Multiplex cinema venues were first built in the 1960s

A closer look

Because why show one movie when you can shove six into a building and sell exponentially more sugar water? The concept of the multiplex—a cinema with multiple screens under one roof—was pioneered by Stanley Durwood in 1963. He realized that running dual screens allowed him to stagger start times and heavily reduce the staffing required, maximizing profits while effectively ending the era of the grand, single-screen movie palace.