This special issue of Media International Australia represents an effort to progress critical understanding of the broader social and economic formations that shape the circulation and onsumption of films. The collection provides a range of diverse and ompelling insights into the processes of film circulation and viewing both within the home and at the cinema. Accordingly these articles address important questions such as: Why do audiences seek out film content? How are films accessed and by whom? What place does film have in popular social memory? How does the site of consumption shape the meaning of these cultural encounters? By what processes can we identify and study audiences?