"Cinema" is a song initially released by Italian DJ and electro house music producer Benny Benassi and British singer-songwriter Gary Go. The song was written and performed by Gary Go with music produced by Benny and Alle Benassi. It was released on 8 March 2011 by Ultra Records and All Around the World, on Benny Benassi's fourth studio album Electroman. The song made its first appearance in the video game Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit in November 2010, months before the song was released as a single. The single EP featured several remixes by Skrillex, Laidback Luke, Alex Gaudino and Congo Rock. The Skrillex remix went on to become a hit in its own right, remaining on Billboard's Dance chart for over two years after its release and winning a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording. Artist and producer Kanye West referred to it as "one of the greatest works of art ever made". The song featured in the trailer for the video game Sonic Lost World and in-games Forza Horizon and Beat Fever, as well as soundtracking promos for the WWE Network. The song has been streamed over a billion times online across streaming platforms (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music). The song was further re-imagined by Gary Go on his soundtrack EP Now Was Once the Future and again by electronic dance music duo Galantis in 2020.
In late 2020-early 2021, a solo acoustic version of the song by Gary Go went viral on TikTok and Instagram, appearing in more than 50,000 videos as of March 6, 2022. A mashup with "The Veldt" by deadmau5 also went viral, with over 25 million impressions on Instagram alone.
A music video to accompany the release of "Cinema" was first released onto YouTube on 24 March 2011 at a total length of three minutes and thirty-nine seconds.[1] It features Benny Benassi, producer Alle Benassi and Gary Go. The video was later featured in the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Copy Machine".
The single was certified platinum in Canada through Music Canada for selling over 80,000 downloads.[4] The single was certified platinum in Australia for selling over 75,000 downloads. The single was certified gold in New Zealand. The Skrillex remix is certified double-platinum in the United States for over 2,000,000 downloads.
In the US, the single achieved a milestone of sorts when it spent a record 48 weeks from 2011 to 2012 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, the third highest number of weeks that a single has ever remained on that chart without advancing into the Billboard Hot 100.[5]
^"Singles Charts Archive Search"(in the "Artist" field, enter "Benny Benassi"; in the "Single Title" field, enter "Cinema", in the "Single Chart Name" field, select "Bubbling Under Hot 100"; in the "Date" field, select "All Weeks(Artist or Title required)"; select "Enter"). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 17, 2012. The song remained on the Billboard dance chart for over 120 weeks.