Out with the big screen, in with the subscription

The movie theater experience: going with friends, eating popcorn, and seeing a newly-released movie for the first time on a giant screen. Hearing the crowd you're sharing the movie with react to some of the best scenes is always an experience to remember. However, this is becoming less and less the case. Movie theaters across the country have been closing for several years due to stagnating numbers of customers. This, of course, was exacerbated thanks to the pandemic hitting the world like a train over two years ago. Movie theater visits are now few and far between. Speaking from personal experience, in January, I went to see Spider-Man: No Way Home at the theater. After watching it, I realized that it had been the first time I had been to a movie theater since 2018 when I went to see The Incredibles II. Before that, I hadn't been to one since 2016, when Rogue One came out. You get the picture. My sister is eight years older than me, so we both grew up in very different times. When I was little, I remembered her going to see movies all the time. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. The movies just aren’t as popular as they used to be, especially since COVID.

Contrary to popular belief, the economic shutdown wasn’t the only factor in theaters losing business. Actually, much of it can be attributed to the economic success of another medium of entertainment: streaming services.

I’m sure you heard the story of how Netflix came to be: a disgruntled Blockbuster employee decided to make his own movie rental company and ended up putting his competition out of business. Netflix later transitioned into the streaming service we all know today. Netflix has now grown to produce some of their own movies and series. Other streaming services, such as Hulu and Disney+, have started producing their own exclusive content, meaning that these original films will never hit movie theaters and will only be available on their prospective streaming service. For example, if you were thinking of going to see Disenchanted, think again. There will be no movie theater experience for this film. You will instead have to pay for a Disney+ subscription and watch it at home on your laptop or TV, which makes the film feel cheap in a way.

If you’re like me and enjoy the movie theater experience and are sad about how it seems to be diminishing, then go grab some friends and find a good movie to go see. Support a local movie theater! It’s the surest way to make sure a timeless experience will remain for the next generation.

By: Evan Majors