Movie Theaters vs. Streaming



Since 2002, movie theater attendance has been on a steady decline, but why is that? Many variables factor into this equation, the tickets are overpriced, the floors and bathrooms are usually sticky and unkempt, the movies are mediocre at best, unfriendly staff, and fellow moviegoers are unruly and rude. However, the most significant factor in the movie equation is streaming. With the advancement of modern technologies such as faster internet speeds, widescreen high-definition televisions, and better computers; streaming movies was an inevitable thing. The threat from streaming is not the first time Hollywood and movie theaters have faced harsh competition from home entertainment, but can movie theaters survive this time? 

From the early 1900’s until the 1950’s, movie theaters were usually these substantial and glorious venues that would host both movies and stage acts, such as vaudeville acts and magic shows. Called “movie palaces,” this was the height of the moviegoing experience, but that all changed in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. In the early days of Hollywood, the studios had a monopoly on the movie theaters that showed their movies, an anti-trust ruling from the Supreme Court ended that and movie theaters became independently owned. Following was the advent of television,  Hollywood was hurting badly. To save itself from financial devastation; the widescreen film format was invented, fewer movies were made, and the budgets increased on the films that were made. With the help of a few incredibly talented filmmakers and actors, movie theaters were able to continue for another fifty years. 

In the late 2000’s, streaming movies began to start its ascent into the social norm, and by the mid-2010’s; it became harder and harder to find a home that does not use at least one streaming service. Netflix has become a multi-million dollar production company in its own right, competing head to head with the likes of Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, and Fox, with companies like Amazon Prime and Hulu following suit. What is different this time around is Hollywood doesn’t have any new gimmicks that will get audiences to emanate from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Even the 3D gimmick cannot get people to come to the cinemas because their home devices can do that too. So, what are movie theaters supposed to do to help drive attendance? In my personal opinion, nothing. It is inevitable for movie theaters to become passe like video rental stores. This foreboding may not be right for all movie theaters; I do not think that movie theaters will become extinct as a whole, but for many small-town multiplexes, it is going to happen.
The movie theaters that will survive this onslaught from streaming services will be specialty theaters, theaters that show more than what Hollywood is coming out this week. 

One such example is Alamo Drafthouse; Alamo Drafthouse is a chain that started in 1997 and has been growing steadily. Alamo has 29 locations across the United States with seventeen areas in Texas and more planning to be built. Alamo offers a costly, but worth it movie-going experience that is worth the extra price for admission. Tickets are reserved seating; the seats are leather recliners, you come in and order food as you do in a restaurant, the best amenity, however, is the stringent “no talking and no cell phone” rule. Alamo Drafthouse is well known for their harsh stance against talkers in movie theaters and has even put angry phone and internet messages in their previews to reinforce that they do not care if you come back or not, you do not talk during a movie. What Alamo also does differently is they show movies on both film and digital formats, this leaves the door open for Alamo to hold many events that show classic movies on their original 35mm or even 70mm formats. Alamo is the most substantial theater chain that does this, but chains such as Cinemark and AMC also do something similar, but the classic movies shown are digital conversions. There are also many small, locally owned theaters in many big cities that follow the same format as Alamo. 

Naturally, with the advent of video streaming services, movie theaters are in trouble, and many will be forced to close because of this. But movie theaters will not go away completely; there will always be a demographic of cinephiles who still enjoy the moviegoing experience in a darkened auditorium with likeminded people.

Further Reading/Videos
Theaters vs Streaming
DW on the Death of the Cinema
History of the Movie Palace




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