“We come to this place for magic. We come to AMC theaters to laugh, to cry, to care, because we need that…all of us. The indescribable feeling when the lights begin to dim, and we go somewhere we’ve never been before…” states actress Nicole Kidman before every AMC movie. But who exactly is watching this commercial? Many people have seen the devaluation of movies in the past year, noticing its gradual diminishment through physical media and the theater scene.
In 2007, the average person ages 18-29 saw 9.1 movies over the course of the year, according to a study done by Gallup. Since then, the number has declined significantly, with only 2.1 being seen over the course of 2021. With everyone being stuck at home in the pandemic, people have gotten used to the idea of curling up on their couches and watching movies on their beloved streaming services. After the closing of Regal Cinemas in the Washington Crown Center, the closest theater is now about a half hour away, too. The idea of streaming services and watching movies at home has become the new norm, pushing theater experiences aside.
Junior Bella Feriozzi is a frequent movie theater attendee, but has seen the recent lack of others in the audience.
She shares what makes a movie theater special: “I love movie theater popcorn and the reclining seats. The Phoenix Theater in Bridgeville has $5 movie Tuesdays and AMC does special deals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for their Stubs members. I think these deals attract more viewers and could help bring back movie theaters.”
A recent bidding war for who would buy entertainment company Warner Bro. left cinephiles nervous for the future of theatrical releases and movies in general. Netflix was looking like a clear winner for a while; this would have meant there would be limited releases in the actual theater and more streaming service movies. However, Paramount saved the day and bought the corporation.
Paramount has promised a minimum 30 movies a year theatrically and a 45-day theatrical window with their $110 billion deal. This would benefit the movie theater industry greatly, in theory. However, there are skeptics that are worried if the deal is too much of a stretch.
Author and Hollywood historian Mark Harris describes the deal: “the idea of a Paramount-WB merger producing 30-40 movies a year is an absurd fiction. [Warner Bros. will become] classy, then it will become a specialty or streaming label. Then it will die.”
Another piece of diminishing media that has whittled away since the rise of streaming service is DVDs. The DVD (digital versatile disc) fully revolutionized the home entertainment business in the 1990s. Replacing the VHS, DVDs held more storage and were a more portable way to own films. Ultimately, this way of preserving media has declined significantly due to the convenience of streaming services and the low income they bring in for the studios.
It is clear that streaming services are the main factor in the decline of the movie industry. Although, there are still ways to keep the spirit of movies alive. Visit your local theater and buy physical media before it vanishes for good.
