So far, the growing body of research on polycentric urban structures has paid relatively little attention to spatial patterns of service consumption. There have been suggestions that the conventional central place model can no longer adequately describe and explain the patterns in contemporary polycentric urban areas and regions, and that it should be replaced by a new ‘network’ model. Though the network model is still in need of elaboration, several of its key notions are recognisable in this case study on cinema‐going in the city‐region of Rotterdam. However, this study also makes clear that the current ‘prototype’ of the network model needs to be enhanced by attention to the broad issue why people choose to visit certain service venues, including considerations regarding spatial factors but non‐spatial factors like qualities of service venues, before it can serve as a valid model for future study.