Remember when digital was just a dream, a device still skirting the fringes of cinema? And what of 3-D, the 1960s freak-show favourite that had never really managed to find its place at the film party? It's just taken three short years for these one-time quirks to up-end the cinematic world and become the new mainstream. This week marked a watershed as all cinemas converted to digital, meaning no more 35mm prints will be screened here.
Put it all down to the visionary/madman who is American director James Cameron because, love it or loathe it, when his much-touted science-fiction epic Avatar dragged in the billions (to be exact, US$2.8 billion in global takings), its technology not only altered the way we saw films on screen, it changed the way we experienced them in cinemas. Filmmakers and cinema owners saw the money that could be made by spending a little more on how films were made and then charging a whole lot more for the viewing pleasure.
The change, for certain, had been coming. Hong Kong's film palaces had been gradually embracing the modern age for a decade, dispensing with the dirty walls and creaking seats, offering us comfort and - more to the point - choice where there had been little of either before.
Now we have not only digital, we have 3-D ... and 4-D. There's IMAX, too, and seats that actually move with the action while you're watching. We get the latest blockbusters, of course, and now our visual universe has been expanded with digital screenings of such things as sporting events and concerts.
The heyday of Hong Kong cinema might have ended in the 1990s but Hong Kong's cinemas are just now coming into their own. Since the dawn of this digital age in 2009, the Broadway chain for one has been quick to follow the trend.
'Digital cinema provides a wider scope of content like live sport programmes, opera, and both pop and classical music concerts,' says Tessa Lau, Broadway Circuit's executive director. 'Cinema-goers can now experience more world-class events and performances as cinema provides convenience in terms of time and cost. Cinemas nowadays in Hong Kong come well equipped with advanced sight and sound technology, comfy seating, and well-trained staff. Multiplexes can provide various choices of films every 30 minutes.'
Like most cinemas around town, Broadway has expanded its food and drink selections at the same time, even offering alcohol at some venues.