Movie theaters once thrived on exclusivity, but now Hollywood is prioritizing subscriptions over the big screen experience and shifting audiences to home viewing.
Hi Jeff, I love this article you wrote (showing statistics) and throwing my two cents in and it mostly confirms what you are expressing. Audiences are also being conditioned to go to streaming by the shorter theatrical time frames of when it is in theatres to streaming. So consumers are getting use to not seeing a movie. In days past, could have time to catch a movie now much less time so then fall into "ok will watching on streaming". The intent is obvious for me, the studio leaders want to wean people away from movies. Also the quality of movies overall being thrown up on theatrical screens might have some think "I can watch this at home".
Will streaming eventually take out movie theaters? Who knows seems likely. As people have watched more streaming movies and TV, there is less differentiation for the public between the two mediums: big screen and made for TV/streaming.
Which pushes even more to "just watch on streaming". In years past there was a remarkable difference between big screen movies and TV movies (overall vibe and quality). Yeah, there were exceptions that popped up, but overall, the big-screen theater movies compared to TV movies were different, namely due to budget, time, and efforts spent on the different genres. Now a sentiment that exists is "can just watch this movie at home and enjoy it just as much". Less distinction in movies due to studios production, namely quality.
This is your best article yet, and it resonates with me as a teenager that worked about one of those theatres PACKED for Titanic, Spy Kids and Harry Potter. It was a magical experience then and can be again.
But I hear the complaints, I can almost never find anyone that wants to go with me to see a movie, and I often end up going alone, like I did for Nosferatu. It’s not the end of the world, but people need that film loving community as well and it seems most just done care anymore.
I LOVE going to movies alone. I use to go when younger with other people, yet then I found it got distracting from the experience of really taking in the movie. True as time went on less people seemed interested in going to movies!
Great article! I think non-profits have a role to play here as well.
I live just outside NYC on Long Island, and we've started a film society (Cognitivefilms.org) to help build film/cinema culture in our local community. Our local library has a dedicated theater/screening room for 200, which makes it the perfect place for repertory screenings - at the perfect price - free.
I know other non-profits are actually buying old theaters, while Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center do the Lord's work in NYC itself. But the reality is that people who love film have to be the one's to take action. Streaming is always going to be easier.
I think now is the best time to take action too. The streaming experience is the worst it's ever been for quality of content, customer experience, pricing and now the inclusion of ads in paid tiers. Nobody is satisfied, but they remain solely for the convenience.
Great point with theaters playing some classic films. I flat out don't want to see most of the new movies in the theater. But when they air Star Wars, Jaws, and other incredible films, it's an incredible experience.
Fully agree with all this. The large theatres need a lot of work. It feels like they've given up. I sent an email to my local Cineplex after watching Nosferatu and the picture was so dim and flickered the entire time. Their response equated to gaslighting and claimed there were no issues because no one else decided to complain.
The big theatre need to bring the classics back. Seeing Interstellar on 70mm in IMAX last year for the 10th was incredible. They should be doing that in regular theatres for so many other films. Nobody should have to say, 'man I wish I could have seen it when it was in theatres.'
I saw High And Low, Ikiru and Seven Samurai last year at my local independent theatre. How cool is that!?
I agree with it all and I also think we have so many more shows and movies to watch at home now. Some weekends I could easily go watch a movie or two but my backlog of tv shows I need to catch up are so many and easily to put on that I just stay home and do that. I think that happens with many people now. Before you would have to get up and go to blockbuster and rent a movie or go to the theatre because you didn’t want to watch some rerun on cable. But now we have it so easy to watch something new without leaving home. I think studios now releasing movies for several months would help but it won’t go back to what it was because of all the streaming services. It’s sad.
