Entertainment in a Box

As large retail venues venture further and further away from relying on anchor stores to provide the stimulus for consumers to shop, festival marketplaces seem to be fueled by something the conventional mall is striving to capture, entertainment. Faneuil Hall in Boston is a perfect example of a marketplace which demonstrates “architectural openness [as] a metaphor for social inclusiveness” (Goss), while providing off the street entertainment with the attraction of exhibits, ethnic shows, specialty shops, and concerts. Interestingly enough Wolf quotes, “entertainment-not autos, not steel, not financial services- are fast becoming the driving wheel of the new world economy” (Wolf). While malls, restaurants, and museums attempt to gain popularity through the notion of providing ‘entertainment’, Wolf’s relation of entertainment to the auto and steel industry becomes seemingly important.

Throughout the years of technological innovation, both the automobile and steel industries have seen vast increases in production and profit due to the evolution of mass production. A direct comparison can be formed between the assembly line and the mass production of entertainment ventures such as the IMAX RIDEFILM. Originally developed as an amusement park ride/movie, IMAX has since “miniaturized the simulation theater into a 15-seat modular unit that fits into a 30-foot-by30-foot space that is less than 15 feet high” (Rubin). Evidently the entertainment industry has not strayed far from that of its predecessors, and it too has the capability of being mass produced, and used anywhere. The entertainment industry may very well be on its way to driving our ‘new world economy’ in that major retail venues all over the country desperately try to attract a certain amount of guests per day, while keeping them entertained long enough to perhaps buy a thing or two.