There’s no doubt that movies have been a cultural staple in our society for decades. From the very first exhibitions of movies in theaters in the 20s and 30s to the casual movie outings in decades following, movie theaters have been a source of activity and entertainment for many. But, in the past few years, movie theaters have been struggling and some have had to permanently close their doors to the public and that’s due to one big reason — streaming.
Streaming services bring convenience to watching movies and TV — you can pause what you’re watching to get snacks, you can rewind when you missed a part after talking over something with your friends, and you can be in the comfort of your own home with the power to watch almost whatever, whenever. So, streaming is great for many reasons and it’s why there’s been an intense shift towards streaming services — you have everything at the touch of a button.
Yes there are positives to streaming, but it’s also taken away some of the novelty of watching a movie since we have so much convenience right at our fingertips. Movie theaters have suffered from this and more people are opting to watch movies at home rather than on the big screen. But, now after everyone was stuck inside during the pandemic and all that we could do was watch movies inside our homes, theaters and big screen debuts seem to be making a comeback.
Over the summer we saw blockbusters like Barbie and Oppenheimer, which held big successes from their movie marketing and the “Barbenheimer” tactic for seeing both movies that became very ingrained in the culture. Recent debuts like Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Priscilla, have also brought many people back in person to the theaters. To entice viewers, theaters have been creating special movie themed deals and adding reclining seats for comfort throughout the movie. Theaters have had to step up their game in order to compete with the effortlessness streaming has for viewing movies, and many have played into the sense of novelty and nostalgia that going to the movies has for increasing viewership.
There’s something special about actually going to the theaters for a movie showing. Actually having your ticket in hand as a souvenir and getting the popcorn that movie theaters seem to only get right all to see something on the big screen. With the prevalence of social media marketing for movies now, viewers are beginning to be enticed to go back to the theaters before it comes to a streaming service just to be in the cultural know.
I think we’ll be seeing a continuous increase of movie theater showings and offerings where people flock to the theaters in the next few months, if not years. After the actor’s and writer’s strike where movies were put on hold and viewers want to support writers and actors in their productions, there’s definitely a demand for theater viewership. With wanting to stay culturally relevant in this day and age, seeing movies when they come out is almost necessary, driving a bigger push for a return to the movies. Plus, don’t we want to break out of the normal routine and head to the movies for popcorn, recliner seats, and surround sound for the novelty of the movie theater?