I loved reading this so much! My local theaters really feel barren at this point, and we are losing what makes a movie experience so magical. I personally will always love seeing movies on the big screen. We have taken away the enjoyment of curiosity and trying new things. I personally think streaming at home has genuinely affected people's mentality; staying at home is not something we are meant for. Now, quality is going down; no one wants to pay for gas, high ticket prices, and expensive movie snacks just to watch a movie they'd rather put on at home and scroll on their phone. These low-quality movies are designed to cater to a small screen-addicted audience. "Make the plot as simple as possible because they will be on their phone"
My local theater shows a decent range of movies, it's a nice two mile walk and I go every week.
I try to go to early weekend screenings and the Tuesday night all-day matinee. No one else is ever there. Which is a mixed blessing, of course. I like the solitude, and the theater doesn't let anyone under 18 in the theater after 6 PM without a parent or guardian no matter what they're seeing.
The theaters are spacious and clean, the staff is cordial. Concessions are affordable. But the sound is messed up in obvious ways in every single one of their screens. It's rather amateurish and embarrassing.
I wish sometimes people went. It's a good location, and they show a few indies mixed in with the bigger movies. It makes a little bit of sense to see an 11:30 AM showing of Dune Part Two and be the only one there. But why am I going to a Saturday night showing of Nickel Boys and seeing no one else show up? How is anyone letting this happen?
Obviously in the latter case, MGM shouldn't have marketed Nickel Boys like it was a disease they had to spread to someone. But come on. Make this place, and other theaters, exciting for moviegoers. Make the movies feel special, whether it be a low-budget Halle Berry horror film or a mega blockbuster or an Oscar-contender.
I really liked your theatre experience examination. Let me tell you, my experiences. First, I'm 72 years old. So, for me, I would go from watching a small black and white tv, with no real movies to find. I think we had 4 channels. We had a neighborhood theatre (I grew up in Seattle, in the Ballard area. Yes, I've been to scarecrow videos). I had two local neighborhood theaters within walking distance for a 10-year-old. They would play 2nd run movies (Not that I knew what that was, nor did I care). I remember watching Jason and the Argonauts. Awesome! I saw 13 ghosts. I closed my eyes about half the time. But what I really remember was watching triple headers. Triple awesome! When I was a young adult with a driver's license, my friend and I would jump on highway 99 and get downtown to watch movies on bigger screens. My favorite theatre was the Cinerama. Really first class. I had a favorite seat, so I always arrived early to make sure to get it. That's where I watched the Exorcist for the first time (I was a senior in college. I had a lunch date the next day to interview John Hartle, the Seattle Times critic for a 400-level class). At 62 I moved to Spanish Fork, UT because my wife grew up in Provo, where Robert Redford lived nearby. She would occasionally see him out and about. There I would go the city Cinemark, about 10 minutes away. Never experienced those same problems that you had, except for the cost of popcorn and pop. I joined the Cinemark club where you pay $15 a month and get a free ticket, plus no online fee for ticket purchases, and a 20% discount on concession food. I loved that. The tickets would carry over if I didn't use them. And yes, I have a 77 (or something like that) LG OLED plus a sound system that I have been building for years. However, I guess because the audiences here are very polite. So, I prefer the big blockbusters because no matter how good my system is, it's not going to compare to the big screen and sound system. I just couldn't imagine watching Oppenheimer for the first time anywhere than at a theatre. I also own just about every 4K that's out there. I rarely stream movies for the first time except indies because there are no indie movie houses here, but I buy them if I like the movie. I really hope they figure this thing out, because I love the smell of fresh popcorn and the taste of fountain pop. Oh, yes reclining seats with lots of leg room with movable armrest (so I can snuggle with my wife) makes it all worth it.
I’ve noticed when I watch movies at home there are times where I or my wife will pull out our phones due to boredom. Sometimes justified due to a crappy movie but most the times the movie just hits a slow spot.
Were we in a movie theater we’d never pull out our phones.
