Going out to the movies used to be an exciting outing where you were able to share the magic of a new film on the big silver screen with family and friends. Picking out snacks, selecting a seat and buying tickets were essential components to making the movie-watching experience special. However, in recent years, the overall production of cinema-worthy movies with A-list actors, astounding special effects and ample press has decreased, and there’s one culprit: online streaming services.
Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu — the list goes on for how many services have continued to take over TV screens nationwide. These platforms bring in mass amounts of revenue by charging viewers subscription fees, and in return they get access to what feels like an unlimited amount of movies and shows to watch. As these large corporations grow, movie theaters are bearing the brunt. More and more movies are being made solely to be a Netflix film and not debut in theaters. The services have made it possible to watch movies without leaving the comfort of your own home. So yes, there is a convenience factor—you can pause whenever you’d like, rewind if you missed something and have the benefit of no one kicking the back of your seat. But, with these factors, we’ve lost something unique.
The theater experience and environment offered a sense of community. Everyone gathered together, all anticipating and viewing something new for the first time. Now, watching movies at home is a solo or few person feat and does not feel nearly as exciting. Laughing, crying and gasping collectively at scenes with everyone in the room provides a certain experience that your living room simply cannot recreate. Larger-than-life visuals and the booming sound effects are what made the movies unlike anything you could watch at home.
As for celebrities, movie stars are quickly becoming a concept of the past. While still relevant, actors are not nearly as noticed as they had previously been when big movies were in their prime. The movies coming out in theaters lately don’t showcase famous faces that used to make audiences eager to watch.
Now, watching movies online is so accessible and common for us now that heading out to the theater stopped becoming a thought. Every once and a while, a blockbuster film like “Barbie” or “Wicked” debuts, and people will flock to go see it. But, otherwise, the local AMC is typically found quiet compared to the buzz it might’ve had seven years ago.
Not to mention, with the decrease in attendance, and, of course, inflation, movie ticket prices have skyrocketed tremendously. Forget trying to take your family of four or five to see a film. For nearly the same price you can go out for a nice dinner instead, and that’s excluding the cost of snacks and drinks. The rise in prices makes watching movies at home, unfortunately, the cheaper option. Even if renting your favorite 2000’s film for $16.99 seems like a lot, think about what it would cost to see it in theaters. This factor consistently will turn watchers away from going out when they can just stay in with little financial strain
All in all, I miss the days when going to the movies felt like a big deal. The snacks, the atmosphere—it truly made seeing a movie feel like an event. With the normalization of streaming services and watching films at home, it feels like a part of our culture that has been an entertainment staple for centuries is slowly slipping away. With all aspects of the world becoming more and more digital everyday, including the movie experience, we must not lose the quintessential shared love of going to the theater.
Photo Credits: “Cinema” by Simon Malz is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
