The current state of theaters: Are they still necessary?

There is no feeling quite like the one of sitting down in a comfy seat, popcorn and candy in hand as the theater lights darken. The giant screen at the front of the auditorium illuminates the room with trailers of upcoming films, inspiring you to return at a later date to see another new film.

However, with the rise of streaming platforms, many people stopped relying on the movie theaters to watch the latest films. As more and more streaming platforms began releasing their original films online for their subscribers at the same time as at the movies, the attendance at movie theaters declined.

In 2020, the world came to a complete halt with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Movie theaters were one of the industries that was very heavily impacted. Government regulations in most countries did not allow for theaters to remain open since they require guests to sit closely next to one another in a confined indoor space for a long period of time. Because of this, it became even more common that films were first released on streaming platforms rather than on the big screen.

However, as vaccination numbers began rising, so did the number of people returning to the theaters. This is because, while it may be simpler to merely watch the latest movies at home, nothing quite replaces the experience of seeing a movie for the first time on the big screen.

Movie theaters have become more comfortable and offer more amenities, allowing for an ideal viewing set up. Additionally, going to the movies is an activity that people plan ahead for and often do with friends. This allows watching the latest films to be a lot more social than just watching them alone at home.

While it may seem more expensive to go see the latest films in theaters, it actually is beginning to be cheaper. For example, the film Black Widow just came out in theaters and on Disney+. There were many excited fans with a Disney+ account that thought they could stream it with merely their subscription. However, many were shocked to find that it required a Disney+ subscription along with an additional $20 for “Premium Access.” Meanwhile, going to the movies costs around $15 and there is no additional subscription fee. This means that people are able to happily enjoy the entire experience of going to the movies for less of a cost than watching it at home.

Overall, the experience of going to the movies is not one that can be easily replaced. There is no feeling quite like it and because of this movie theaters will continue to have high numbers of visitors and hopefully stay in business in the future as well.

By Rosa Schaefer Bastian.