I agree: Excellent article. I also support my local theater. In the last few years, they started showing indie movies and the big blockbusters, so now I just go to that theater for pretty much all films. With ticket prices so high, I'd rather give my money to help my local theater. The theater recently upgraded to 4k projectors and will also start showing 35mm and 70mm (2001: A Space Odyssey) later this spring, so I feel lucky to have such a great theater so close to home. But to your point: I used to go see a lot more movies a decade ago. Now with having a home theater, it's easier to just stream it at home.
The problem is multi fold. First, it is expensive. A family of five with tickets and snacks can expect to pay $70-$100. That is absurd for a bit of entertainment for less than two hours.
Next, the amount of previews has become stupid. Sitting through 25-30 minutes previews (advertising like commercials), is not my idea of fun. Especially at the prices it costs.
Next is the fact that most movies stream at home very quickly after release. Which means we can take breaks, we have comfy chairs and couches. Many people like me have projectors with huge screens and 7.2.2 surround. All the snacks are normal price. And as many people can watch as we can fit!
Next is the fact the movies (content itself) has gone down in quality overall. Either more rehashed comic book movies, reboots or rehashed stories over and over. It gets super tiring.
Studios have killed physical media. And we are seeing the same effect on film and TV as we saw with CDs and music. And yes it was studios who killed physical media. All in an attempt to have full, greedy control over when we watch our content and how. They chose to license to Netflix who started the streaming wars.
Finally, society has shifted their habits. People don't go out and do activities like they did just 20 years ago. Social media, smart phones, home delivery (Amazon, Walmart) is available for everything. My city has lost ALL of our drive ins. All of our dollar theatres. All of our race tracks. Nearly all of our fun centers. Many of our malls. Most of our arcades. Society has MASSIVELY shifted how and what we do outside the home. And I don't live in a small city. I am in Salt Lake City. Home to a few million people!
I think there is. It’s just smaller in scale. Think about chain restaurants compared to your favorite local place. It’s very rare that an Applebee’s is going to give you a better experience than a local restaurant run by a dedicated chef. That’s AMC vs more local indie theaters.
Hi Jeff, I love this article you wrote (showing statistics) and throwing my two cents in and it mostly confirms what you are expressing. Audiences are also being conditioned to go to streaming by the shorter theatrical time frames of when it is in theatres to streaming. So consumers are getting use to not seeing a movie. In days past, could have time to catch a movie now much less time so then fall into "ok will watching on streaming". The intent is obvious for me, the studio leaders want to wean people away from movies. Also the quality of movies overall being thrown up on theatrical screens might have some think "I can watch this at home".
Will streaming eventually take out movie theaters? Who knows seems likely. As people have watched more streaming movies and TV, there is less differentiation for the public between the two mediums: big screen and made for TV/streaming.
Which pushes even more to "just watch on streaming". In years past there was a remarkable difference between big screen movies and TV movies (overall vibe and quality). Yeah, there were exceptions that popped up, but overall, the big-screen theater movies compared to TV movies were different, namely due to budget, time, and efforts spent on the different genres. Now a sentiment that exists is "can just watch this movie at home and enjoy it just as much". Less distinction in movies due to studios production, namely quality.
Thank you! I talked about that some more here in this article, and in my upcoming book! https://www.jeffrauseo.com/p/where-is-hollywoods-money-going-inflated-movie-budgets
This is your best article yet, and it resonates with me as a teenager that worked about one of those theatres PACKED for Titanic, Spy Kids and Harry Potter. It was a magical experience then and can be again.
But I hear the complaints, I can almost never find anyone that wants to go with me to see a movie, and I often end up going alone, like I did for Nosferatu. It’s not the end of the world, but people need that film loving community as well and it seems most just done care anymore.
I LOVE going to movies alone. I use to go when younger with other people, yet then I found it got distracting from the experience of really taking in the movie. True as time went on less people seemed interested in going to movies!
Great article! I think non-profits have a role to play here as well.
I live just outside NYC on Long Island, and we've started a film society (Cognitivefilms.org) to help build film/cinema culture in our local community. Our local library has a dedicated theater/screening room for 200, which makes it the perfect place for repertory screenings - at the perfect price - free.
