The Impact of Self-Service Technologies on Cinemagoing Experiences: A Hungarian Case Study

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between self-service technologies (SSTs) and cinemagoing experiences. An online questionnaire was created and filled out by 202 respondents to assess their preferences regarding SSTs in Hungarian cinemas. The analysis was conducted in R based on the following factors: gender, age, place of residence, and cinema attendance frequency. The results showed that 78.43% of males and 79.47% of females preferred hybrid systems combining both human staff and SSTs. There was no significant relationship between gender and SST preference. However, respondents aged 26–35 years and those over 50 years were less likely to prefer SSTs. In addition, people who live in capital cities showed a higher likelihood of preferring SSTs. Despite minor demographic differences, the overall results indicate a strong preference for SSTs across all groups. Predictions using ordinal logistic regression suggest that future cinemagoers will continue to prefer SSTs, with probabilities ranging from 65.58% to 75.90%. These results can help in understanding the growing acceptance of SSTs in cinemas and suggest that their implementation could be well-received by future audiences.