The Demise of the Movie-going Experience

Enjoying a first-run movie in a theater with a big screen may become a rare experience the further we get into the present decade. In some areas, the movie theater experience started declining as far back as the 90s. Independent theater owners found they were unable to survive on candy, popcorn, and soda sales and still rent blockbuster movies to show. 

Owners found themselves signing up with large corporations that took over their theaters, subdivided them in some cases, and showed a list of popular films designed to appeal to the largest mass audience.   

The recent COVID pandemic put a stop to even this reduced level of the movie-going experience. When COVID subsided, many people had become more comfortable with seeing first-run movies in the comfort of their own living rooms. 

Technology Working Against Movie Theaters

The pandemic may have added to the decline of the movie theater business, but it was far from the only cause. The theater business clings to an outdated romantic perspective. Movies and the stars appearing in them have always been marketed as bigger-than-life. Stepping into a hushed and opulent theater was seen as a unique experience that was perfect for enhancing the studio’s brand. 

Those same movies can now be enjoyed on increasingly larger, crystal-clear screens in your home. Streaming services supply whatever you want to see whenever you want to watch it. The romance is not contained in how a movie is watched; it’s in the content of the film itself. 

At some point, the studios will have to let it go and serve their customer’s wishes by focusing on making movies to be seen at home. When the soundtrack stops being mixed for a large theatre and the dialog starts to be easily understood again, you’ll know that the studios will have thrown in the towel.