I know other non-profits are actually buying old theaters, while Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center do the Lord's work in NYC itself. But the reality is that people who love film have to be the one's to take action. Streaming is always going to be easier.
Great call out! Vidiots does some great work in LA as well. I’ve looked into something myself locally. It’s a great way to keep that experience alive.
Very cool!
I think now is the best time to take action too. The streaming experience is the worst it's ever been for quality of content, customer experience, pricing and now the inclusion of ads in paid tiers. Nobody is satisfied, but they remain solely for the convenience.
Great point with theaters playing some classic films. I flat out don't want to see most of the new movies in the theater. But when they air Star Wars, Jaws, and other incredible films, it's an incredible experience.
Fully agree with all this. The large theatres need a lot of work. It feels like they've given up. I sent an email to my local Cineplex after watching Nosferatu and the picture was so dim and flickered the entire time. Their response equated to gaslighting and claimed there were no issues because no one else decided to complain.
The big theatre need to bring the classics back. Seeing Interstellar on 70mm in IMAX last year for the 10th was incredible. They should be doing that in regular theatres for so many other films. Nobody should have to say, 'man I wish I could have seen it when it was in theatres.'
I saw High And Low, Ikiru and Seven Samurai last year at my local independent theatre. How cool is that!?
I agree with it all and I also think we have so many more shows and movies to watch at home now. Some weekends I could easily go watch a movie or two but my backlog of tv shows I need to catch up are so many and easily to put on that I just stay home and do that. I think that happens with many people now. Before you would have to get up and go to blockbuster and rent a movie or go to the theatre because you didn’t want to watch some rerun on cable. But now we have it so easy to watch something new without leaving home. I think studios now releasing movies for several months would help but it won’t go back to what it was because of all the streaming services. It’s sad.
I loved reading this so much! My local theaters really feel barren at this point, and we are losing what makes a movie experience so magical. I personally will always love seeing movies on the big screen. We have taken away the enjoyment of curiosity and trying new things. I personally think streaming at home has genuinely affected people's mentality; staying at home is not something we are meant for. Now, quality is going down; no one wants to pay for gas, high ticket prices, and expensive movie snacks just to watch a movie they'd rather put on at home and scroll on their phone. These low-quality movies are designed to cater to a small screen-addicted audience. "Make the plot as simple as possible because they will be on their phone"
My local theater shows a decent range of movies, it's a nice two mile walk and I go every week.
I try to go to early weekend screenings and the Tuesday night all-day matinee. No one else is ever there. Which is a mixed blessing, of course. I like the solitude, and the theater doesn't let anyone under 18 in the theater after 6 PM without a parent or guardian no matter what they're seeing.
The theaters are spacious and clean, the staff is cordial. Concessions are affordable. But the sound is messed up in obvious ways in every single one of their screens. It's rather amateurish and embarrassing.
I wish sometimes people went. It's a good location, and they show a few indies mixed in with the bigger movies. It makes a little bit of sense to see an 11:30 AM showing of Dune Part Two and be the only one there. But why am I going to a Saturday night showing of Nickel Boys and seeing no one else show up? How is anyone letting this happen?
Obviously in the latter case, MGM shouldn't have marketed Nickel Boys like it was a disease they had to spread to someone. But come on. Make this place, and other theaters, exciting for moviegoers. Make the movies feel special, whether it be a low-budget Halle Berry horror film or a mega blockbuster or an Oscar-contender.
