For over one hundred years, people have been going to the movies. Since the early 20th century, movie theatres have been the place we go to experience film and all of the emotions that come with it. Then, TV revolutionized the viewer experience by making media available at the click of a remote. But at the turn of the century, the way we watch movies was forever changed by the introduction of streaming services.
Suddenly, we don’t have to drive to the nearest movie theater or pay the quickly rising ticket prices to see new movies. Now, we can simply watch them from the comfort of our homes. And individual streaming services profit off of releasing movies exclusively on their app or website. So everyone wins, right?
What we don’t often see, though, is the toll this development has taken on movie theaters across the country— especially independently owned ones. As we stray further away from the movie going experience, we put these theaters at risk of closing down. In doing this, we are not only costing many people their jobs and sources of income, but we are failing to preserve an integral part of our culture. Since the pandemic, over 3,000 screens have closed nationwide as a result of a decrease in audience numbers. Quarantine severely damaged the movie theater industry and the box office, and it has failed to recover since.
Sean Baker, director of Oscar-winning film Anora, brought attention to this issue at the award show on Sunday, in a room full of the biggest names in Hollywood and on an international broadcast viewed by almost 20 million people. In his acceptance speech for Best Director, Baker exclaimed his “battle cry” for movie goers, film studios, and distributors: do not turn your back on movie theaters.
“Watching a film in the theater with an audience is an experience,” Baker said. “We can laugh together, cry together, scream and fight together, perhaps even sit in devastated silence together, and in a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever.”
Baker went on to emphasize the threat that movie theaters face and how filmmakers, distributors, actors, and audience members alike can help. Even though the box office has suffered in the past five years, that doesn’t mean we should stand idly by as theaters across the country empty their popcorn machines and close their doors. Since reopening, theaters have encouraged audiences to return and the film industry has incentivized box office accomplishments.
In 2023, the Golden Globes introduced an award for Box Office Achievement to honor the highest grossing movie of the year. The first of its kind, it is a way to recognize the films that had the most impact on the global audience apart from critics’ approval or accolades. Last year, the winning film was Barbie, and this year it was awarded to Wicked– two of the most beloved blockbusters from the past couple of years.
The film industry wants you to go to the theaters. That’s why Marvel churns out sequels and prequels, and it’s why studios produce remakes and series. If the box office bombs, so does the industry. So, in the interest of encouraging the movie going experience, some of the big movies coming in the next year include: Marvel’s Thunderbolts, Jurassic World Rebirth, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Disney’s Snow White live-action, and Wicked: For Good.
Whether you prefer watching from your couch or a theater recliner, it is clear that movie theaters need us just as much as we need them. We need them to love, laugh, and cry as much as they need us to keep their lights on. So, let’s keep them alive and continue, or perhaps start, going to the movies.