema concepts in its June 2026 issue, in a feature by Mark Miller. Here's a look at the story.
The movie theater business is under pressure—attendance swings with release schedules, margins are tight, and for many guests a two-hour film alone isn't enough reason to leave the house. The response should sound familiar to bowling and FEC operators: cinemas across the country are adding bowling, arcades, expanded food and beverage, and social spaces to increase dwell time and create a more complete night out.
As Mark Miller writes in IBI's June 2026 issue, these venues aren't just competing with other theaters. They're competing for the same night-out dollar as bowling centers and family entertainment centers.
Key takeaways from the article:
- From one experience to many. Texas-based Film Alley shows how the shift plays out—what started as a traditional theater operation now blends movies with bowling, arcades, and food and beverage. "The seasonality of theaters can get pretty bleak," says Nathan Schulman of Schulman Theaters. "Bowling and food help cover those gaps."
- It's experience versus experience. A guest choosing between your center and a hybrid cinema isn't picking an activity—they're picking an environment, an energy, and how the whole experience fits their group.
- Where bowling centers still win. Bowling is naturally social, active, and repeatable. It creates built-in interaction and group participation in a way passive entertainment can't—a foundation that's hard to replicate.
- Where to focus next. Miller points operators toward a few priorities: track how long guests stay and where drop-off happens, evaluate how attractions connect and flow into one another, and make sure non-bowlers are just as engaged as those on the lanes.
The bigger picture: the lines between entertainment categories are blurring, and guests aren't choosing activities—they're choosing experiences. For operators who have already embraced that model, the shift in cinemas is validation. For those who haven't, it's a signal.
Read the full feature from IBI magazine here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Theater attendance swings with release schedules, and margins are tight. By adding bowling, arcades, and expanded food-and-beverage offerings, cinemas increase dwell time, smooth demand across the week, and build multiple revenue streams that support each other.
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Hybrid cinemas are competing for the same discretionary dollars, group outings, and "what should we do tonight?" decisions. As the article frames it, it's no longer bowling versus movies—it's experience versus experience.
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Bowling is naturally social, active, and repeatable. It creates built-in interaction, encourages group participation, and keeps guests engaged in a way passive entertainment cannot—a foundation that's hard to replicate.
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Miller suggests looking at how long guests stay and where drop-off occurs, evaluating how attractions connect to create a natural flow from one experience to the next, and ensuring non-bowlers are as engaged as those on the lanes—seating, sightlines, and nearby activities all matter.
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