I really liked your theatre experience examination. Let me tell you, my experiences. First, I'm 72 years old. So, for me, I would go from watching a small black and white tv, with no real movies to find. I think we had 4 channels. We had a neighborhood theatre (I grew up in Seattle, in the Ballard area. Yes, I've been to scarecrow videos). I had two local neighborhood theaters within walking distance for a 10-year-old. They would play 2nd run movies (Not that I knew what that was, nor did I care). I remember watching Jason and the Argonauts. Awesome! I saw 13 ghosts. I closed my eyes about half the time. But what I really remember was watching triple headers. Triple awesome! When I was a young adult with a driver's license, my friend and I would jump on highway 99 and get downtown to watch movies on bigger screens. My favorite theatre was the Cinerama. Really first class. I had a favorite seat, so I always arrived early to make sure to get it. That's where I watched the Exorcist for the first time (I was a senior in college. I had a lunch date the next day to interview John Hartle, the Seattle Times critic for a 400-level class). At 62 I moved to Spanish Fork, UT because my wife grew up in Provo, where Robert Redford lived nearby. She would occasionally see him out and about. There I would go the city Cinemark, about 10 minutes away. Never experienced those same problems that you had, except for the cost of popcorn and pop. I joined the Cinemark club where you pay $15 a month and get a free ticket, plus no online fee for ticket purchases, and a 20% discount on concession food. I loved that. The tickets would carry over if I didn't use them. And yes, I have a 77 (or something like that) LG OLED plus a sound system that I have been building for years. However, I guess because the audiences here are very polite. So, I prefer the big blockbusters because no matter how good my system is, it's not going to compare to the big screen and sound system. I just couldn't imagine watching Oppenheimer for the first time anywhere than at a theatre. I also own just about every 4K that's out there. I rarely stream movies for the first time except indies because there are no indie movie houses here, but I buy them if I like the movie. I really hope they figure this thing out, because I love the smell of fresh popcorn and the taste of fountain pop. Oh, yes reclining seats with lots of leg room with movable armrest (so I can snuggle with my wife) makes it all worth it.
I’ve noticed when I watch movies at home there are times where I or my wife will pull out our phones due to boredom. Sometimes justified due to a crappy movie but most the times the movie just hits a slow spot.
Were we in a movie theater we’d never pull out our phones.
I agree: Excellent article. I also support my local theater. In the last few years, they started showing indie movies and the big blockbusters, so now I just go to that theater for pretty much all films. With ticket prices so high, I'd rather give my money to help my local theater. The theater recently upgraded to 4k projectors and will also start showing 35mm and 70mm (2001: A Space Odyssey) later this spring, so I feel lucky to have such a great theater so close to home. But to your point: I used to go see a lot more movies a decade ago. Now with having a home theater, it's easier to just stream it at home.
The problem is multi fold. First, it is expensive. A family of five with tickets and snacks can expect to pay $70-$100. That is absurd for a bit of entertainment for less than two hours.
Next, the amount of previews has become stupid. Sitting through 25-30 minutes previews (advertising like commercials), is not my idea of fun. Especially at the prices it costs.
Next is the fact that most movies stream at home very quickly after release. Which means we can take breaks, we have comfy chairs and couches. Many people like me have projectors with huge screens and 7.2.2 surround. All the snacks are normal price. And as many people can watch as we can fit!
Next is the fact the movies (content itself) has gone down in quality overall. Either more rehashed comic book movies, reboots or rehashed stories over and over. It gets super tiring.
Studios have killed physical media. And we are seeing the same effect on film and TV as we saw with CDs and music. And yes it was studios who killed physical media. All in an attempt to have full, greedy control over when we watch our content and how. They chose to license to Netflix who started the streaming wars.
Finally, society has shifted their habits. People don't go out and do activities like they did just 20 years ago. Social media, smart phones, home delivery (Amazon, Walmart) is available for everything. My city has lost ALL of our drive ins. All of our dollar theatres. All of our race tracks. Nearly all of our fun centers. Many of our malls. Most of our arcades. Society has MASSIVELY shifted how and what we do outside the home. And I don't live in a small city. I am in Salt Lake City. Home to a few million people!
No one thing did it. It was many...
I think there is. It’s just smaller in scale. Think about chain restaurants compared to your favorite local place. It’s very rare that an Applebee’s is going to give you a better experience than a local restaurant run by a dedicated chef. That’s AMC vs more local indie theaters.