by Kira Taylor
Woodward Academy
Imagine this: A new movie that you have been waiting on for months comes out today on both Netflix and the movie theaters. Are you buying a ticket to the cinema, or are you chilling in bed with your dog and watching it at home?
It seems that nowadays, more people are choosing the latter option and it is upsetting those who adore the magic of the cinema.
CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, encourages watching movies outside of the cinema. Even saying that big blockbuster movies would be enjoyed just as much on streaming as in the theaters.
Because of the effects of the global pandemic, less and less people have been wanting to enjoy new movies in the movie theaters and are instead choosing to save money, and watch movies at home instead.
55 year old Atlanta police officer, Michael Porter, used to go to the movies almost weekly as a young adult, but now he finds himself never compelled enough to drive to the cinema.
“I just don’t think that the movies they make now make me want to go,” Porter says.
Many believe that movies simply aren’t worth it anymore. Given that before the pandemic, there were so many box office hits such as Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” and many iconic Star Wars movies. Now, it is hard to feel excitement for movies now in comparison.
Not only are people not going for this reason, but there is the aspect of money involved too. People are no longer willing to spend money on overpriced movie tickets.
“After Covid, the thought of paying almost $20 to go to the movies when I could just watch it at home is incredibly unappealing,” Porter says.
Even with the many downsides of going to the cinema nowadays, the experience of watching a film in HD on a 50 foot screen is incomparable.
“The crowd, the atmosphere and the experience will turn a film into an experience,” says Daniel McCall, a 17 year old film lover advocating for the importance of cinemas.
Many of the most iconic movies to ever grace a screen have been so special to many people because of the experience they had with it in the cinema.
Christopher Nolan’s 2023 box office hit, “Oppenheimer” for example, is a film that many have fond experiences with in the cinema. The film contains incredible shots and a captivating score that can only be fully experienced on the big screen, according to Nolan.
McCall recollects many movies that he watched at home during the pandemic that he wishes he had the privilege to watch at his local cinema.
“The magic of film stopped when the world did,” McCall says, referring to the global pandemic.
Even though movie theaters are notoriously overpriced and the quality of movies are seemingly at a decline in the past decade, the experience of the cinema is something that should be forever cherished.
“The experience of the cinema is priceless,” McCall says.
Rock Star Writers Blog 